The Council of Economic Experts, as the group is formally known, is forecasting a decline in economic output over the course of 2020 of 5.1 per cent, according to its annual report, which was seen by dpa on Tuesday, a day ahead of its scheduled release.

The predicted plunge would be roughly in line with the recession seen in Germany in 2009 as a result of the global financial crisis.

However, the report notes that there is still a degree of uncertainty depending on infection rates and any resulting restrictions.

On presenting the government’s autumn forecast late last month, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said German gross domestic product was expected to contract by 5.5 per cent this year.

The economy would then return to growth of 4.4 per cent next year, according to the government’s estimates, while the five “wise men” – of whom two are women – expect 2021 growth of just 3.7 per cent.

The experts do not expect a return to pre-crisis levels – corresponding with last year’s fourth-quarter performance – until early 2022.

The council’s forecasts are predicated on the assumption that another sweeping shutdown will not be necessary, sparing international supply chains the massive restrictions seen earlier this year.

Mass closures and severe restrictions on public life caused the German economy to collapse in the second quarter, before growing strongly in the third.