Press release No. 341 of 12 August 2022

• Exports of goods to Russia down 34.5% in the first six months
• Import surplus in trade with Russia in the first half of 2022: 14.2 billion euros

WIESBADEN – Total German exports of goods rose by 13.4% to 763.9 billion euros in the first half of 2022 year on year. Over the same period, exports to Russia fell by 34.5% to 8.3 billion euros on the first half of 2021 as a result of the war in Ukraine and the sanctions imposed on Russia.

Goods to the total value of 729.6 billion euros were imported to Germany in the first six months of 2022. This was an increase of 26.5% compared with the same period of 2021. The value of imports from Russia rose by 51.3% to 22.6 billion euros, one of the reasons being higher energy prices. In volume terms, however, imports from Russia fell by 24.0% compared with the first half of 2021.

Germany’s foreign trade balance (exports minus imports) amounted to +34.3 billion euros in the first half of 2022 (first half of 2021: +96.5 billion euros). In trade with Russia, more goods were imported from Russia than exported there in value terms. In the first half of 2022, the import surplus was 14.2 billion euros. In the same period a year earlier, the import surplus had amounted to 2.2 billion euros. This development, too, should be considered in the light of the sharp price rises in the last few months.

Germany's major export goods in the first half of 2022 were motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers (116.3 billion euros), followed by machinery (99.2 billion euros). This was an increase of 5.9% and 2.3%, respectively, compared with a year earlier. The most important import goods were chemical products (+64.9% to 76.1 billion euros) and data processing equipment (+12.6% to 68.2 billion euros). The high import values in the chemical sector are due to imports of lactams from China. Lactams can be used for the production of both plastics and medicines.

In reference month June 2022, Germany exported goods to the total value of 135.9 billion euros, which was an increase of 14.5% on June 2021. Goods to the value of 128.2 billion euros were imported to Germany (+24.8% on the same month a year earlier).

More information:

All detailed results on German foreign trade in reference month June 2022 are available in the GENESIS-Online database (tables 51000). The foreign trade results 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 Covid-19 crisis and the financial and economic crisis of 2008/2009. They are also available on the “Corona statistics" webpage (www.destatis.de/corona) and in the Dashboard Germany (www.dashboard-deutschland.de) (only in german), together with other indicators which can be used to assess the economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Dashboard Germany portal of the Federal Statistical Office combines up-to-date indicators of official statistics and of other data providers on the topics of economy and finance as well as health and mobility.

Russia’s attack on Ukraine and the related sanctions have an impact on many parts of the economy and society. We have compiled data and information on the subject for you on a special webpage (only in german).