13 / 20 Germany: WZ 2025
How is WZ 2025 introduced gradually?
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Statistical classification only
Statistical classification only. This guide does not determine any reader's code. Confirm a code with the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) or the register that holds the record. This is general information, not advice on any reader's registration.
WZ 2025 is introduced gradually into German official statistics, domain by domain, rather than on a single date for all statistics. Destatis states in its WISTA article that the article gives an overview of the gradual introduction of the revised classification, and that different implementation dates were chosen for individual statistics because data from different statistics build on each other. The European regulation applies generally to data transmission from 1 January 2025 (FIXED), with later dates for specified domains.
The German introduction follows that pattern: the classification is available from the start of the period, and each statistical domain moves to it when its own timetable requires. A reader should therefore never assume that every German statistic moved to WZ 2025 on the same date.
Which domain dates does Destatis publish?
Destatis publishes a table of later implementation dates for NACE Rev. 2.1, under the amended regulation, showing the reference periods from which the new version applies for specified domains. The table includes earnings structure and distribution statistics from 2026 (FIXED), waste statistics from 2026 (FIXED), the labour cost index from 2027 (FIXED), agricultural accounts from 2028 (FIXED), statistics on vocational training in enterprises from 2030 (FIXED), and the European System of Accounts from September 2029 (FIXED). It also includes the health and safety at work domain from 2027 (FIXED), environmental economic accounts from 2026 (FIXED), and road freight transport statistics from 2026 (FIXED). Those dates are implementation dates for data transmission in the domains named. They are not dates on which any business register entry changes, and they are not dates on which every German statistic changes.
| Domain, as listed by Destatis | Reference periods from |
|---|---|
| Earnings structure and distribution, labour costs | 2026 (FIXED) |
| Waste statistics | 2026 (FIXED) |
| Labour cost index | 2027 (FIXED) |
| Energy statistics | 2027 (FIXED) |
| Agricultural accounts | 2028 (FIXED) |
| European System of Accounts | September 2029 (FIXED) |
| Vocational training statistics | 2030 (FIXED) |
The table above selects rows from the Destatis table of later implementation dates. It is not the full Destatis table, and a reader who needs a domain not listed here should check the Destatis article itself. Every date in the table is labelled FIXED, because Destatis presents the dates as the amended implementation dates in the regulation.
How do business statistics differ within the gradual introduction?
Business statistics differ because short term and structural business statistics move on different timetables. Destatis states that structural business statistics must first supply results under the new NACE Rev. 2.1 for the reporting year 2025 (FIXED), while short term business statistics supply their data, the short term indices, for the first time with the change to the new base year 2025 (FIXED) at the start of 2028 (FIXED), with a single retrospective delivery for the period from 2025 to 2027 (FIXED range). Short term statistics therefore continue to be delivered under the old version until the end of 2027 (FIXED), and are then delivered retrospectively under the new version for the same period. A reader who compares a structural figure for 2025 (FIXED) with a short term figure for the same year, without noting the different timetables, will compare figures compiled under different versions. The version note in each publication resolves the apparent contradiction.
What does gradual introduction mean for a reader?
Gradual introduction means that the version must be checked publication by publication, domain by domain, and period by period. A German statistic for 2026 (FIXED) may use WZ 2025 in one domain and WZ 2008 in another, depending on the domain timetable. A statistic for 2028 (FIXED) may use WZ 2025 in most domains but not yet in a domain whose timetable runs to 2030 (FIXED) or 2031 (FIXED). The safe habit is to read the version note in the publication, to state the version beside every figure copied, and to use the backcast or double reported series where one is published. The classification server and the Destatis article together show the structure and the plan. The publication note shows the version actually used for a given figure.
What does gradual introduction not decide?
Gradual introduction does not decide the code for any reader, and it does not decide tax, licensing, funding or collective agreement questions. It governs statistics. The entry for a specific unit is confirmed with the register that holds it. This site holds no register and decides no entry. A reader who treats a domain implementation date as a deadline for a business to act mistakes a statistical timetable for an obligation. No such obligation is stated on the Destatis pages fetched for this work, and this guide asserts none.
German statistics move to WZ 2025 domain by domain, the Destatis table gives the later dates for the domains it lists, and each publication note shows the version actually used for its figures. ”