The "Made in Germany" seal enjoys the highest level of trust worldwide

66 percent of respondents would trust "Made in Germany", just ahead of Switzerland and Japan, according to a survey conducted by the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions (NIM) in Germany.

The German indication of origin also had the most positive effect on purchasing decisions. In the survey, 65 percent stated this, followed by the Swiss label (62) and Japan (59).

For the analysis, 20,000 people from ten countries representative of the respective populations were surveyed in March: France, Poland, Germany, Italy and the UK, as well as the USA, Japan, Mexico, South Africa and India.

Germany scores highly for cars, France for luxury

The "Made in Germany" label was introduced in the UK at the end of the 19th century to protect the domestic economy from supposedly inferior imports from Germany. Today, the label is regarded as a seal of quality. This is also reflected in the survey: "Made in Germany" is most frequently associated with quality, according to the Nuremberg researchers.

The opposite is true for China. "Made in China" scored poorly in terms of both trust and purchasing decisions. However, the label is perceived by far the most strongly. It is followed by "Made in USA".

According to the study, consumers worldwide most associate "Made in Germany" with combustion cars, followed by household appliances. Other labels such as "Made in France" are associated with a larger number of products, such as cosmetics, clothing, food and wine. The "Made in USA" label, on the other hand, is associated positively with artificial intelligence (AI).

The researchers warn that although Germany has a good image, "Made in USA" or "Made in Japan" perform better for future-oriented products such as AI, e-cars or electronics.

Good image, but exports under pressure

The survey shows that Germany continues to enjoy a high international reputation as an export nation. At the same time, according to the Bundesbank, Germany's exporters have lost competitiveness on the global market.

The German economy is heavily dependent on foreign trade. Almost one in four jobs depends on exports, which are under pressure due to high US tariffs and have shrunk in 2024.