Press release No. 052 of 9 February 2022
Exports, December 2021
117.0 billion euros
+0.9% on the previous month (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
+15.6% on the same month a year earlier
2021
1,375.5 billion euros
+14.0% on the previous year
Imports, December 2021
110.0 billion euros
+4.7% on the previous month (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
+27.8% on the same month a year earlier
2021
1,202.2 billion euros
+17.1% on the previous year
Foreign trade balance, December 2021
7.0 billion euros
6.8 billion euros (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
2021
173.3 billion euros
Current account according to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank, December 2021
23.9 billion euros
2021
247.4 billion euros
WIESBADEN – In December 2021, German exports were up by 0.9% and imports by 4.7% on November 2021, after calendar and seasonal adjustment. Based on provisional data, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that, after calendar and seasonal adjustment, exports were 6.8% and imports 23.5% higher than in February 2020, the month before restrictions were imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic in Germany. In 2021 as a whole, exports increased by 14.0% and imports by 17.1% compared with the previous year. Exports were 3.6% and imports 8.9% above the level of the pre-Covid year 2019.
Germany exported goods to the value of 117.0 billion euros and imported goods to the value of 110.0 billion euros in December 2021. Compared with December 2020, exports increased by 15.6% and imports by 27.8% in December 2021.
The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 7.0 billion euros in December 2021. In December 2020, the surplus amounted to 15.1 billion euros. The calendar and seasonally adjusted surplus in December 2021 was 6.8 billion euros.
The current account of the balance of payments showed a surplus of 23.9 billion euros in December 2021, which takes into account the balances of trade in goods (+9.4 billion euros), services (+2.8 billion euros), primary income (+16.2 billion euros) and secondary income (-4.4 billion euros). In December 2020, the German current account showed a surplus of 26.2 billion euros.
Trade with EU countries
In December 2021, Germany exported goods to the value of 63.3 billion euros to the Member States of the European Union (EU), while it imported goods to the value of 56.3 billion euros from those countries. Compared with December 2020, exports to the EU countries increased by 23.0% and imports from those countries by 23.5%. Goods to the value of 44.1 billion euros (+23.5%) were exported to the euro area countries in December 2021; the value of the goods imported from those countries was 39.1 billion euros (+27.9%). Goods to the value of 19.2 billion euros (+21.8%) were exported to EU countries not belonging to the euro area, while the value of the goods imported from those countries was 17.2 billion euros (+14.5%).
Trade with non-EU countries
Exports of goods to countries outside the EU (third countries) amounted to 53.7 billion euros in December 2021, while imports from those countries totalled 53.6 billion euros. Compared with December 2020, exports to third countries increased by 8.0% and imports from those countries by 32.5%.
Trade with the United Kingdom
Compared with the same month last year, exports to the United Kingdom dropped by 7.6% to 5.0 billion euros in December 2021. Imports from the United Kingdom were down 18.2% to 2.6 billion euros.
A selection of other statistical indicators that can be assumed to be affected by the exit of the United Kindom from the EU is provided by the Brexit Monitor on the website of the Federal Statistical Office.
Trade with other selected countries
Most German exports went to the United States in December 2021; they increased by 16.7% to 10.7 billion euros compared with December 2020. However, exports to the People’s Republic of China decreased by 8.9% to 8.4 billion euros.
Most imports to Germany came from the People's Republic of China in December 2021. The value of the goods imported from there was 14.6 billion euros (+42.3% on the same month a year earlier). Imports from the United States rose by 13.6% to 6.4 billion euros in December 2021.
Foreign trade results for 2021
Germany exported goods to the value of 1,375.5 billion euros and imported goods to the value of 1,202.2 billion euros in 2021. Exports were up by 14.0% and imports by 17.1% on a year ago.
The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 173.3 billion euros in 2021. This means that the German export surplus declined for the fifth year in a row. In 2020, the surplus amounted to 180.4 billion euros.
Most important trading partners in 2021
The majority of German goods were exported to the United States in 2021. Exports to the United States increased by 18.0% to 122.1 billion euros compared with 2020. Thus the United States again ranked first in the list of the most important countries for exports from Germany. The People's Republic of China came second with exports to the country totalling 103.6 billion euros (+8.1% on the previous year), followed by France with 102.3 billion euros (+12.6%).
Most imports to Germany came from the People's Republic of China in 2021. Goods to the value of 141.7 billion euros were imported from there (+20.8% on a year earlier). The Netherlands ranked second among the most important countries for imports to Germany, accounting for goods to the value of 105.6 billion euros (+21.4%). The United States came third with a value of 72.1 billion euros (+6.5%).
Methodological note:
The differing comparative periods must be taken into account in all press releases on short-term indicators. Short-term economic monitoring focuses on comparisons with the previous month or previous quarter. These reflect short-term economic trends. A comparison with the previous year is intended to offer a long-term comparison of levels and is not subject to seasonal fluctuations. Due to temporarily strong decreases and increases during the current Covid-19 crisis, the results of month-on-month/quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year comparisons may differ considerably. To enable a direct comparison with the pre-crisis level, all press releases on short-term indicators available in seasonally adjusted form will, for the time being, include a comparison with February 2020 or the fourth quarter of 2019.
| Item | December | January to December | November | December | January to December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | ||||
| 1 According to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank. | |||||
| Foreign trade | |||||
| 1 Exports (f.o.b.) | 117.0 | 1,375.5 | 125.9 | 101.2 | 1,206.9 |
| 2 Imports (c.i.f.) | 110.0 | 1,202.2 | 114.3 | 86.1 | 1,026.5 |
| 3 Foreign trade balance (1-2) | 7.0 | 173.3 | 11.6 | 15.1 | 180.4 |
| Transition to trade in goods 1 | |||||
| 4 Supplementary trade items | 2.4 | 11.2 | 1.8 | -0.6 | 9.6 |
| Current account balances 1 | |||||
| 5 Trade in goods (3+4) | 9.4 | 184.4 | 13.4 | 14.5 | 190.0 |
| 6 Services | 2.8 | 13.7 | 1.1 | 2.9 | 3.5 |
| 7 Primary income | 16.2 | 107.8 | 10.2 | 14.6 | 92.5 |
| 8 Secondary income | -4.4 | -58.5 | -6.1 | -5.9 | -51.6 |
| Current account (5+6+7+8) | 23.9 | 247.4 | 18.5 | 26.2 | 234.4 |
| Item | December 2021 | January to December 2021 | Percentage change from | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2020 | January to December 2020 | |||
| billion euro | % | |||
| Total exports | 117.0 | 1,375.5 | 15.6 | 14.0 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 63.3 | 747.3 | 23.0 | 17.6 |
| Euro-zone | 44.1 | 519.1 | 23.5 | 17.5 |
| Non-euro-zone | 19.2 | 228.3 | 21.8 | 17.7 |
| Third countries | 53.7 | 628.1 | 8.0 | 10.0 |
| including: | ||||
| United Kingdom | 5.0 | 65.4 | -7.6 | -2.6 |
| Total imports | 110.0 | 1,202.2 | 27.8 | 17.1 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 56.3 | 638.4 | 23.5 | 16.8 |
| Euro-zone | 39.1 | 438.4 | 27.9 | 18.1 |
| Non-euro-zone | 17.2 | 200.1 | 14.5 | 14.0 |
| Third countries | 53.6 | 563.7 | 32.5 | 17.5 |
| including: | ||||
| United Kingdom | 2.6 | 32.1 | -18.2 | -8.5 |
| 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 J-DEMETRA+ (X-13 ARIMA). | |||||||||
| 2020 | January | 106.6 | -2.1 | 111.2 | 0.4 | 93.0 | -1.3 | 92.9 | 1.6 |
| February | 109.1 | 0.3 | 112.6 | 1.3 | 88.9 | -2.4 | 92.0 | -1.0 | |
| March | 109.3 | -7.6 | 99.3 | -11.8 | 92.1 | -3.9 | 86.1 | -6.4 | |
| April | 75.9 | -31.0 | 75.8 | -23.7 | 72.3 | -21.6 | 72.1 | -16.3 | |
| May | 80.6 | -29.5 | 82.5 | 8.8 | 73.3 | -21.6 | 74.6 | 3.4 | |
| June | 96.0 | -9.6 | 94.5 | 14.5 | 80.7 | -9.9 | 79.9 | 7.1 | |
| July | 102.8 | -10.6 | 99.0 | 4.8 | 83.1 | -11.3 | 81.4 | 1.9 | |
| August | 91.2 | -10.2 | 101.9 | 2.9 | 79.3 | -6.8 | 86.9 | 6.8 | |
| September | 109.9 | -3.7 | 104.7 | 2.8 | 89.9 | -3.3 | 88.1 | 1.3 | |
| October | 112.2 | -6.3 | 105.0 | 0.3 | 92.5 | -6.0 | 87.4 | -0.7 | |
| November | 112.1 | -1.0 | 107.1 | 2.0 | 95.3 | 0.6 | 91.0 | 4.1 | |
| December | 101.2 | 3.2 | 107.6 | 0.5 | 86.1 | 3.8 | 91.0 | -0.1 | |
| 2021 | January | 98.4 | -7.7 | 109.3 | 1.6 | 84.2 | -9.4 | 87.5 | -3.8 |
| February | 107.8 | -1.3 | 110.2 | 0.8 | 89.9 | 1.1 | 92.6 | 5.9 | |
| March | 127.1 | 16.3 | 112.0 | 1.7 | 106.3 | 15.4 | 97.4 | 5.1 | |
| April | 111.9 | 47.4 | 111.9 | -0.1 | 96.6 | 33.7 | 96.4 | -1.1 | |
| May | 109.5 | 35.9 | 112.2 | 0.3 | 97.2 | 32.6 | 98.9 | 2.6 | |
| June | 118.7 | 23.7 | 113.5 | 1.1 | 102.7 | 27.4 | 99.8 | 0.9 | |
| July | 115.1 | 12.0 | 114.1 | 0.5 | 97.3 | 17.0 | 97.3 | -2.5 | |
| August | 104.5 | 14.6 | 113.1 | -0.8 | 93.0 | 17.2 | 99.5 | 2.3 | |
| September | 118.2 | 7.5 | 112.7 | -0.4 | 102.0 | 13.5 | 100.0 | 0.5 | |
| October | 121.4 | 8.2 | 117.0 | 3.9 | 108.7 | 17.4 | 104.8 | 4.8 | |
| November | 125.9 | 12.3 | 119.2 | 1.8 | 114.3 | 19.9 | 108.4 | 3.4 | |
| December | 117.0 | 15.6 | 120.3 | 0.9 | 110.0 | 27.8 | 113.5 | 4.7 | |
First detailed provisional results by country of origin/country of destination and by chapter of the Commodity Classification for Foreign Trade Statistics are available for downloading.
Crisis Monitor enables comparison between coronavirus crisis and financial and economic crisis
Foreign trade statistics also form part of the Crisis Monitor (www.destatis.de/krisenmonitor), by means of which the Federal Statistical Office compares the development of major short-term indicators in the coronavirus crisis and the financial and economic crisis of 2008/2009.
The Crisis Monitor complements the Corona statistics webpage (www.destatis.de/corona), which provides statistical information on the economic and social consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.
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