Press release No. 192 of 9 June 2016
WIESBADEN – Germany exported goods to the value of 104.3 billion euros and imported goods to the value of 78.7 billion euros in April 2016. Based on provisional data, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that German exports increased by 3.8% in April 2016 year on year while imports remained nearly unchanged. After calendar and seasonal adjustment, exports did not change from March 2016 while imports fell by 0.2%.
The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 25.6 billion euros in April 2016. In April 2015, the surplus amounted to 21.8 billion euros. In calendar and seasonally adjusted terms, the foreign trade balance recorded a surplus of 24.0 billion euros in April 2016.
According to provisional results of the Deutsche Bundesbank, the current account of the balance of payments showed a surplus of 28.8 billion euros in April 2016, which takes into account the balances of trade in goods including supplementary trade items (+27.8 billion euros), services (–0.8 billion euros), primary income (+3.5 billion euros) and secondary income (–1.7 billion euros). In April 2015, the German current account showed a surplus of 21.5 billion euros.
In April 2016, Germany dispatched commodities to the value of 61.3 billion euros to the Member States of the European Union (EU), while it received commodities to the value of 52.9 billion euros from those countries. Compared with April 2015, exports to the EU countries increased by 7.3%, and imports from those countries by 2.0%. Goods to the value of 38.4 billion euros (+5.8%) were dispatched to the Euro area countries in April 2016, while the value of the goods received from those countries was 35.6 billion euros (–0.9%). In April 2016, goods to the value of 22.8 billion euros (+9.8%) were dispatched to EU countries not belonging to the Euro area, while the value of the goods which arrived from those countries was 17.3 billion euros (+8.5%).
Exports of goods to countries outside the European Union (third countries) amounted to 43.0 billion euros in April 2016, while imports from those countries totalled 25.7 billion euros. Compared with April 2015, exports to third countries decreased by 0.7% and imports from those countries by 3.8%.
| Item | April | January to April | March | April | January to April |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2015 | ||||
| 1 According to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank. | |||||
| Foreign trade | |||||
| 1 Exports (f.o.b.) | 104.3 | 399.4 | 107.0 | 100.4 | 393.5 |
| 2 Imports (c.i.f.) | 78.7 | 314.1 | 80.9 | 78.6 | 313.4 |
| 3 Foreign trade balance (1-2) | 25.6 | 85.3 | 26.2 | 21.8 | 80.1 |
| Transition to trade in goods 1 | |||||
| 4 Supplementary trade items | 2.2 | 7.5 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 2.9 |
| Current account balances 1 | |||||
| 5 Trade in goods (3+4) | 27.8 | 92.7 | 28.3 | 22.6 | 83.0 |
| 6 Services | –0.8 | –6.5 | –2.1 | –1.4 | –6.2 |
| 7 Primary income | 3.5 | 22.9 | 7.4 | 3.3 | 21.6 |
| 8 Secondary income | –1.7 | –15.2 | –3.7 | –2.9 | –18.7 |
| Current account (5+6+7+8) | 28.8 | 93.9 | 29.9 | 21.5 | 79.8 |
| Item | April 2016 | January to April 2016 | Percentage change from | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2015 | January to April 2015 | |||
| billion euro | % | |||
| Results in accordance with the EU concept (by country of consignment). | ||||
| Total exports | 104.3 | 399.4 | 3.8 | 1.5 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 61.3 | 238.1 | 7.3 | 3.8 |
| Euro-zone | 38.4 | 148.5 | 5.8 | 2.6 |
| Non-euro-zone | 22.8 | 89.6 | 9.8 | 6.0 |
| Third countries | 43.0 | 161.2 | –0.7 | –1.8 |
| Total imports | 78.7 | 314.1 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 52.9 | 208.6 | 2.0 | 2.1 |
| Euro-zone | 35.6 | 141.6 | –0.9 | 0.5 |
| Non-euro-zone | 17.3 | 66.9 | 8.5 | 5.7 |
| Third countries | 25.7 | 105.5 | –3.8 | –3.3 |
| 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 | |||||||||
| 2015 | January | 90.0 | 0.3 | 97.1 | –0.9 | 74.0 | –1.3 | 76.8 | 0.0 |
| February | 95.6 | 4.7 | 97.9 | 0.9 | 76.2 | 1.2 | 77.7 | 1.1 | |
| March | 107.5 | 13.3 | 99.1 | 1.2 | 84.5 | 7.9 | 79.6 | 2.5 | |
| April | 100.4 | 8.1 | 100.4 | 1.3 | 78.6 | 4.1 | 78.8 | –1.0 | |
| May | 95.7 | 5.0 | 101.3 | 0.9 | 76.3 | 3.6 | 79.2 | 0.4 | |
| June | 105.6 | 14.0 | 100.5 | –0.8 | 81.7 | 6.7 | 79.0 | –0.3 | |
| July | 107.1 | 7.1 | 101.9 | 1.4 | 82.2 | 6.9 | 80.2 | 1.6 | |
| August | 87.9 | 5.7 | 97.5 | –4.3 | 72.7 | 4.4 | 78.3 | –2.4 | |
| September | 105.8 | 4.2 | 99.9 | 2.4 | 83.1 | 4.1 | 80.5 | 2.8 | |
| October | 106.2 | 3.2 | 99.1 | –0.8 | 84.0 | 3.3 | 78.8 | –2.1 | |
| November | 102.9 | 8.5 | 100.0 | 1.0 | 82.0 | 5.7 | 79.8 | 1.4 | |
| December | 91.8 | 3.1 | 98.5 | –1.5 | 73.2 | 3.6 | 78.5 | –1.7 | |
| 2016 | January | 88.6 | –1.5 | 98.0 | –0.5 | 75.3 | 1.7 | 79.4 | 1.3 |
| February | 99.5 | 4.1 | 99.4 | 1.4 | 79.3 | 4.1 | 79.4 | –0.0 | |
| March | 107.0 | –0.5 | 101.3 | 1.9 | 80.9 | –4.3 | 77.6 | –2.3 | |
| April | 104.3 | 3.8 | 101.3 | 0.0 | 78.7 | 0.0 | 77.4 | –0.2 | |