Press Release

ZEISS concludes fiscal year 2024/25 with solid growth

Revenue totaled almost 12 billion euros, with EBIT at 1.552 billion euros. The segments once again presented a mixed picture. Targeted resilience measures and investments in innovative strength are the key to the future.
18 December 2025
  • Mixed picture in all four segments
  • Targeted resilience measures continued
  • Expenditure on research and development still high at 15% of revenue
  • Current outlook challenging 


Oberkochen, Germany | 18 December 2025 | ZEISS Group

The ZEISS Group concluded fiscal year 2024/25 with solid growth. Revenue increased to 11.896 billion euros (prior year: 10.894 billion euros, up 9%), and earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) reached 1.552 billion euros (prior year: 1.444 billion euros), giving an EBIT margin of 13%. The result, particularly the mixed picture in the four segments, reflects the increasing geoeconomic and geopolitical challenges that the company faced in the past fiscal year.

"ZEISS is still operating in a dynamic and challenging business environment," said Andreas Pecher, President and CEO of the ZEISS Group. Geopolitical tensions, trade barriers, and the conflicts between the major economic regions intensified further in fiscal year 2024/25. This directly impacted the willingness of industry to invest, as well as consumer confidence. "There was increased uncertainty in the markets in the past fiscal year. This required us to adapt strategic activities and strengthen targeted resilience measures," Pecher explained.

Despite the uncertain market conditions in fiscal year 2024/25, ZEISS maintained its substantial investment in research and development. "We invested over 1.7 billion euros to develop innovations. Innovative strength remains the key factor for ZEISS' medium- and long-term success," said Pecher.

Business development in fiscal year 2024/25

Revenue (in billion euros)

Fiscal year
2024/25

Fiscal year
2023/24

Change
(adjusted for currency effects)

Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology

5.055

4.122

+23% (23%)

Industrial Quality & Research

2.334

2.369

-1% (0%)

Medical Technology1

2.704

2.611

+4% (+6%)

Consumer Markets2

1.569

1.541

+2% (+4%)

1 Not identical to the Carl Zeiss Meditec Group
2 The new strategic business unit, Photonics & Optics, was created on October 1, 2024. In the Annual Report, this is assigned to the "Other" category in fiscal year 2024/25 (prior year: Consumer Markets).

Despite the challenges, ZEISS was able to maintain strong revenue growth – a sign that the company took targeted measures, including strategic investments, early on. The Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology segment once again reported double-digit growth, while the direct-to-market (DtM) segments presented a very mixed picture: The economic situation was more difficult for the Industrial Quality & Research segment than in the prior year, while the Medical Technology segment saw an increase in revenue compared to the same period in the prior year. The Consumer Markets segment, with its strategic business unit, Vision Care, delivered another solid result.

"Our segments have been impacted to varying degrees by the challenging market dynamics. On the sales markets, this was particularly evident in the fierce price competition and weak demand," said Stefan Müller, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the ZEISS Group. "In response, ZEISS focused on strict cost awareness, efficient processes, and, where necessary, temporary or permanent capacity adjustments in individual cases during fiscal year 2024/25," Müller added. Additional resilience measures included structural and process improvements as well as leveraging optimization potential in infrastructure projects.

Stefan Müller, Chief Financial Officer of the ZEISS Group

Stefan Müller, Chief Financial Officer of the ZEISS Group

Overview of key figures for fiscal year 2024/25

  • Revenue: 11.896 billion euros (up 9% versus prior year)
  • EBIT: 1.552 billion euros (up 7% versus prior year)
  • R&D ratio: 15% of revenue (1.731 billion euros)
  • Equity: 8.780 billion euros (equity ratio: 48%)
  • Investments in property, plant, and equipment: 1.294 billion euros
  • Employees worldwide: 46,622
Andreas Pecher, President and CEO of the ZEISS Group

Andreas Pecher, President and CEO of the ZEISS Group

Outlook

"ZEISS assumes that the overall conditions, especially the uncertain market environment, will not improve in the current fiscal year. This will impact our segments differently and could result in a decline in revenue. For this reason, the current outlook is significantly more challenging," said Andreas Pecher. If additional steps are necessary, ZEISS, as a responsible company, favors those measures aimed at maintaining employment, such as reducing the number of hours in overtime accounts or implementing government-subsidized short-time work schemes. To ensure long-term competitiveness, job reductions may be necessary in individual areas.

"We have full confidence in our strategic alignment and innovative strength. At the same time, we do not underestimate the risks and will continue to act cautiously," concluded Andreas Pecher.

Press contact Jörg Nitschke

Head of Corporate Brand, Communications and Public Affairs
ZEISS Group

About ZEISS

ZEISS is an internationally leading technology enterprise operating in the fields of optics and optoelectronics. In the previous fiscal year, the ZEISS Group generated annual revenue totaling almost 12 billion euros in its four segments Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology, Industrial Quality & Research, Medical Technology, and Consumer Markets (September 30, 2025).

For its customers, ZEISS develops, produces, and distributes highly innovative solutions for industrial metrology and quality assurance, microscopy solutions for the life sciences and materials research, and medical technology solutions for diagnostics and treatment in ophthalmology and microsurgery. The name ZEISS is also synonymous with the world's leading lithography optics, which are used by the chip industry to manufacture semiconductor components. There is global demand for trendsetting ZEISS brand products such as eyeglass lenses, camera lenses, and binoculars.

With a portfolio aligned with future growth areas like digitalization, healthcare, and Smart Production and a strong brand, ZEISS is shaping the future of technology and constantly advancing the world of optics and related fields with its solutions. The company's significant, sustainable investments in research and development lay the foundation for the success and continued expansion of ZEISS' technology and market leadership. ZEISS invests 15 percent of its revenue in research and development – this high level of expenditure has a long tradition at ZEISS and is also an investment in the future.

With over 46,600 employees, ZEISS is active globally in around 50 countries with more than 60 sales and service locations, around 40 research and development facilities, and 30 production facilities worldwide (September 30, 2025). Founded in 1846 in Jena, the company is headquartered in Oberkochen, Germany. The Carl Zeiss Foundation, one of the largest foundations in Germany committed to the promotion of science, is the sole owner of the holding company, Carl Zeiss AG.

Further information at www.zeiss.com

Press Photos

  • ZEISS projection optics for High-NA-EUV lithography blacklightcontrol

    Black light control of the ZEISS projection optics for the High-NA-EUV lithography. The heart of the lithography machine consists of more than 40,000 parts and weighs around twelve tons.

    1 MB
  • ZEISS VisuMax

    With the project on minimally invasive lenticule extraction, a team from ZEISS Medical Technology were accepted into the Circle of Excellence of Deutscher Zukunftspreis 2025. The team developed the highly precise technology VisuMax® and SMILE®, which nowadays enables surgeons to correct near- and far-sightedness.

    3 MB
  • ZEISS Lightfield 4D

    ZEISS Lightfield 4D redefines the way researchers observe living organisms, especially in the neurosciences, cancer research, developmental biology and plant sciences.

    1 MB
  • Andreas Pecher

    President and CEO of the ZEISS Group

    3 MB
  • Stefan Müller

    Chief Financial Officer of the ZEISS Group

    2 MB



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