Key Financials of the Bertelsmann Group
Key figures of the Bertelsmann Group
| Group Key Figures (IFRS) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| in € millions | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Business Development | |||||
| Group revenues | 18,957 | 18,988 | 20,169 | 20,245 | 18,696 |
| Operating EBITDA adjusted | 3,019 | 3,111 | 3,119 | 3,192 | 3,241 |
| EBITDA-Marge in percent1) | 15.9 | 16.4 | 15.5 | 15.8 | 17.3 |
| Group profit | 1,007 | 1,036 | 1,326 | 1,052 | 2,310 |
| Investments2) | 1,916 | 1,614 | 1,438 | 1,672 | 1,954 |
| Consolidated Balance Sheet | |||||
| Equity | 15,291 | 15,647 | 15,165 | 15,043 | 13,606 |
| Equity ratio in percent | 48.9 | 47.5 | 46.5 | 45.8 | 42.8 |
| Total assets | 31,300 | 32,951 | 32,622 | 32,835 | 31,769 |
| Net financial debt | 2,654 | 2,883 | 2,267 | 2,249 | 959 |
| Economic debt3) | 5,070 | 5,445 | 4,713 | 4,785 | 3,457 |
| Leverage factor | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.3 |
| Dividends to Bertelsmann shareholders | 220 | 220 | 220 | 220 | 180 |
| Distribution on profit participation certificates | 44 | 44 | 44 | 44 | 44 |
| Employee profit sharing | 50 | 63 | 74 | 63 | 89 |
1) Operating EBITDA adjusted as a percentage of revenues.
2) Taking into account the financial debt assumed and purchase price payments for share increases in subsidiaries that were already consolidated, investments amounted to
€2,099 million in the financial year 2025 (2024: €2,092 million).
3) Net financial debt plus pension provisions, profit participation capital and lease liabilities (up to and including the financial year 2022 less the short-term liquidable investments in a speacial fund; up to and including the financial year 2021 less 50 percent of the par value of the hybrid bonds).
Divisional financial key figures
| RTL Group | Penguin Random House | BMG | Arvato Group | Bertelsmann Marketing Services | Bertelsmann Education Group | Bertelsmann Investments2 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| in € millions | 2025 | 2024 | 2025 | 2024 | 2025 | 2024 | 2025 | 2024 | 2025 | 2024 | 2025 | 2024 | 2025 | 2024 |
| Revenues from external customers | 6,312 | 6,873 | 4,980 | 4,917 | 897 | 960 | 4,297 | 3,792 | 879 | 940 | 949 | 924 | 618 | 558 |
| Intersegment revenues | 13 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 80 | 78 | 150 | 148 | – | – | 4 | 5 |
| Divisional revenues | 6,326 | 6,888 | 4,981 | 4,917 | 900 | 963 | 4,378 | 3,871 | 1,029 | 1,088 | 949 | 924 | 623 | 563 |
| Operating EBITDA adjusted | 983 | 1,158 | 704 | 739 | 284 | 265 | 720 | 641 | 22 | 34 | 375 | 347 | 84 | 75 |
| EBITDA margin (inpercent)¹ | 15.5 | 16.8 | 14.1 | 15.0 | 31.5 | 27.5 | 16.4 | 16.6 | 2.2 | 3.2 | 39.6 | 37.5 | 13.4 | 13.3 |
| Impairment(-)/reversalsof impairment losses (+) on intangible assets, property, plant, and equipment, and right-of-use assets | (120) | (10) | 12 | 3 | – | (10) | – | (10) | (6) | (2) | – | (1) | – | (2) |
| Results from investments accounted for using the equity method | 30 | 46 | – | – | – | – | 9 | 10 | – | – | 4 | (47) | 8 | 7 |
| Impairment (-)/reversalsof impairment losses (+) on investmentsaccounted for using the equity method | 9 | (7) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Invested capital | 7,509 | 8,142 | 3,158 | 3,081 | 2,431 | 2,513 | 2,790 | 2,421 | 93 | – | 2,276 | 2,394 | 1,523 | 1,481 |
The prior-year comparatives for Bertelsmann Investments and Corporate have been adjusted.
1 Operating EBITDA adjusted as a percentage of revenues.
2 The business development of the venture capital organizations of Bertelsmann Investments is determined primarily on the basis of EBIT. EBIT of Bertelsmann Investments amounted to €-90 million (previous year: €88 million).