Around 1.8 million Germans, or 4.5 percent of the workforce, work for companies that produce goods and services linked to the environment, a study published by the environment ministry said on Friday.
The survey was taken in 2006, the study on the "green economy" said, and represented an increase from the level in 2004 of 3.8 percent.
A ministry estimate put more than 5.0 percent of all German output in 2007 in the same category, for a total value of 69.5 billion euros (91.9 billion dollars), an increase of 27 percent from the level in 2005.
In 2006, meanwhile, Germany covered 16.1 percent of the global market for material that contributed to environmental protection, making it the sector's leading actor, according to the ministry.
It defined "green economy" as "all companies that produce goods and services that help avoid, reduce or eliminate environmental threats."
The definition applies for example to waste disposal companies, building insulation firms or renewable energy producers.
The sector is dominated in Germany by small- and medium-sized enterprises, and is roughly equally divided by those that offer goods and those providing services, the report said.
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