Germany’s economy has grown by 34% since the start of Merkel’s tenure — 15 percentage points more than its nearest EU rival, France.
In addition to sound stewardship, some of this was thanks to good fortune: Under Merkel's rule, Germany has benefitted from strong demand in fast-growing economies like China for its high-end engineering goods.
Reforms made by her predecessor, Gerhard Schroeder, to reduce taxes, merge unemployment and welfare benefits and increase the flexibility of the labor market also paid dividends.