Press release No. 040 of 9 February 2016
WIESBADEN – Germany exported goods to the value of 1,195.8 billion euros and imported goods to the value of 948.0 billion euros in 2015. Based on provisional data, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that German exports increased by 6.4% and imports by 4.2% in 2015 compared with 2014. In 2015, export and import levels were higher than the previous all-time highs recorded in 2014. That year, Germany exported goods to the value of 1,123.7 billion euros and imported goods to the value of 910.1 billion euros.
The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 247.8 billion euros in 2015, which was the highest value ever recorded. It clearly exceeded the previous year's peak of 213.6 billion euros. In 2013, the surplus of the foreign trade balance had been 197.6 billion euros.
According to provisional results of the Deutsche Bundesbank, the current account of the balance of payments showed a surplus of 249.1 billion euros in 2015, which takes into account the balances of trade in goods including supplementary trade items (+261.2 billion euros), services (-37.2 billion euros), primary income (+65.2 billion euros) and secondary income (-40.2 billion euros). In 2014, the German current account showed a surplus of 212.1 billion euros.
In 2015, Germany dispatched goods to the value of 693.9 billion euros to the Member States of the European Union (EU), while it received goods to the value of 621.6 billion euros from those countries. Compared with 2014, dispatches to the EU countries increased by 7.0%, and arrivals from those countries by 4.5%. Goods to the value of 435.0 billion euros (+5.9%) were dispatched to the Euro area countries in 2015, while the value of the goods received from those countries was 426.5 billion euros (+3.8%). In 2015, goods to the value of 258.9 billion euros (+8.9%) were dispatched to EU countries not belonging to the Euro area, while the value of the goods which arrived from those countries was 195.1 billion euros (+5.9%).
Exports of goods to countries outside the European Union (third countries) amounted to 501.9 billion euros in 2015, while imports from those countries totalled 326.5 billion euros. Compared with 2014, exports to third countries increased by 5.6% and imports from those countries by 3.5%.
In December 2015, Germany exported goods to the value of 91.9 billion euros (+3.2% compared with December 2014) and imported goods to the value of 73.1 billion euros (+3.5%).
In calendar and seasonally adjusted terms, both exports and imports were down 1.6% from November 2015.
| Item | December | January to December | November | December | January to December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2014 | ||||
| 1 According to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank. | |||||
| Foreign trade | |||||
| 1 Exports (f.o.b.) | 91.9 | 1,195.8 | 102.3 | 89.1 | 1 123.7 |
| 2 Imports (c.i.f.) | 73.1 | 948.0 | 81.8 | 70.6 | 910.1 |
| 3 Foreign trade balance (1-2) | 18.8 | 247.8 | 20.5 | 18.4 | 213.6 |
| Transition to trade in goods 1 | |||||
| 4 Supplementary trade items | –0.7 | 13.5 | 1.8 | –0.7 | 12.4 |
| Current account balances 1 | |||||
| 5 Trade in goods (3+4) | 18.2 | 261.2 | 22.3 | 17.8 | 226.0 |
| 6 Services | 1.0 | –37.2 | –2.0 | 0.6 | –40.0 |
| 7 Primary income | 10.8 | 65.2 | 6.5 | 11.5 | 66.7 |
| 8 Secondary income | –4.4 | –40.2 | –2.5 | –5.1 | –40.7 |
| Current account (5+6+7+8) | 25.6 | 249.1 | 24.3 | 24.9 | 212.1 |
| Item | December 2015 | January to December 2015 | Percentage change from | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2014 | January to December 2014 | |||
| billion euro | % | |||
| Results in accordance with the EU concept (by country of consignment). | ||||
| Total exports | 91.9 | 1,195.8 | 3.2 | 6.4 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 51.4 | 693.9 | 2.6 | 7.0 |
| Euro-zone | 32.4 | 435.0 | 5.5 | 5.9 |
| Non-euro-zone | 19.0 | 258.9 | –1.8 | 8.9 |
| Third countries | 40.5 | 501.9 | 3.9 | 5.6 |
| Total import | 73.1 | 948.0 | 3.5 | 4.2 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 48.0 | 621.6 | 4.6 | 4.5 |
| Euro-zone | 33.2 | 426.5 | 5.2 | 3.8 |
| Non-euro-zone | 14.8 | 195.1 | 3.2 | 5.9 |
| Third countries | 25.1 | 326.5 | 1.4 | 3.5 |
| Year | Month | Exports | Imports | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| original value | calendar and seasonally adjusted value 1 | original value | calendar and seasonally adjusted value 1 | ||||||
| value in billion euros | change on the same month of the previous year in % | value in billion euros | change on previous month in % | value in billion euros | change on the same month of the previous year in % | value in billion euros | change on previous month in % | ||
| 1 Using Census X-12-ARIMA | |||||||||
| 2014 | January | 89.7 | 1.8 | 93.8 | 3.0 | 75.0 | 0.7 | 76.5 | 2.8 |
| February | 91.3 | 3.9 | 92.3 | –1.6 | 75.3 | 5.6 | 76.5 | 0.0 | |
| March | 94.8 | 1.0 | 90.4 | –2.1 | 78.3 | 4.3 | 75.3 | –1.6 | |
| April | 92.9 | –0.7 | 92.8 | 2.7 | 75.5 | 0.1 | 75.6 | 0.5 | |
| May | 91.1 | 3.7 | 92.0 | –0.9 | 73.6 | –0.4 | 74.0 | –2.2 | |
| June | 92.6 | 0.8 | 93.1 | 1.2 | 76.6 | 2.3 | 76.6 | 3.5 | |
| July | 100.0 | 7.9 | 96.1 | 3.2 | 76.9 | 0.9 | 75.1 | –1.9 | |
| August | 83.1 | –1.6 | 92.7 | –3.6 | 69.6 | –2.2 | 75.1 | 0.1 | |
| September | 101.5 | 7.9 | 96.2 | 3.7 | 79.9 | 8.3 | 77.4 | 3.1 | |
| October | 102.9 | 4.4 | 96.1 | 0.0 | 81.4 | 1.0 | 76.5 | –1.3 | |
| November | 94.9 | 1.0 | 94.6 | –1.5 | 77.5 | 2.0 | 76.9 | 0.6 | |
| December | 89.1 | 9.4 | 97.3 | 2.8 | 70.6 | 4.5 | 76.8 | –0.1 | |
| 2015 | January | 90.0 | 0.3 | 96.5 | –0.8 | 74.0 | –1.3 | 76.8 | 0.0 |
| February | 95.6 | 4.7 | 97.8 | 1.3 | 76.2 | 1.2 | 77.9 | 1.4 | |
| March | 107.5 | 13.3 | 98.7 | 0.9 | 84.5 | 7.9 | 79.3 | 1.8 | |
| April | 100.4 | 8.1 | 100.3 | 1.7 | 78.6 | 4.1 | 78.9 | –0.6 | |
| May | 95.7 | 5.0 | 101.9 | 1.6 | 76.3 | 3.6 | 79.1 | 0.3 | |
| June | 105.6 | 14.0 | 100.7 | –1.1 | 81.7 | 6.7 | 78.9 | –0.3 | |
| July | 107.1 | 7.1 | 102.9 | 2.2 | 82.2 | 6.9 | 80.2 | 1.6 | |
| August | 87.9 | 5.7 | 97.6 | –5.2 | 72.7 | 4.4 | 78.3 | –2.4 | |
| September | 105.8 | 4.2 | 100.2 | 2.7 | 83.1 | 4.1 | 80.5 | 2.8 | |
| October | 106.2 | 3.2 | 98.9 | –1.2 | 83.8 | 3.0 | 78.6 | –2.3 | |
| November | 102.3 | 7.8 | 99.4 | 0.5 | 81.8 | 5.5 | 79.7 | 1.3 | |
| December | 91.9 | 3.2 | 97.8 | –1.6 | 73.1 | 3.5 | 78.4 | –1.6 | |