Sales figures for bicycles in Germany 2020

The German bicycle industry experienced a real boom in 2020. Even in the years before, the sales figures for bicycles in Germany were rising steadily. However, the Corona pandemic then brought a whole new lease of life to the industry.

Great growth due to Corona pandemic

The year 2020 was dominated by the Corona pandemic. This applies not only to everyday life, but also to the global bicycle industry. Not only Germany, but the whole world could see a great growth in sales and turnover figures. However, even in recent years, the growth of bicycle sales has already been dynamically increased. Both bicycles and e-bikes are becoming increasingly popular as they gain in importance as a means of transportation. They offer active, environmentally friendly and at the same time affordable mobility. In addition, they offer the user a high degree of flexibility and independence, which is often not the case with other means of transport.

In addition, many people recognize the importance of sustainability and environmental protection, which is why they choose to ride their bikes and leave their cars behind more often instead. Last but not least, the trend is toward more movement in everyday life. All these factors have ensured an upswing in the bicycle industry in recent years. However, with the Corona pandemic comes another important influencing factor: both bicycles and e-bikes offer infection-proof mobility in everyday life. They can be considered relevant to the system and have become one of the most popular means of transport in 2020. However, many Germans now use bicycles not only to get to work, but also for leisure activities. Demand therefore rose faster last year than in previous years. At the same time, the bicycle industry faced entirely new and major challenges as a result of the pandemic. Disrupted supply chains, forced store closures due to lockdowns, and increased hygiene requirements also challenged the bicycle industry. Thus, growing demands on processes coupled with rising demand characterized the bicycle industry in 2020.

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German bicycle industry records over 5 million sales

A total of 5.04 million bicycles and e-bikes were sold in Germany in 2020. This is an increase of 16.9% over 2019. The share of e-bikes was 38.7 %. A total of 1.95 million e-bikes were thus sold in Germany. Here, too, there was a significant increase compared with previous years. Sales of e-bikes increased by 43.4%. This trend can also be clearly seen in the sales figures: The German bicycle industry recorded an increase in sales of 60.9% compared to the previous year. This corresponds to a sales value of €6.44 billion. This figure refers to the pure sale of bicycles and e-bikes. If the sales volume from accessories across all distribution channels is added to this figure, the sales value is almost €10 billion. Exports also grew in 2020, reaching 1.57 million units, up 7.9% from the previous year. The average selling price in 2020 was €1,279.

This average price is dominated by the high proportion of e-bikes. Here, too, exports have increased, as the industry was able to generate 15% more sales than in the previous year. A total of 0.61 million e-bikes were exported. The total stock of bicycles and e-bikes in Germany was estimated at around 79.1 million units in 2020. 7.1 million of these bikes are e-bikes. The absolute figures increased in almost all model groups. Only non-electrically powered MTBs and Dutch and touring bikes were excluded from these statistics. In terms of e-bike sales, 35.5% are e-trekking, 30% are e-MTB, and 28% are e-city/urban bikes. The number of cargo bikes accounted for 4% of the total, while racing bikes and fast e-bikes each accounted for 0.5%. As in previous years, the E-MTB model group grew the most in 2020. Only the sales figures for children’s bicycles and cargo bikes have not changed in relation to the previous year.