German chancellor Angela Merkel tripped over as she made her way to a stage last night - joking that she would 'take the stairs next time' after she recovered her balance, Eurasia Dairy reports citing Daily Mail.

Merkel, who was forced to sit down during national anthems after a series of health scares over the summer, fell over as she took to the podium at a business event in Berlin on Wednesday evening. 

The 65-year-old said she had failed to notice the staircase leading up to the stage and lost her balance as she tried to climb up. 

'I didn't see the stairs, I'll take them next time,' she joked once she was upright again.  

Merkel was speaking last night to the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce, a business group headquartered in Berlin.    

The long-serving chancellor has promised to step down by the time of the next election in 2021 but the succession remains open.  

The issue came into sharper focus over the summer when Merkel suffered three episodes of public shaking within weeks.