Press release No. 087 of 10 March 2016
WIESBADEN – Germany exported goods to the value of 88.7 billion euros and imported goods to the value of 75.2 billion euros in January 2016. Based on provisional data, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that German exports declined by 1.4% while imports increased by 1.5% in January 2016 year on year. After calendar and seasonal adjustment, exports fell by 0.5% while imports rose by 1.2% compared with December 2015.
The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 13.6 billion euros in January 2016. In January 2015, the surplus amounted to +15.9 billion euros. In calendar and seasonally adjusted terms, the foreign trade balance recorded a surplus of 18.9 billion euros in January 2016.
According to provisional results of the Deutsche Bundesbank, the current account of the balance of payments showed a surplus of 13.2 billion euros in January 2016, which takes into account the balances of trade in goods including supplementary trade items (+13.3 billion euros), services (–2.8 billion euros), primary income (+5.0 billion euros) and secondary income (–2.3 billion euros). In January 2015, the German current account showed a surplus of 14.9 billion euros.
In January 2016, Germany dispatched goods to the value of 54.7 billion euros to the Member States of the European Union (EU), while it received goods to the value of 48.4 billion euros from those countries. Compared with January 2015, exports to the EU countries increased by 1.0%, and imports from those countries by 3.0%. Goods to the value of 34.3 billion euros (–0.1%) were dispatched to the Euro area countries in January 2016, while the value of the goods received from those countries was 33.3 billion euros (+2.7%). In January 2016, goods to the value of 20.4 billion euros (+2.9%) were dispatched to EU countries not belonging to the Euro area, while the value of the goods which arrived from those countries was 15.1 billion euros (+3.8%).
Exports of goods to countries outside the European Union (third countries) amounted to 34.0 billion euros in January 2016, while imports from those countries totalled 26.7 billion euros. Compared with January 2015, exports to third countries decreased by 5.0% and imports from those countries by 1.1%.
| Item | January | December | January |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2015 | ||
| 1 According to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank. | |||
| Foreign trade | |||
| 1 Exports (f.o.b.) | 88.7 | 92.0 | 90.0 |
| 2 Imports (c.i.f.) | 75.2 | 73.1 | 74.0 |
| 3 Foreign trade balance (1-2) | 13.6 | 19.0 | 15.9 |
| Transition to trade in goods 1 | |||
| 4 Supplementary trade items | –0.2 | –0.4 | –0.2 |
| Current account balances 1 | |||
| 5 Trade in goods (3+4) | 13.3 | 18.6 | 15.7 |
| 6 Services | –2.8 | 1.0 | –1.7 |
| 7 Primary income | 5.0 | 11.2 | 5.1 |
| 8 Secondary income | –2.3 | –4.5 | –4.2 |
| Current account (5+6+7+8) | 13.2 | 26.3 | 14.9 |
| Item | January 2016 | January 2015 | Change on January 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| billion euro | % | ||
| Total exports | 88.7 | 90.0 | –1.4 |
| including: | |||
| EU Member States | 54.7 | 54.1 | 1.0 |
| Euro-zone | 34.3 | 34.3 | –0.1 |
| Non-euro-zone | 20.4 | 19.8 | 2.9 |
| Third countries | 34.0 | 35.8 | –5.0 |
| Total imports | 75.2 | 74.0 | 1.5 |
| including: | |||
| EU Member States | 48.4 | 47.0 | 3.0 |
| Euro-zone | 33.3 | 32.4 | 2.7 |
| Non-euro-zone | 15.1 | 14.6 | 3.8 |
| Third countries | 26.7 | 27.0 | –1.1 |
| 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 | |||||||||
| 2015 | January | 90.0 | 0.3 | 97.1 | –0.9 | 74.0 | –1.3 | 76.8 | 0.0 |
| February | 95.6 | 4.7 | 97.9 | 0.9 | 76.2 | 1.2 | 77.9 | 1.4 | |
| March | 107.5 | 13.3 | 99.1 | 1.2 | 84.5 | 7.9 | 79.3 | 1.8 | |
| April | 100.4 | 8.1 | 100.4 | 1.3 | 78.6 | 4.1 | 78.9 | –0.6 | |
| May | 95.7 | 5.0 | 101.3 | 0.9 | 76.3 | 3.6 | 79.1 | 0.3 | |
| June | 105.6 | 14.0 | 100.5 | –0.8 | 81.7 | 6.7 | 78.9 | –0.3 | |
| July | 107.1 | 7.1 | 101.9 | 1.4 | 82.2 | 6.9 | 80.2 | 1.6 | |
| August | 87.9 | 5.7 | 97.5 | –4.3 | 72.7 | 4.4 | 78.3 | –2.3 | |
| September | 105.8 | 4.2 | 99.9 | 2.4 | 83.1 | 4.1 | 80.5 | 2.8 | |
| October | 106.2 | 3.2 | 99.1 | –0.8 | 84.0 | 3.3 | 78.8 | –2.1 | |
| November | 102.3 | 7.8 | 99.4 | 0.3 | 81.8 | 5.5 | 79.7 | 1.2 | |
| December | 92.0 | 3.3 | 98.7 | –0.7 | 73.1 | 3.5 | 78.4 | –1.6 | |
| 2016 | January | 88.7 | –1.4 | 98.2 | –0.5 | 75.2 | 1.5 | 79.4 | 1.2 |