Press release No. 234 of 10 July 2017
WIESBADEN – Germany exported goods to the value of 110.6 billion euros and imported goods to the value of 88.6 billion euros in May 2017. Based on provisional data, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that German exports increased by 14.1% and imports by 16.2% in May 2017 year on year. After calendar and seasonal adjustment, exports were up by 1.4% and imports by 1.2% compared with April 2017.
The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 22.0 billion euros in May 2017. In May 2016, the surplus amounted to 20.7 billion euros. In calendar and seasonally adjusted terms, the foreign trade balance recorded a surplus of 20.3 billion euros in May 2017.
According to provisional results of the Deutsche Bundesbank, the current account of the balance of payments showed a surplus of 17.3 billion euros in May 2017, which takes into account the balances of trade in goods including supplementary trade items (+24.4 billion euros), services (–2.0 billion euros), primary income (–3.6 billion euros) and secondary income (–1.5 billion euros). In May 2016, the German current account recorded a surplus of 17.9 billion euros.
In May 2017, Germany exported goods to the value of 64.2 billion euros to the Member States of the European Union (EU), while it imported goods to the value of 57.8 billion euros from those countries. Compared with May 2016, exports to the EU countries increased by 11.8%, and imports from those countries by 13.2%. Goods to the value of 40.8 billion euros (+13.4%) were dispatched to the Euro area countries in May 2017, while the value of the goods received from those countries was 39.1 billion euros (+12.6%). In May 2017, goods to the value of 23.5 billion euros (+9.2%) were exported to EU countries not belonging to the Euro area, while the value of the goods imported from those countries was 18.7 billion euros (+14.6%).
Exports of goods to countries outside the European Union (third countries) amounted to 46.4 billion euros in May 2017, while imports from those countries totalled 30.8 billion euros. Compared with May 2016, exports to third countries increased by 17.3% and imports from those countries by 22.3%.
| Item | May | January to May | April | May | January to May |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 2016 | ||||
| 1 According to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank. | |||||
| Foreign trade | |||||
| 1 Exports (f.o.b.) | 110.6 | 531.0 | 101.0 | 97.0 | 495.4 |
| 2 Imports (c.i.f.) | 88.6 | 430.9 | 82.9 | 76.2 | 390.6 |
| 3 Foreign trade balance (1-2) | 22.0 | 100.1 | 18.1 | 20.7 | 104.8 |
| Transition to trade in goods 1 | |||||
| 4 Supplementary trade items | 2.4 | 11.2 | 1.6 | 2.7 | 10.6 |
| Current account balances 1 | |||||
| 5 Trade in goods (3+4) | 24.4 | 111.3 | 19.7 | 23.4 | 115.4 |
| 6 Services | –2.0 | –6.0 | –0.8 | –0.9 | –5.1 |
| 7 Primary income | –3.6 | 16.5 | 4.2 | –4.0 | 15.7 |
| 8 Secondary income | –1.5 | –23.8 | –8.3 | –0.6 | –15.7 |
| Current account (5+6+7+8) | 17.3 | 98.0 | 14.9 | 17.9 | 110.3 |
| Item | May 2017 | January to May 2017 | Percentage change from | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2016 | January to May 2016 | |||
| billion euro | % | |||
| Results in accordance with the EU concept (by country of consignment). | ||||
| Total exports | 110.6 | 531.0 | 14.1 | 7.2 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 64.2 | 313.1 | 11.8 | 6.1 |
| Euro-zone | 40.8 | 196.7 | 13.4 | 6.8 |
| Non-euro-zone | 23.5 | 116.3 | 9.2 | 4.9 |
| Third countries | 46.4 | 218.0 | 17.3 | 8.8 |
| Total imports | 88.6 | 430.9 | 16.2 | 10.3 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 57.8 | 282.5 | 13.2 | 8.8 |
| Euro-zone | 39.1 | 190.9 | 12.6 | 8.1 |
| Non-euro-zone | 18.7 | 91.6 | 14.6 | 10.2 |
| Third countries | 30.8 | 148.4 | 22.3 | 13.4 |
| 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 | 5.1 | 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 | 82.9 | 5.4 | 86.6 | 1.2 | |
| May | 110.6 | 14.1 | 107.9 | 1.4 | 88.6 | 16.2 | 87.6 | 1.2 | |