Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Shows 5% Growth Before Sunday Vote as AfD Threat Looms
Updated
Updated · DW (English) · Sep 19
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Shows 5% Growth Before Sunday Vote as AfD Threat Looms
3 articles · Updated · DW (English) · Sep 19
Summary
Sunday's state election has put Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's economy under scrutiny after AfD's nearly 44% win in Saxony-Anhalt jolted German politics, though polls here show a much tighter SPD-AfD race.
5% inflation-adjusted growth since 2020 has outpaced Germany's 4.6%, even as unemployment stands at 7.8% and median annual pay at €47,750—about €6,000 below the national average.
Agriculture, shipbuilding and tourism anchor the state economy: farms average about 280 hectares versus 65 nationally, defense-linked shipyard work is supporting Wismar and Stralsund, and 150,000 to 160,000 jobs depend on tourism.
Energy and new investment could shape the longer-term outlook, with LNG imports still handled via the state after Russian gas stopped in 2022 and Schwarz Group planning a €5.6 billion data center near Rostock.