Press release No.255 / 2009-07-09

German exports in May 2009: – 24.5% on May 2008

WIESBADEN – According to provisional data of the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), Germany exported commodities to the value of EUR 60.7 billion and imported commodities to the value of EUR 51.1 billion in May 2009. Hence, German exports of May 2009 were 24.5% and imports 22.6% lower than in May 2008.
Compared with the previous month, exports and imports experienced diverging trends when adjusted for calendar and seasonal variations. While exports increased by 0.3% on April 2009, imports decreased by 2.1%.

The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of EUR 9.6 billion in May 2009. In May 2008, the surplus had amounted to EUR 14.5 billion. Upon calendar and seasonal adjustment, the foreign trade balance recorded a surplus of EUR 10.3 billion in May 2009.

According to provisional results of the Deutsche Bundesbank, the current account of the balance of payments showed a surplus of EUR 3.7 billion in May 2009, which included the balance of services (– EUR 0.9 billion), factor income net (– EUR 3.0 billion), current transfers (– EUR 0.9 billion), and supplementary trade items (– EUR 1.2 billion). In May 2008, the current account showed a surplus of EUR 8.1 billion.

In May 2009, Germany dispatched commodities to the value of EUR 38.9 billion to the Member States of the European Union, while it received commodities to the value of EUR 33.4 billion from those countries. Compared with May 2008, dispatches to and arrivals from the EU countries decreased by 25.4% and 22.1%, respectively. Commodities to the value of EUR 26.8 billion (– 23.5%) were dispatched to the euro area countries in May 2009, while the value of the commodities received from those countries was EUR 23.6 billion (– 22.3%). In May 2009, commodities to the value of EUR 12.1 billion (– 29.4%) were dispatched to countries not belonging to the euro area, while the value of commodities which arrived from those countries was EUR 9.8 billion (– 21.8%).

Exports of commodities to countries outside the European Union (third countries) amounted to EUR 21.8 billion in May 2009, while imports from those countries amounted to EUR 17.7 billion. Compared with May 2008, exports to third countries decreased by 23.0%, and imports from those countries by 23.3%.

Flows of commodities and services in EUR billion
Item	May		April	May	January to May
Item	2009			2008
Discrepancies in the totals are due to rounding.
1 Exports (f.o.b.)	60.7	323.4	63.7	80.5	421.8
2 Imports (c.i.f.)	51.1	277.6	54.3	66.0	337.2
Balance of
3 Foreign trade (1-2)	9.6	45.8	9.4	14.5	84.6
4 Services	–0.9	–5.3	–0.7	–2.3	–3.5
5 Factor income (net)	–3.0	10.1	–0.3	–2.8	11.4
6 Current transfers	–0.9	–16.4	–2.3	–0.3	–14.4
7 Supplementary trade items	–1.2	–5.0	–0.7	–1.1	–5.2
8 Current account (3+4+5+6+7)	3.7	29.2	5.5	8.1	73.0

Groups of countries
Item	May 2009	January to May 2009	Percentage change from
	May 2009	January to May 2009	May 2008	January to May 2008
	EUR billion		%
Total exports	60.7	323.4	–24.5	–23.3
Including:
EU Member States	38.9	206.6	–25.4	–24.2
Euro-zone	26.8	143.0	–23.5	–22.5
Non-euro-zone	12.1	63.6	–29.4	–27.9
Third countries	21.8	116.8	–23.0	–21.7
Total imports	51.1	277.6	–22.6	–17.7
Including:
EU Member States	33.4	179.8	–22.1	–17.7
Euro-zone	23.6	128.8	–22.3	–16.8
Non-euro-zone	9.8	51.0	–21.8	–19.7
Third countries	17.7	97.8	–23.3	–17.7

Foreign trade (special trade)
Exports and imports
Original values/calendar and seasonally adjusted values ¹⁾
Year	Month	Exports				Imports
		original value		calendar and seasonally adjusted value ¹⁾		original value		calendar and seasonally adjusted value ¹⁾
		value in EUR billion	change on the same month of the previous year in %	value in EUR billion	change on previous month in %	value in EUR billion	change on the same month of the previous year in %	value in EUR billion	change on previous month in %
¹⁾ Using Census X-12-ARIMA.
2008	January	84.0	9.0	84.5	3.1	66.7	9.6	68.2	3.8
	February	84.3	9.0	84.5	0.1	67.2	6.1	67.9	–0.5
	March	83.5	0.0	84.2	–0.4	66.8	2.1	68.2	0.4
	April	89.5	14.1	84.6	0.5	70.5	10.8	67.9	–0.4
	May	80.5	2.4	82.7	–2.2	66.0	7.0	67.6	–0.4
	June	88.1	8.1	85.4	3.3	68.0	4.5	67.4	–0.2
	July	86.8	7.0	84.2	–1.4	72.8	15.0	72.0	6.8
	August	75.5	–2.5	84.0	–0.3	64.7	2.3	70.1	–2.7
	September	87.0	6.8	84.7	0.8	71.8	13.5	70.8	1.0
	October	89.4	1.1	84.2	–0.6	72.8	4.5	68.2	–3.7
	November	76.8	–12.2	75.1	–10.8	66.9	–1.6	64.2	–5.8
	December	67.2	–7.9	72.1	–4.0	60.0	–4.1	61.1	–4.8
2009	January	64.5	–23.3	66.8	–7.4	57.6	–13.6	60.1	–1.7
	February	64.5	–23.5	66.0	–1.2	55.8	–16.9	57.1	–4.9
	March	70.0	–16.2	66.2	0.3	58.7	–12.0	57.3	0.2
	April	63.7	–28.8	62.9	–5.0	54.3	–23.0	53.9	–6.0
	May	60.7	–24.5	63.0	0.3	51.1	–22.6	52.7	–2.1

>>> Brief methodological description

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