Press release No. 394 of 9 November 2017
WIESBADEN – Germany exported goods to the value of 110.4 billion euros and imported goods to the value of 86.3 billion euros in September 2017. Based on provisional data, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that German exports increased by 4.6% and imports by 5.5% in September 2017 year on year. After calendar and seasonal adjustment, exports fell by 0.4% and imports by 1.0% compared with August 2017.
The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 24.1 billion euros in September 2017. In September 2016, the surplus amounted to +23.7 billion euros. In calendar and seasonally adjusted terms, the foreign trade balance recorded a surplus of 21.8 billion euros in September 2017.
According to provisional results of the Deutsche Bundesbank, the current account of the balance of payments showed a surplus of 25.4 billion euros in September 2017, which takes into account the balances of trade in goods including supplementary trade items (+25.4 billion euros), services (–2.5 billion euros), primary income (+5.6 billion euros) and secondary income (–3.1 billion euros). In September 2016, the German current account showed a surplus of 23.5 billion euros.
In September 2017, Germany exported goods to the value of 65.0 billion euros to the Member States of the European Union (EU), while it imported goods to the value of 57.6 billion euros from those countries. Compared with September 2016, exports to the EU countries increased by 3.3%, and imports from those countries by 4.7%. Goods to the value of 40.8 billion euros (+4.2%) were dispatched to the Euro area countries in September 2017, while the value of the goods received from those countries was 38.1 billion euros (+3.7%). In September 2017, goods to the value of 24.2 billion euros (+1.7%) were exported to EU countries not belonging to the Euro area, while the value of the goods imported from those countries was 19.5 billion euros (+6.8%).
Exports of goods to countries outside the European Union (third countries) amounted to 45.4 billion euros in September 2017, while imports from those countries totalled 28.7 billion euros. Compared with September 2016, exports to third countries increased by 6.5% and imports from those countries by 7.1%.
Methodological note:
The results for reference year 2016 are now final.
| Item | September | January to September | August | September | January to September |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 2016 | ||||
| 1 According to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank. | |||||
| Foreign trade | |||||
| 1 Exports (f.o.b.) | 110.4 | 954.7 | 103.0 | 105.6 | 898.0 |
| 2 Imports (c.i.f.) | 86.3 | 769.9 | 82.9 | 81.9 | 708.3 |
| 3 Foreign trade balance (1-2) | 24.1 | 184.8 | 20.1 | 23.7 | 189.8 |
| Transition to trade in goods 1 | |||||
| 4 Supplementary trade items | 1.3 | 17.9 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 17.8 |
| Current account balances 1 | |||||
| 5 Trade in goods (3+4) | 25.4 | 202.7 | 21.6 | 25.5 | 207.5 |
| 6 Services | –2.5 | –18.4 | –4.8 | –3.2 | –19.1 |
| 7 Primary income | 5.6 | 37.0 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 31.0 |
| 8 Secondary income | –3.1 | –37.7 | –3.4 | –2.7 | –28.4 |
| Current account (5+6+7+8) | 25.4 | 183.6 | 18.0 | 23.5 | 191.1 |
| Item | September 2017 | January to September 2017 | Percentage change from | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2016 | January to September 2016 | |||
| billion euro | % | |||
| Results in accordance with the EU concept (by country of consignment). | ||||
| Total exports | 110.4 | 954.7 | 4.6 | 6.3 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 65.0 | 559.6 | 3.3 | 5.6 |
| Euro-zone | 40.8 | 350.7 | 4.2 | 6.4 |
| Non-euro-zone | 24.2 | 208.9 | 1.7 | 4.4 |
| Third countries | 45.4 | 395.1 | 6.5 | 7.3 |
| Total imports | 86.3 | 769.9 | 5.5 | 8.7 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 57.6 | 505.8 | 4.7 | 7.7 |
| Euro-zone | 38.1 | 340.7 | 3.7 | 6.7 |
| Non-euro-zone | 19.5 | 165.1 | 6.8 | 9.6 |
| Third countries | 28.7 | 264.1 | 7.1 | 10.8 |
| 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 | 0.8 | |
| June | 107.2 | 1.0 | 105.3 | –1.8 | 85.1 | 3.7 | 84.3 | –3.1 | |
| July | 103.6 | 8.1 | 105.8 | 0.5 | 84.3 | 9.6 | 85.9 | 1.8 | |
| August | 103.0 | 7.3 | 107.9 | 2.0 | 82.9 | 8.2 | 86.6 | 0.8 | |
| September | 110.4 | 4.6 | 107.5 | –0.4 | 86.3 | 5.5 | 85.7 | –1.0 | |