Press release No. 232 of 8 July 2016
WIESBADEN – Germany exported goods to the value of 97.2 billion euros and imported goods to the value of 76.2 billion euros in May 2016. Based on provisional data, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that German exports increased by 1.6% and imports decreased by 0.1% in May 2016 year on year. After calendar and seasonal adjustment, exports fell by 1.8% and imports rose by 0.1% compared with April 2016.
The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 21.0 billion euros in May 2016. In May 2015, the surplus amounted to +19.4 billion euros. In calendar and seasonally adjusted terms, the foreign trade balance recorded a surplus of 22.2 billion euros in May 2016.
According to provisional results of the Deutsche Bundesbank, the current account of the balance of payments showed a surplus of 17.5 billion euros in May 2016, which takes into account the balances of trade in goods including supplementary trade items (+23.3 billion euros), services (–1.8 billion euros), primary income (–3.4 billion euros) and secondary income (–0.6 billion euros). In May 2015, the German current account showed a surplus of 11.7 billion euros.
In May 2016, Germany exported goods to the value of 57.6 billion euros to the Member States of the European Union (EU), while it imported goods to the value of 51.1 billion euros from those countries. Compared with May 2015, exports to the EU countries increased by 2.1%, and imports from those countries by 0.2%. Goods to the value of 36.0 billion euros (+1.5%) were dispatched to the Euro area countries in May 2016, while the value of the goods received from those countries was 34.8 billion euros (–0.8%). In May 2016, goods to the value of 21.6 billion euros (+3.1%) were exported to EU countries not belonging to the Euro area, while the value of the goods imported from those countries was 16.3 billion euros (+2.4%).
Exports of goods to countries outside the European Union (third countries) amounted to 39.6 billion euros in May 2016, while imports from those countries totalled 25.1 billion euros. Compared with May 2015, exports to third countries rose by 0.9%, while imports from those countries fell by 0.7%.
| Item | May | January to May | April | May | January to May |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2015 | ||||
| 1 According to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank. | |||||
| Foreign trade | |||||
| 1 Exports (f.o.b.) | 97.2 | 496.6 | 104.3 | 95.7 | 489.1 |
| 2 Imports (c.i.f.) | 76.2 | 390.4 | 78.6 | 76.3 | 389.6 |
| 3 Foreign trade balance (1-2) | 21.0 | 106.2 | 25.7 | 19.4 | 99.5 |
| Transition to trade in goods 1 | |||||
| 4 Supplementary trade items | 2.3 | 9.4 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 5.0 |
| Current account balances 1 | |||||
| 5 Trade in goods (3+4) | 23.3 | 115.6 | 27.7 | 21.5 | 104.5 |
| 6 Services | –1.8 | –8.4 | –0.8 | –2.0 | –8.1 |
| 7 Primary income | –3.4 | 19.3 | 3.2 | –5.8 | 15.8 |
| 8 Secondary income | –0.6 | –15.7 | –1.7 | –2.0 | –20.7 |
| Current account (5+6+7+8) | 17.5 | 110.8 | 28.4 | 11.7 | 91.5 |
| Item | May 2016 | January to May 2016 | Percentage change from | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2015 | January to May 2015 | |||
| billion euro | % | |||
| Results in accordance with the EU concept (by country of consignment). | ||||
| Total exports | 97.2 | 496.6 | 1.6 | 1.5 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 57.6 | 295.8 | 2.1 | 3.5 |
| Euro-zone | 36.0 | 184.6 | 1.5 | 2.4 |
| Non-euro-zone | 21.6 | 111.2 | 3.1 | 5.4 |
| Third countries | 39.6 | 200.8 | 0.9 | –1.3 |
| Total imports | 76.2 | 390.4 | –0.1 | 0.2 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 51.1 | 259.7 | 0.2 | 1.7 |
| Euro-zone | 34.8 | 176.4 | –0.8 | 0.3 |
| Non-euro-zone | 16.3 | 83.3 | 2.4 | 5.1 |
| Third countries | 25.1 | 130.7 | –0.7 | –2.8 |
| 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 | |||||||||
| 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 | 99.4 | 4.0 | 99.3 | 1.3 | 79.5 | 4.3 | 79.5 | 0.1 | |
| March | 107.0 | –0.5 | 101.3 | 2.1 | 80.9 | –4.3 | 77.6 | –2.5 | |
| April | 104.3 | 3.9 | 101.4 | 0.1 | 78.6 | 0.0 | 77.3 | –0.3 | |
| May | 97.2 | 1.6 | 99.5 | –1.8 | 76.2 | –0.1 | 77.4 | 0.1 | |