Mobile Menu

Detective Agencies in Germany - Market Research Report (2013-2028)

David Riemeier David Riemeier Frankfurt, Germany Last Updated: June 2023 WZ N80.30DE

Revenue

€221.0m

2023

€221.0m

Past 5-Year Growth

Profit

€XX.Xm

Employees

5,853

Businesses

835

Wages

€XXX.Xm

Detective Agencies in Germany industry analysis

The industry of detective agencies operates in various fields and provides services to companies, law firms and individuals. Annual sales have increased by an average of 2.6% per year over the last five years. The industry has weathered the coronavirus pandemic well despite short-term sales fluctuations in various sales markets. This is due to the increasing threat of cybercrime, which has benefited the industry's digital pioneers. In addition, there has been a renewed increase in divorce, alimony and child custody disputes, which account for a very high proportion of the demand for investigative services. Also due to the improved overall economic situation, there was a slight increase in revenue from 2021 among corporate customers, who are again showing a greater willingness to spend on the industry's services. Growth is also expected to continue in the current year. Compared with the previous year, industry sales are expected to increase by 1.2% to €221 million.Various factors are having a positive impact on the industry in the current year. These include rising net household incomes and the improved economy. The willingness of companies to use the services of detective agencies has also increased again.IBISWorld forecasts average annual industry revenue growth of 3% over the next five years to reach a total of 256.3 million euros in 2028. The industry is expected to be able to expand its cybercrime business, while traditional business is likely to increase moderately. New options such as home offices will increase employee satisfaction, but the likelihood of employee crimes, including unauthorized sick leave, theft of company property, or disclosure of company confidential information, is expected to decline slightly overall.

Trends and Insights

  • The corona pandemic has led to temporary shifts in demand. The trend toward home offices has made investigations of employee crimes more difficult. The interim decline in the number of divorces also affected the order situation. At the same time, detective agencies were more frequently assigned to investigate domestic violence cases.
  • Detectives generate most of their revenue by investigating employee crimes. This includes, among other things, the detection of deception about diseases. However, such investigations are becoming less important in light of the trend toward home offices.
  • The Central region has the highest number of industry operations. This is mainly due to the dense settlement and the high economic dynamism, especially in the Rhine-Ruhr region and the financial center Frankfurt am Main.
  • The industry of private security and guard services represents an external competition to the detective business. The physical presence of security personnel often represents a preventive solution that makes the use of detectives unnecessary.

Access hundreds of analysis and data

  • Market estimates from 2014-2029
  • Critical performance data and rankings
  • Detailed analysis of competitive forces and the external environment
  • PDF report or online database with Word, Excel and PowerPoint export options
  • 100% money back guarantee

Industry Statistics and Trends

Market size and recent performance (2013-2028)

Industry revenue has grown at a CAGR of 2.6 % over the past five years, to reach an estimated €221.0m in 2023.

Trends and Insights

Detectives profit from private clients' distrust of their fellow man

  • The sector's activities include, in particular, assignments such as shadowing spouses or family members in the context of inheritance and estate disputes. This segment is a classic field of activity for detectives and is part of their daily business.
  • Additional trends and insights available with purchase
Detective Agencies in Germany
Revenue (2013-2028)
IBISWorld Logo Source: IBISWorld

Industry outlook (2024-2029)

Market size is projected to grow over the next five years.

Trends and Insights

Economic recovery and ongoing trend toward home office influence demand for detective services

  • The renewed growth in economic output is likely to lead to rising personnel expenses as well as increased corporate acquisitions and mergers. Many business detective agencies specialize in background checks on job applicants, but detective agencies also perform risk analyses for potential corporate acquisitions.

Biggest companies in the Detective Agencies in Germany

Company
Market Share (%)
2023
Revenue (€m)
2023
Detektei an der Alster
2.2
Detektei Meng
2.2
Detektiv Tudor
2.2

To view the market share and analysis for all 4 top companies in this industry, view purchase options.

Products & Services Segmentation

Detective Agencies in Germany
Products & Services
IBISWorld Logo Source: IBISWorld

Industry revenue is measured across several distinct product and services lines, including Investigation of employee offenses, Investigation of civil and family disputes and Investigation of white-collar crime. Investigation of employee offenses is the largest segment of the Detective Agencies in Germany.

Trends and Insights

Employee crime investigations decrease due to home office trend

  • Many companies hire detective agencies to uncover suspected crimes or misdemeanors committed by their employees. Detective agencies are preferred here because they are unknown to the employee and can thus obtain information without being noticed.
  • More insights available in the full report

Table of Contents

About this industry

Industry definition

In the detective agency industry, evidence collection involves gathering and documenting intelligence and information. The information is collected through observations, research or interviews and compiled into evidence that can be used in court. Detective agencies work in both the private, civil and commercial sectors. The activities of department store detectives, on the other hand, are not included in the industry.

What's included in this industry?

Investigation of employee offensesInvestigation of civil and family disputesInvestigation of white-collar crimeCybercrime investigations

Companies

Detektei an der AlsterDetektei MengDetektiv Tudor

Purchase this report to view all 4 major companies in this industry.

Related Terms

OBSERVATIONBUG DETECTORVOTE DISTORTERCIRCUMSTANCES

Industry Code

WZ 2008

WZ 80.30 - Detective Agencies in Germany

Performance

Get an indication of the industry's health through historical, current and forward-looking trends in the performance indicators that make or break businesses.

Analyst insights

The corona pandemic has led to temporary shifts in demand. The trend toward home offices has made investigations of employee crimes more difficult. The interim decline in the...

In this chapter (4)

  • Current Performance
  • Outlook
  • Volatility
  • Life Cycle

Key metrics

  • Annual Revenue, Recent Growth, Forecast, Revenue Volatility
  • Number of Employees, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Employee
  • Number of Businesses, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Business
  • Total Profit, Profit Margin, Profit per Business

Charts

  • Revenue, including historical (2013-2022) and forecast (2023-2028)
  • Employees, including historical (2013-2022) and forecast (2023-2028)
  • Businesses, including historical (2013-2022) and forecast (2023-2028)
  • Profit, including historical (2013-2023)
  • Industry Volatility vs. Revenue Growth
  • Industry Life Cycle

Detailed analysis

  • Trends in supply, demand and current events that are driving current industry performance
  • Expected trends, economic factors and ongoing events that drive the industry's outlook
  • Key success factors for businesses to overcome volatility
  • How contribution to GDP, industry saturation, innovation, consolidation, and technology and systems influence the industry's life cycle phase.

Products and Markets

Learn about an industry's products and services, markets and trends in international trade.

Analyst insight

Detectives generate most of their revenue by investigating employee crimes. This includes, among other things, the detection of deception about diseases. However, such invest...

In this chapter

  • Products & Services
  • Major Markets

Key metrics

  • Largest market segment and value in 2023
  • Product innovation level

Charts

  • Products & services segmentation in 2023
  • Major market segmentation in 2023

Detailed analysis

  • Trends impacting the recent performance of the industry's various segments
  • Innovations in the industry's product or service offering, specialization or delivery method
  • Key factors that successful businesses consider in their offerings
  • Buying segments and key trends influencing demand for industry products and services

Geographic Breakdown

Discover where business activity is most concentrated in an industry and the factors driving these trends to find opportunities and conduct regional benchmarking.

Analyst insights

The Central region has the highest number of industry operations. This is mainly due to the dense settlement and the high economic dynamism, especially in the Rhine-Ruhr regi...

In this chapter (1)

  • Business Locations

Charts

  • Share of revenue, establishment, wages and employment in each region
  • Share of population compared to establishments in each region in 2023

Tables

  • Number and share of establishments in each region in 2023
  • Number and share of revenue each region accounts for in 2023
  • Number and share of wages each region accounts for in 2023
  • Number and share of employees in each region in 2023

Detailed analysis

  • Geographic spread of the industry across Europe, and trends associated with changes in the business landscape
  • Key success factors for businesses to use location to their advantage

Competitive Forces

Get data and insights on what's driving competition in an industry and the challenges industry operators and new entrants may face, with analysis built around Porter's Five Forces framework.

Analyst insights

The industry of private security and guard services represents an external competition to the detective business. The physical presence of security personnel often represents...

In this chapter (4)

  • Concentration
  • Barriers to Entry
  • Substitutes
  • Buyer & Supplier Analysis

Key metrics

  • Industry concentration level
  • Industry competition level and trend
  • Barriers to entry level and trend
  • Substitutes level and trend
  • Buyer power level and trend
  • Supplier power level and trend

Charts

  • Market share concentration among the top 4 suppliers from 2018-2023
  • Supply chain including upstream supplying industries and downstream buying industries, flow chart

Detailed analysis

  • Factors impacting the industry’s level of concentration, such as business distribution, new entrants, or merger and acquisition activity.
  • Key success factors for businesses to manage the competitive environment of the industry.
  • Challenges that potential industry entrants face such as legal, start-up costs, differentiation, labor/capital intensity and capital expenses.
  • Key success factors for potential entrants to overcome barriers to entry.
  • Competitive threats from potential substitutes for the industry’s own products and services.
  • Key success factors for how successful businesses can compete with substitutes.
  • Advantages that buyers have to keep favorable purchasing conditions.
  • Advantages that suppliers have to maintain favorable selling conditions.
  • Key success factors for how businesses can navigate buyer and supplier power.

Companies

Learn about the performance of the top companies in the industry.

Analyst insights

In the industry there are no major players. Due to the low barriers to entry, there are very many small detective agencies that operate mainly regionally.

In this chapter

  • Market Share Concentration
  • Companies
  • Company Spotlights

Charts

  • Industry market share by company in 2019 through 2023
  • Major companies in the industry, including market share, revenue, profit and profit margin in 2023
  • Overview of Detektei an der Alster's performance by revenue, market share and profit margin from 2017 through 2023
  • Overview of Detektei Meng's performance by revenue, market share and profit margin from 2017 through 2023
  • Overview of Detektiv Tudor's performance by revenue, market share and profit margin from 2017 through 2023
  • Overview of revenue, market share and profit margin trend for one additional company

Detailed analysis

  • Description and key data for Detektei an der Alster, and factors influencing its performance in the industry
  • Description and key data for Detektei Meng, and factors influencing its performance in the industry
  • Description and key data for Detektiv Tudor, and factors influencing its performance in the industry
  • Description, key data and performance trends for one additional company

External Environment

Understand the demographic, economic and regulatory factors that shape how businesses in an industry perform.   

Analyst insights

Detective agencies benefit from the current increase in the number of crimes recorded by the police. The industry players often receive orders from victims of crime. In addit...

In this chapter

  • External Drivers
  • Regulation & Policy
  • Assistance

Key metrics

  • Regulation & policy level and trend
  • Assistance level and trend

Charts

  • Regulation & Policy historical data and forecast (2013-2028) 
  • Assistance historical data and forecast (2013-2028) 

Detailed analysis

  • Demographic and macroeconomic factors influencing the industry, including Regulation & Policy and Assistance
  • Major types of regulations, regulatory bodies, industry standards or specific regulations impacting requirements for industry operators
  • Key governmental and non-governmental groups or policies that may provide some relief for industry operators.

Financial Benchmarks

View average costs for industry operators and compare financial data against an industry's financial benchmarks over time. 

Analyst insights

The biggest cost factor in the detective business is personnel costs. To cope with the current high order backlog, detective agencies have to recruit new staff, which drives ...

In this chapter

  • Cost Structure
  • Financial Ratios
  • Key Ratios

Key metrics

  • Profit margin, and how it compares to the sector-wide margin
  • Average wages, and how it compares to the sector-wide average wage
  • Largest cost component as a percentage of revenue
  • Industry average ratios for days' receivables, industry coverage and debt-to-net-worth ratio

Charts

  • Average industry operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2023
  • Average sector operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2023
  • Investment vs. share of economy

Data tables

  • Cash Flow & Debt Service Ratios (2013-2028)
  • Revenue per Employee (2013-2028)
  • Revenue per Enterprise (2013-2028)
  • Employees per Establishment (2013-2028)
  • Employees per Enterprise (2013-2028)
  • Average Wage (2013-2028)
  • Wages/Revenue (2013-2028)
  • Establishments per Enterprise (2013-2028)
  • IVA/Revenue (2013-2028)
  • Imports/Demand (2013-2028)
  • Exports/Revenue (2013-2028)

Detailed analysis

  • Trends in the cost component for industry operators and their impact on industry costs and profitability 

Key Statistics

Industry Data

Data Tables

Including values and annual change:

  • Revenue (2013-2028)
  • IVA (2013-2028)
  • Establishments (2013-2028)
  • Enterprises (2013-2028)
  • Employment (2013-2028)
  • Exports (2013-2028)
  • Imports (2013-2028)
  • Wages (2013-2028)

Top Questions Answered

Unlock comprehensive answers and precise data upon purchase. View purchase options.

What is the market size of the Detective Agencies industry in Germany in 2024?

The market size of the Detective Agencies industry in Germany is €221.0m in 2024.

How many businesses are there in the Detective Agencies in Germany industry in 2023?

There are 835 businesses in the Detective Agencies industry in Germany, which has declined at a CAGR of 2.2 % between 2018 and 2023.

Has the Detective Agencies industry in Germany grown or declined over the past 5 years?

The market size of the Detective Agencies industry in Germany has been growing at a CAGR of 2.6 % between 2018 and 2023.

What is the forecast growth of the Detective Agencies industry in Germany over the next 5 years?

Over the next five years, the Detective Agencies industry in Germany is expected to grow.

What are the biggest companies in the Detective Agencies market in Germany?

The biggest companies operating in the Detective Agencies market in Germany are Detektei an der Alster, Detektei Meng and Detektiv Tudor

What does the Detective Agencies in Germany include?

Investigation of employee offenses and Investigation of civil and family disputes are part of the Detective Agencies industry.

Which companies have the highest market share in the Detective Agencies in Germany?

The company holding the most market share in Germany is Detektei an der Alster.

How competitive is the Detective Agencies industry in Germany?

The level of competition is high and steady in the Detective Agencies industry in Germany.

Related Industries

Widen your competitive advantage with related industries

Competitors

  • There are no industries to display.

Complementors

  • There are no industries to display.

International industries

  • Security Services in the US
  • Security Services in Canada
  • Investigation and Security Services in Australia
  • Investigation and Security Services in New Zealand
  • Security Services in Mexico

View all industries in Germany

Methodology

How are IBISWorld reports created?

IBISWorld has been a leading provider of trusted industry research for over 50 years to the most successful companies worldwide. With offices in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and China, we are proud to have local teams of analysts that conduct research, data analysis and forecasting to produce data-driven industry reports.

Our analysts start with official, verified and publicly available sources of data to build the most accurate picture of each industry. Analysts then leverage their expertise and knowledge of the local markets to synthesize trends into digestible content for IBISWorld readers. Finally, each report is reviewed by one of IBISWorld’s editors, who provide quality assurance to ensure accuracy and readability.

IBISWorld relies on human-verified data and human-written analysis to compile each standard industry report. We do not use generative AI tools to write insights, although members can choose to leverage AI-based tools within the platform to generate additional analysis formats.

What data sources do IBISWorld analysts use?

Each industry report incorporates data and research from government databases, industry-specific sources, industry contacts, and our own proprietary database of statistics and analysis to provide balanced, independent and accurate insights.

Key data sources in Germany include:

  • German Federal Statistics Office (Destatis)
  • European Statistics Office (Eurostat)
  • United Nations Comtrade

Analysts also use industry specific sources to complement catch-all sources, although their perspective may focus on a particular organization or representative body, rather than a clear overview of all industry operations. However, when balanced against other perspectives, industry-specific sources provide insights into industry trends.

These sources include:

  • Industry and trade associations
  • Industry federations or regulators
  • Major industry players annual or quarterly filings

Finally, IBISWorld’s global data scientists maintain a proprietary database of macroeconomic and demand drivers, which our analysts use to help inform industry data and trends. They also maintain a database of statistics and analysis on thousands of industries, which has been built over our more than 50-year history and offers comprehensive insights into long-term trends.

How does IBISWorld forecast its data?

IBISWorld’s analysts and data scientists use the sources above to create forecasts for our proprietary datasets and industry statistics. Depending on the dataset, they may use regression analysis, multivariate analysis, time-series analysis or exponential smoothing techniques to project future data for the industry or driver. Additionally, analysts will leverage their local knowledge of industry operating and regulatory conditions to impart their best judgment on the forecast model.

IBISWorld prides itself on being a trusted, independent source of data, with over 50 years of experience building and maintaining rich datasets and forecasting tools. We are proud to be the keystone source of industry information for thousands of companies across the world.

Learn more about our methodology and data sourcing on the Help Center.