BERLIN—The German economy failed to return to its pre-pandemic size in 2021 as microchip shortages hit production in the car industry and further COVID-19 restrictions slowed down the recovery of Europe’s largest economy in the final months of the year.
Gross domestic product grew 2.7 percent in 2021 after plunging 4.6 percent in the first coronavirus crisis year 2020, preliminary figures from the Federal Statistics Office showed on Friday.
