Press release No. 186 of 9 June 2017
WIESBADEN – Germany exported goods to the value of 101.0 billion euros and imported goods to the value of 83.0 billion euros in April 2017. Based on provisional data, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that German exports declined by 2.9%, while imports increased by 5.4% in April 2017 year on year. After calendar and seasonal adjustment, exports were up 0.9% and imports 1.2% compared with March 2017.
The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 18.1 billion euros in April 2017. In April 2016, the surplus amounted to 25.3 billion euros. In calendar and seasonally adjusted terms, the foreign trade balance recorded a surplus of 19.8 billion euros in April 2017.
According to provisional results of the Deutsche Bundesbank, the current account of the balance of payments showed a surplus of 15.1 billion euros in April 2017, which takes into account the balances of trade in goods including supplementary trade items (+20.6 billion euros), services (–1.2 billion euros), primary income (+4.0 billion euros) and secondary income (–8.3 billion euros). In April 2016, the German current account showed a surplus of 28.1 billion euros.
In April 2017, Germany exported goods to the value of 60.9 billion euros to the Member States of the European Union (EU), while it imported goods to the value of 55.0 billion euros from those countries. Compared with April 2016, exports to the EU countries decreased by 0.5%, while imports from those countries increased by 3.9%. Goods to the value of 38.3 billion euros (–0.2%) were dispatched to the Euro area countries in April 2017, while the value of the goods received from those countries was 37.1 billion euros (+4.1%). In April 2017, goods to the value of 22.6 billion euros (–1.0%) were exported to EU countries not belonging to the Euro area, while the value of the goods which were imported from those countries was 17.9 billion euros (+3.5%).
Exports of goods to countries outside the European Union (third countries) amounted to 40.2 billion euros in April 2017, while imports from those countries totalled 27.9 billion euros. Compared with April 2016, exports to third countries decreased by 6.3%, while imports from those countries rose by 8.6%.
| Item | April | January to April | March | April | January to April |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 2016 | ||||
| 1 According to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank. | |||||
| Foreign trade | |||||
| 1 Exports (f.o.b.) | 101.0 | 420.4 | 118.2 | 104.0 | 398.4 |
| 2 Imports (c.i.f.) | 83.0 | 342.3 | 92.9 | 78.7 | 314.3 |
| 3 Foreign trade balance (1-2) | 18.1 | 78.1 | 25.3 | 25.3 | 84.1 |
| Transition to trade in goods 1 | |||||
| 4 Supplementary trade items | 2.5 | 9.7 | 2.8 | 2.6 | 8.0 |
| Current account balances 1 | |||||
| 5 Trade in goods (3+4) | 20.6 | 87.8 | 28.1 | 28.0 | 92.1 |
| 6 Services | –1.2 | –4.6 | –1.3 | –0.9 | –4.3 |
| 7 Primary income | 4.0 | 19.9 | 6.8 | 2.7 | 19.7 |
| 8 Secondary income | –8.3 | –22.2 | –2.5 | –1.7 | –15.1 |
| Current account (5+6+7+8) | 15.1 | 80.9 | 31.1 | 28.1 | 92.4 |
| Item | April 2017 | January to April 2017 | Percentage change from | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2016 | January to April 2016 | |||
| billion euro | % | |||
| Results in accordance with the EU concept (by country of consignment). | ||||
| Total exports | 101.0 | 420.4 | –2.9 | 5.5 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 60.9 | 248.8 | –0.5 | 4.7 |
| Euro-zone | 38.3 | 155.9 | –0.2 | 5.1 |
| Non-euro-zone | 22.6 | 93.0 | –1.0 | 4.0 |
| Third countries | 40.2 | 171.6 | –6.3 | 6.7 |
| Total imports | 83.0 | 342.3 | 5.4 | 8.9 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 55.0 | 224.7 | 3.9 | 7.7 |
| Euro-zone | 37.1 | 151.9 | 4.1 | 7.1 |
| Non-euro-zone | 17.9 | 72.8 | 3.5 | 9.0 |
| Third countries | 27.9 | 117.6 | 8.6 | 11.2 |
| 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 | 88.5 | –1.4 | 98.3 | 0.1 | 75.3 | 1.7 | 79.3 | 1.2 |
| February | 99.3 | 4.1 | 98.9 | 0.6 | 79.5 | 4.3 | 79.3 | –0.0 | |
| March | 106.7 | –0.9 | 100.7 | 1.8 | 80.9 | –4.3 | 77.4 | –2.4 | |
| April | 104.0 | 3.9 | 100.6 | –0.0 | 78.7 | –0.2 | 77.6 | 0.3 | |
| May | 97.0 | 1.6 | 99.3 | –1.4 | 76.2 | –0.1 | 77.7 | 0.2 | |
| June | 106.5 | 1.2 | 99.2 | –0.1 | 82.0 | 0.4 | 78.3 | 0.7 | |
| July | 96.0 | –10.0 | 97.6 | –1.6 | 76.9 | –6.5 | 78.3 | –0.0 | |
| August | 96.2 | 9.7 | 101.0 | 3.5 | 76.6 | 5.3 | 79.8 | 2.0 | |
| September | 105.9 | 0.4 | 100.0 | –1.0 | 81.9 | –1.6 | 79.3 | –0.6 | |
| October | 101.4 | –4.2 | 100.6 | 0.6 | 82.2 | –2.3 | 80.0 | 0.9 | |
| November | 108.0 | 5.2 | 103.6 | 3.0 | 85.9 | 4.5 | 82.7 | 3.4 | |
| December | 97.4 | 6.3 | 101.5 | –2.1 | 78.8 | 7.6 | 82.9 | 0.1 | |
| 2017 | January | 98.8 | 11.6 | 104.0 | 2.4 | 84.0 | 11.7 | 85.1 | 2.7 |
| February | 102.4 | 3.2 | 105.0 | 0.9 | 82.4 | 3.7 | 83.8 | –1.5 | |
| March | 118.2 | 10.8 | 105.4 | 0.4 | 92.9 | 14.8 | 85.5 | 2.1 | |
| April | 101.0 | –2.9 | 106.3 | 0.9 | 83.0 | 5.4 | 86.6 | 1.2 | |