An emloyee works on the assembling of a brake caliper for an electric vehicle in Dueren, western Germany.
A reading above 50 marks an expansion in activity, while one below 50 marks a contraction.
If pandemic months are excluded, the latest numbers point to the lowest reading since April 2013.
In terms of the breakdown between services and manufacturing, the former dropped to a 30-month low at 48.3 and the manufacturing PMI rose slightly from 42.7 in July to 43.7 this month.
"Considering the PMI figures in our GDP [growth] nowcast leads us to the conclusion that the euro zone will shrink by 0.2% in the third quarter," Rubia added.
Persons:
Dow Jones, Cyrus de la, Rubia
Organizations:
Hamburg Commercial Bank, PMI
Locations:
Dueren, Germany, Hamburg