Hamburgisches WeltWirtschaftsInstitut

What Hamburgisches WeltWirtschaftsInstitut does

Hamburgisches WeltWirtschaftsInstitut (HWWI) is a non-profit economic research institute based in Hamburg, Germany, founded in 2005 as the successor to the research department of the HWWA (Hamburg Archive of International Economics), which had existed since 1908. HWWI conducts evidence-based economic policy research using quantitative methods including Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) models, Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (DSGE) models, causal analysis, time series analysis, and spatial econometrics. The institute operates as a private non-profit GmbH and is financed primarily through donations from northern German companies and supporters; it does not receive direct government funding. Its research outputs are oriented to four horizontal customer segments: policymakers and government agencies, the academic and research community, the business community, and the media and general public. The sole shareholder since 2016 is the Handelskammer Hamburg (Hamburg Chamber of Commerce), and scientific direction is institutionally provided by a professor from Helmut-Schmidt-Universität/Universität der Bundeswehr Hamburg under a cooperation agreement renewed and expanded in 2022.

HWWI's product portfolio is anchored in three proprietary data products distributed through a Dashboard platform with API access. The HWWI Commodity Price Index is one of the longest-established indicators of commodity price developments, tracking key commodity imports for highly developed economies continuously since the 1950s, with monthly and daily update versions covering all OECD and Eurozone country groups. The HWWI Capital Stock Index provides internationally comparable values for productive physical capital across 122 countries, available in absolute amounts and per inhabitant, with annual updates planned beyond its 2016 baseline. The HWWI Labor Market Monitor forecasts labor shortages up to 2045 across three qualification levels, 10 occupational groups, and 20 sectors and allows interactive variation of influencing factors. These data products are complemented by five internal publication series (Working Papers, Studies, Forecast, Edition, Opinion), external academic publications, the customizable HWWI News Service email newsletter, the Economic Policy Forum event series, and a research colloquium.

HWWI's revenue model is hybrid and reflects its non-profit, donation-funded structure. The primary financing mechanism is donations from northern German companies and supporters; data subscriptions to the Commodity Price Index are priced at €1,500/year for monthly index values and €3,000/year for daily index values; and third-party funded research and consulting projects (e.g., the annual Postbank Wohnatlas report and government agency projects) form the third stream, with some datasets free after registration. HWWI does not publish revenue figures. The institute participates in multiple EU and federally funded consortia including SOEP-LEE2 (employment relationships and digitalization), MOUNTADAPT (climate adaptation), RISE-IN (2025-2030, climate adaptation investment across 13 countries), the Interreg North Sea WaterWarmth aquathermal energy project, and the hyBit hydrogen research consortium (~€30M total funding).

Name

Hamburgisches WeltWirtschaftsInstitut

Legal name

Hamburgisches WeltWirtschaftsInstitut gemeinnützige GmbH (HWWI)

Website

https://hwwi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hamburgisches WeltWirtschaftsInstitut (HWWI) is a Hamburg-based non-profit economic research institute founded in 2005 as the HWWA's successor. It produces economic forecasts and proprietary data products, including a Commodity Price Index dating to the 1950s, serving policymakers, academia, and businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Support: HWWI is a non-profit company and does not receive government funding. Basic research, methodological training of staff, public presentation of research results, and personnel expertise are financed primarily through donations from northern German companies and corporations, and from friends and supporters.
2. Data Subscriptions: Paid subscriptions to HWWI Commodity Price Index data. Monthly index values subscription at 1,500 EUR per year; daily index values subscription at 3,000 EUR per year. Some data like Capital Stock data available free after registration.
3. Third-Party Funded Research and Consulting: HWWI regularly carries out third-party funded research and consulting projects with various clients including Postbank (Wohnatlas annual reports), government agencies, and international organizations.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

HWWI is a non-profit economic research institute that produces macroeconomic forecasts, economic policy analysis, and proprietary economic data products. Its core offerings include the HWWI Commodity Price Index (since 1950s), Capital Stock Estimation for 122 countries, and Labor Market Monitor forecasting to 2045, all accessed via the HWWI Dashboard. The institute also conducts commissioned third-party research and publishes internal series (Working Papers, Studies, Forecasts, Edition, Opinion) focusing on business cycles, climate economics, migration, energy, and commodities.

Product overview

HWWI is an economic research institute offering a portfolio of data products centered on its Dashboard platform. The core offerings include the HWWI Commodity Price Index (one of the longest-established indicators tracking commodity price developments for highly developed economies since the 1950s), the HWWI Capital Stock Index (providing internationally comparable capital data for 122 countries), and the HWWI Labor Market Monitor (forecasting labor shortages up to 2045). These are complemented by internal publication series (HWWI Working Papers, HWWI Studies, HWWI Forecast, HWWI Edition, HWWI Opinion) and external publications covering research areas in business cycles, environment/climate, migration/integration, and energy/commodities. Data access is available via API integration for subscribers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HWWI Commodity Price Index (HWWI-Rohstoffpreisindex) The HWWI Commodity Price Index tracks price movements of the most important commodity imports for highly developed economies, with sub-indices for energy raw materials, industrial raw materials, food, wood & pulp, and textiles. Available as historical time series, real-time dataset, and daily updated version. Calculated for all OECD and Eurozone country groups as well as for each individual country.
• HWWI Capital Stock Index (Kapitalstockschätzung) Provides internationally comparable values for stocks of productive physical capital for 122 countries, available in absolute amounts and per inhabitant. Currently extends to 2016 with annual updates planned. Some data is available free after registration.
• HWWI Labor Market Monitor Provides data for forecasting the development of labour shortages for three qualification levels, 10 different occupational groups and 20 different sectors up to the year 2045. Allows variation of key influencing factors and visualizes their impact on results.
• HWWI Dashboard Interactive data visualization and download platform that provides access to HWWI datasets including the Commodity Price Index, Capital Stock Index, and Labor Market Monitor. Supports various display modes and data export capabilities via API integration.
• HWWI Working Papers Internal working paper series covering research topics including CGE-Model, climate change, econometrics, environment, hydrogen, natural disasters, political economy, renewable energy, and wind energy.
• HWWI Studies Studies publication series featuring research on economic policy topics including Hamburg Airport regional economic impact, Hamburg 2040 strategy, tariffs, maritime economy, and sport economics.
• HWWI Forecast Regular economic forecasts and prognosis publications covering business cycles, demand side policies, forecasting, gross national product, inflation, macroeconomics, national accounting, prices, unemployment, and war impacts.
• HWWI Edition Editorial publication series for HWWI research outputs.
• HWWI Opinion Position papers and opinion publications on current economic policy topics.
• Third-Party Funded Research and Consulting Projects Commissioned research and consulting projects for clients including Postbank (annual Wohnatlas reports on local real estate markets covering 400 German districts), government agencies, and international organizations. Provided on a project basis with client-specific deliverables.

Quantifiable outcome

• HWWI Commodity Price Index tracks commodity prices for all OECD and Eurozone countries
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• University of BremenminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Cooperation agreement signed in 2023. Previously HWWI had a branch in Bremen established in 2010, but this was closed in 2025.
• Leibniz University of Applied Sciences HannoverminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Cooperation agreement signed in 2023.
• Helmut-Schmidt-Universität/Universität der Bundeswehr HamburgcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016HWWI closely cooperates with Helmut-Schmidt-Universität/Universität der Bundeswehr Hamburg. The HSU takes over the scientific direction of the HWWI. Cooperation agreement was renewed and considerably expanded in 2022.
• Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW Berlin)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in SOEP-LEE2 project ('Linked Employer-Employee') examining long-term changes in employment relationships in the context of digitalization.
• Freie Universität BerlinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in SOEP-LEE2 project.
• HM Business School der Hochschule MünchenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in SOEP-LEE2 project.
• MOUNTADAPT ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU climate adaptation project bringing together regional and local institutions across Europe to develop and implement innovative climate adaptation solutions for health systems resilience.
• RISE-IN ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational project for resilient investment for sustainable environments, focusing on climate adaptation. Consortium unites 26 partners across 13 countries including universities, local authorities, industry, SMEs, NGOs, and climate networks (2025-2030).
• WaterWarmth ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterreg North Sea project focusing on aquathermal energy research and promotion. Enables local energy cooperatives to produce and supply heating and cooling systems independent of fossil fuels.
• hyBit ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor hydrogen research project for Bremen's industrial transformation, funded by Federal Ministry of Education and Research with approximately 30 million euros (started September 2022).

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• WIFO (Austrian Institute of Economic Research): Vienna-based economic research institute providing macroeconomic forecasts, commissioned research, and policy analysis. Strong methodological and product overlap with HWWI but operates in the Austrian market rather than directly in Germany.
• IHS (Institut für Höhere Studien, Vienna): Vienna-based economic and social research institute producing forecasts and policy analysis. Comparable to HWWI in empirical research and consulting portfolio, with regional rather than direct overlap.

Direct peers

• IMK (Macroeconomic Policy Institute): Düsseldorf-based macroeconomic research institute at the Hans Böckler Foundation. Comparable to HWWI in macroeconomic forecasting, business cycle analysis, and policy-oriented publications targeted at German and European audiences.
• ZEW (Centre for European Economic Research): Mannheim-based Leibniz economic research institute. Closely comparable to HWWI in macroeconomic forecasting, empirical economic research, and policy consulting, with substantially larger staff and budget via Leibniz core funding.
• DIW Berlin (German Institute for Economic Research): Berlin-based Leibniz economic research institute. Already an HWWI partner in the SOEP-LEE2 project; directly comparable in applied economic research, forecasting, and policy advisory work for German and European stakeholders.
• Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel): Kiel-based Leibniz economic research institute focused on global economic issues and policy advice. Highly comparable to HWWI in international economics scope, climate economics, and forecast publishing, with stronger global brand.
• RWI (Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung): Essen-based Leibniz economic research institute. Direct peer providing applied economic research, forecasts, and policy evaluation across labor markets, health, and education — overlapping strongly with HWWI's research areas.
• IWH (Halle Institute for Economic Research): Halle-based Leibniz economic research institute. Comparable to HWWI in structural reform analysis, productivity research, and forecast publishing; operates with a similar academic-policy hybrid model.
• ifo Institute: Munich-based Leibniz Institute for Economic Research, one of Germany's leading economic research institutes. Directly comparable to HWWI in providing macroeconomic forecasts, business cycle analysis, and policy advice, but at materially larger scale with government core funding.

Broad incumbents

• Bruegel: Brussels-based international economic think tank producing macroeconomic analysis and policy commentary for European audiences. Overlaps with HWWI in evidence-based European economic policy research but at a broader, pan-European scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HWWIHamburg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hamburgisches WeltWirtschaftsInstitut