Press release No. 039 of 8 February 2018
WIESBADEN – Germany exported goods to the value of 1,279.4 billion euros and imported goods to the value of 1,034.6 billion euros in 2017. Based on provisional data, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that German exports increased by 6.3% and imports by 8.3% in 2017 compared with 2016. In 2017, export and import levels were higher than the previous all-time highs recorded in 2016. At the time, goods to the value of 1,203.8 billion euros were exported and goods to the value of 954.9 billion euros were imported.
The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 244.9 billion euros in 2017. In 2016, the surplus of the foreign trade balance reached an all-time high (248.9 billion euros).
According to provisional results of the Deutsche Bundesbank, the current account of the balance of payments showed a surplus of 257.1 billion euros in 2017, which takes into account the balances of trade in goods including supplementary trade items (+266.7 billion euros), services (-18.0 billion euros), primary income (+60.6 billion euros) and secondary income (-52.3 billion euros). In 2016, the German current account showed a surplus of 259.3 billion euros.
In 2017, Germany exported goods to the value of 750.0 billion euros to the Member States of the European Union (EU), while it imported goods to the value of 682.5 billion euros from those countries. Compared with 2016, exports to the EU countries increased by 6.3%, and imports from those countries by 7.9%. Goods to the value of 471.4 billion euros (+7.0%) were dispatched to the Euro area countries in 2017, while the value of the goods received from those countries was 459.4 billion euros (+7.2%). In 2017, goods to the value of 278.7 billion euros (+5.1%) were exported to EU countries not belonging to the Euro area, while the value of the goods imported from those countries was 223.1 billion euros (+9.5%).
Exports of goods to countries outside the European Union (third countries) amounted to 529.4 billion euros in 2017, while imports from those countries totalled 352.1 billion euros. Compared with 2016, exports to third countries increased by 6.3% and imports from those countries by 9.1%.
In December 2017, Germany exported goods to the value of 100.9 billion euros (+3.9% compared with December 2016) and imported goods to the value of 82.7 billion euros (+5.0%). After calendar and seasonal adjustment, exports were up 0.3% and imports 1.4% compared with November 2017.
The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 18.2 billion euros in December 2017. In calendar and seasonally adjusted terms, the foreign trade balance recorded a surplus of 21.4 billion euros in December 2017.
| Item | December | January to December | November | December | January to December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 2016 | ||||
| 1 According to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank. | |||||
| Foreign trade | |||||
| 1 Exports (f.o.b.) | 100.9 | 1,279.4 | 116.4 | 97.1 | 1,203.8 |
| 2 Imports (c.i.f.) | 82.7 | 1,034.6 | 92.7 | 78.8 | 954.9 |
| 3 Foreign trade balance (1-2) | 18.2 | 244.9 | 23.7 | 18.3 | 248.9 |
| Transition to trade in goods 1 | |||||
| 4 Supplementary trade items | 0.3 | 21.9 | 1.4 | –1.5 | 19.5 |
| Current account balances 1 | |||||
| 5 Trade in goods (3+4) | 18.6 | 266.7 | 25.1 | 16.8 | 268.4 |
| 6 Services | 3.6 | –18.0 | 0.2 | 1.7 | –21.2 |
| 7 Primary income | 10.7 | 60.6 | 7.2 | 10.3 | 52.1 |
| 8 Secondary income | –5.0 | –52.3 | –5.3 | –4.0 | –40.0 |
| Current account (5+6+7+8) | 27.8 | 257.1 | 27.2 | 24.9 | 259.3 |
| Item | December 2017 | January to December 2017 | Percentage change from | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2016 | January to December 2016 | |||
| billion euro | % | |||
| Results in accordance with the EU concept (by country of consignment). | ||||
| Total exports | 100.9 | 1,279.4 | 3.9 | 6.3 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 58.0 | 750.0 | 7.8 | 6.3 |
| Euro-zone | 37.2 | 471.4 | 8.7 | 7.0 |
| Non-euro-zone | 20.8 | 278.7 | 6.3 | 5.1 |
| Third countries | 42.9 | 529.4 | –0.9 | 6.3 |
| Total imports | 82.7 | 1,034.6 | 5.0 | 8.3 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 55.0 | 682.5 | 6.4 | 7.9 |
| Euro-zone | 37.4 | 459.4 | 6.1 | 7.2 |
| Non-euro-zone | 17.6 | 223.1 | 7.2 | 9.5 |
| Third countries | 27.7 | 352.1 | 2.3 | 9.1 |
| 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 | |||||||||
| 2016 | January | 88.7 | –1.1 | 98.2 | –0.2 | 75.3 | 1.7 | 79.1 | 1.0 |
| February | 98.6 | 3.4 | 98.3 | 0.1 | 79.4 | 4.3 | 79.2 | 0.2 | |
| March | 106.5 | –1.1 | 100.3 | 2.1 | 81.0 | –4.2 | 77.4 | –2.4 | |
| April | 103.9 | 3.8 | 100.3 | 0.0 | 78.8 | –0.1 | 77.3 | –0.1 | |
| May | 96.8 | 1.4 | 98.7 | –1.6 | 76.3 | 0.0 | 77.3 | –0.0 | |
| June | 106.1 | 0.8 | 99.2 | 0.5 | 82.1 | 0.4 | 78.6 | 1.7 | |
| July | 95.8 | –10.2 | 98.0 | –1.2 | 77.0 | –6.5 | 78.4 | –0.3 | |
| August | 96.0 | 9.4 | 100.4 | 2.4 | 76.6 | 5.4 | 79.8 | 1.9 | |
| September | 105.6 | 0.1 | 99.9 | –0.5 | 81.9 | –1.6 | 79.7 | –0.2 | |
| October | 101.1 | –4.5 | 100.4 | 0.6 | 82.2 | –2.2 | 80.5 | 1.0 | |
| November | 107.6 | 4.8 | 103.2 | 2.7 | 85.7 | 4.2 | 82.4 | 2.4 | |
| December | 97.1 | 6.0 | 101.4 | –1.8 | 78.8 | 7.5 | 82.7 | 0.3 | |
| 2017 | January | 98.6 | 11.1 | 103.4 | 2.0 | 84.0 | 11.7 | 84.7 | 2.4 |
| February | 102.3 | 3.7 | 105.0 | 1.6 | 82.4 | 3.7 | 83.9 | –1.1 | |
| March | 118.2 | 11.0 | 105.1 | 0.1 | 93.0 | 14.8 | 85.4 | 1.9 | |
| April | 100.9 | –3.0 | 105.9 | 0.7 | 83.1 | 5.5 | 86.4 | 1.1 | |
| May | 110.5 | 14.2 | 107.3 | 1.3 | 88.7 | 16.3 | 87.0 | 0.7 | |
| June | 107.2 | 1.0 | 105.3 | –1.8 | 85.1 | 3.7 | 84.3 | –3.1 | |
| July | 103.1 | 7.6 | 105.3 | 0.0 | 84.4 | 9.6 | 85.9 | 1.9 | |
| August | 103.0 | 7.3 | 107.9 | 2.4 | 83.0 | 8.2 | 86.6 | 0.8 | |
| September | 110.3 | 4.4 | 107.4 | –0.4 | 86.4 | 5.5 | 85.7 | –1.0 | |
| October | 108.0 | 6.9 | 107.1 | –0.2 | 89.1 | 8.4 | 87.2 | 1.8 | |
| November | 116.4 | 8.1 | 111.5 | 4.1 | 92.7 | 8.2 | 89.2 | 2.2 | |
| December | 100.9 | 3.9 | 111.9 | 0.3 | 82.7 | 5.0 | 90.4 | 1.4 | |
