Press release No. 126 of 8 April 2016
WIESBADEN – Germany exported goods to the value of 99.5 billion euros and imported goods to the value of 79.3 billion euros in February 2016. Based on provisional data, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that German exports increased by 4.1% and imports by 4.0% in February 2016 year on year. After calendar and seasonal adjustment, exports increased by 1.3% and imports by 0.4% compared with January 2016.
The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 20.3 billion euros in February 2016. In February 2015, the surplus amounted to 19.4 billion euros. In calendar and seasonally adjusted terms, the foreign trade balance recorded a surplus of 19.8 billion euros in February 2016.
According to provisional results of the Deutsche Bundesbank, the current account of the balance of payments showed a surplus of 20.0 billion euros in February 2016, which takes into account the balances of trade in goods including supplementary trade items (+21.8 billion euros), services (–0.7 billion euros), primary income (+6.3 billion euros) and secondary income (–7.4 billion euros). In February 2015, the German current account showed a surplus of 16.3 billion euros.
Germany dispatched goods to the value of 59.6 billion euros to the Member States of the European Union (EU) in February 2016, while it received goods to the value of 53.3 billion euros from those countries. Compared with February 2015, exports to the EU countries increased by 5.5%, and imports from those countries by 5.9%. Goods to the value of 36.8 billion euros (+3.3%) were dispatched to the Euro area countries in February 2016, while the value of the goods received from those countries was 36.1 billion euros (+3.7%). In February 2016, goods to the value of 22.8 billion euros (+9.3%) were dispatched to EU countries not belonging to the Euro area, while the value of the goods which arrived from those countries was 17.2 billion euros (+10.8%).
Exports of goods to countries outside the European Union (third countries) amounted to 39.9 billion euros in February 2016, while imports from those countries totalled 26.0 billion euros. Compared with February 2015, exports to third countries increased by 2.0% and imports from those countries by 0.4%.
| Item | February | January to February | January | February | January to February |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2015 | ||||
| 1 According to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank. | |||||
| Foreign trade | |||||
| 1 Exports (f.o.b.) | 99.5 | 188.2 | 88.6 | 95.6 | 185.6 |
| 2 Imports (c.i.f.) | 79.3 | 154.5 | 75.2 | 76.2 | 150.2 |
| 3 Foreign trade balance (1-2) | 20.3 | 33.7 | 13.4 | 19.4 | 35.4 |
| Transition to trade in goods 1 | |||||
| 4 Supplementary trade items | 1.5 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 0.2 | –0.1 |
| Current account balances 1 | |||||
| 5 Trade in goods (3+4) | 21.8 | 35.6 | 13.9 | 19.6 | 35.3 |
| 6 Services | –0.7 | –3.2 | –2.5 | –1.6 | –3.3 |
| 7 Primary income | 6.3 | 11.5 | 5.1 | 5.8 | 10.9 |
| 8 Secondary income | –7.4 | –9.7 | –2.3 | –7.5 | –11.7 |
| Current account (5+6+7+8) | 20.0 | 34.2 | 14.3 | 16.3 | 31.2 |
| Item | February 2016 | January to February 2016 | Percentage change from | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2015 | January to February 2015 | |||
| billion euro | % | |||
| Results in accordance with the EU concept (by country of consignment). | ||||
| Total exports | 99.5 | 188.2 | 4.1 | 1.4 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 59.6 | 114.2 | 5.5 | 3.2 |
| Euro-zone | 36.8 | 71.1 | 3.3 | 1.6 |
| Non-euro-zone | 22.8 | 43.1 | 9.3 | 6.1 |
| Third countries | 39.9 | 74.0 | 2.0 | –1.3 |
| Total imports | 79.3 | 154.5 | 4.0 | 2.8 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 53.3 | 101.8 | 5.9 | 4.5 |
| Euro-zone | 36.1 | 69.4 | 3.7 | 3.3 |
| Non-euro-zone | 17.2 | 32.3 | 10.8 | 7.4 |
| Third countries | 26.0 | 52.7 | 0.4 | –0.3 |
| 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 | 102.9 | 8.5 | 100.0 | 1.0 | 82.0 | 5.7 | 79.9 | 1.4 | |
| December | 92.0 | 3.3 | 98.7 | –1.3 | 73.1 | 3.5 | 78.4 | –1.8 | |
| 2016 | January | 88.6 | –1.5 | 98.1 | –0.6 | 75.2 | 1.6 | 79.4 | 1.3 |
| February | 99.5 | 4.1 | 99.4 | 1.3 | 79.3 | 4.0 | 79.7 | 0.4 | |