Press release No. 480 of 10 December 2018
Exports, October 2018
117.2 billion euros
+0.7% on the previous month (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
+8.5% on the same month a year earlier
Imports, October 2018
98.9 billion euros
+1.3% on the previous month (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
+11.3% on the same month a year earlier
Foreign trade balance, October 2018
18.3 billion euros
17.3 billion euros (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
Current account of the Deutsche Bundesbank, October 2018
15.9 billion euros
WIESBADEN – Germany exported goods to the value of 117.2 billion euros and imported goods to the value of 98.9 billion euros in October 2018. Based on provisional data, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that German exports increased by 8.5% and imports by 11.3% in October 2018 year on year. After calendar and seasonal adjustment, exports were up 0.7% and imports 1.3% compared with September 2018.
The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 18.3 billion euros in October 2018. In October 2017, the surplus amounted to 19.1 billion euros. In calendar and seasonally adjusted terms, the foreign trade balance recorded a surplus of 17.3 billion euros in October 2018.
According to provisional results of the Deutsche Bundesbank, the current account of the balance of payments showed a surplus of 15.9 billion euros in October 2018, which takes into account the balances of trade in goods including supplementary trade items (+19.2 billion euros), services (-3.5 billion euros), primary income (+6.7 billion euros) and secondary income (-6.4 billion euros). In October 2017, the German current account showed a surplus of 19.5 billion euros.
In October 2018, Germany exported goods to the value of 69.8 billion euros to the Member States of the European Union (EU), while it imported goods to the value of 55.1 billion euros from those countries. Compared with October 2017, exports to the EU countries increased by 8.1%, and imports from those countries by 7.5%. Goods to the value of 44.0 billion euros (+8.9%) were dispatched to the Euro area countries in October 2018, while the value of the goods received from those countries was 35.3 billion euros (+7.1%). In October 2018, goods to the value of 25.8 billion euros (+6.9%) were exported to EU countries not belonging to the Euro area, while the value of goods imported from those countries was 19.7 billion euros (+8.3%).
Exports of goods to countries outside the European Union (third countries) amounted to 47.4 billion euros in October 2018, while imports from those countries totalled 43.8 billion euros. Compared with October 2017, exports to third countries increased by 9.2% and imports from those countries by 16.4%.
| Item | October | January to October | September | October | January to October |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 2017 | ||||
| 1 According to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank | |||||
| Foreign trade | |||||
| 1 Exports (f.o.b.) | 117.2 | 1 105.3 | 109.2 | 108.0 | 1 062.1 |
| 2 Imports (c.i.f.) | 98.9 | 912.8 | 90.9 | 88.9 | 856.5 |
| 3 Foreign trade balance (1-2) | 18.3 | 192.5 | 18.3 | 19.1 | 205.7 |
| Transition to trade in goods 1 | |||||
| 4 Supplementary trade items | 0.9 | 16.5 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 19.1 |
| Current account balances 1 | |||||
| 5 Trade in goods (3+4) | 19.2 | 209.0 | 19.4 | 21.1 | 224.8 |
| 6 Services | -3.5 | -19.0 | -1.4 | -3.8 | -23.3 |
| 7 Primary income | 6.7 | 51.3 | 7.1 | 6.5 | 48.8 |
| 8 Secondary income | -6.4 | -38.3 | -3.6 | -4.2 | -43.9 |
| Current account (5+6+7+8) | 15.9 | 203.0 | 21.4 | 19.5 | 206.3 |
| Item | October 2018 | January to October 2018 | change on | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2017 | January to October 2017 | |||
| billion euro | % | |||
| Total exports | 117.2 | 1,105.3 | 8.5 | 4.1 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 69.8 | 655.2 | 8.1 | 5.0 |
| Euro-zone | 44.0 | 413.9 | 8.9 | 5.8 |
| Non-euro-zone | 25.8 | 241.3 | 6.9 | 3.5 |
| Third countries | 47.4 | 450.1 | 9.2 | 2.8 |
| Total imports | 98.9 | 912.8 | 11.3 | 6.6 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 55.1 | 520.7 | 7.5 | 7.1 |
| Euro-zone | 35.3 | 338.9 | 7.1 | 7.8 |
| Non-euro-zone | 19.7 | 181.9 | 8.3 | 5.7 |
| Third countries | 43.8 | 392.1 | 16.4 | 5.9 |
| 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 | |||||||||
| 2017 | January | 98.8 | 11.3 | 103.1 | 2.3 | 83.7 | 11.2 | 84.2 | 2.3 |
| February | 102.4 | 3.9 | 105.5 | 2.3 | 82.1 | 3.4 | 84.0 | -0.1 | |
| March | 118.1 | 11.0 | 105.1 | -0.4 | 92.8 | 14.6 | 85.7 | 1.9 | |
| April | 100.8 | -3.0 | 106.0 | 0.9 | 82.8 | 5.1 | 86.2 | 0.7 | |
| May | 110.5 | 14.1 | 107.2 | 1.1 | 88.4 | 15.9 | 86.8 | 0.7 | |
| June | 107.2 | 1.0 | 105.1 | -1.9 | 84.8 | 3.4 | 84.1 | -3.2 | |
| July | 103.1 | 7.6 | 105.5 | 0.4 | 84.1 | 9.3 | 85.2 | 1.3 | |
| August | 103.0 | 7.3 | 107.9 | 2.2 | 82.7 | 7.9 | 86.4 | 1.5 | |
| September | 110.3 | 4.5 | 107.9 | 0.0 | 86.1 | 5.2 | 85.7 | -0.9 | |
| October | 108.0 | 6.9 | 107.4 | -0.4 | 88.9 | 8.1 | 87.0 | 1.6 | |
| November | 116.3 | 8.0 | 110.8 | 3.1 | 92.4 | 7.9 | 88.5 | 1.7 | |
| December | 100.5 | 3.5 | 110.8 | 0.0 | 82.1 | 4.2 | 89.3 | 0.9 | |
| 2018 | January | 107.1 | 8.4 | 110.5 | -0.3 | 89.9 | 7.4 | 89.6 | 0.3 |
| February | 104.7 | 2.3 | 108.0 | -2.3 | 86.5 | 5.2 | 88.5 | -1.2 | |
| March | 116.1 | -1.7 | 109.5 | 1.4 | 91.5 | -1.4 | 88.0 | -0.6 | |
| April | 110.2 | 9.4 | 109.3 | -0.2 | 89.8 | 8.5 | 89.8 | 2.1 | |
| May | 109.1 | -1.3 | 111.0 | 1.6 | 89.0 | 0.7 | 90.4 | 0.7 | |
| June | 115.3 | 7.6 | 110.9 | -0.1 | 93.4 | 10.1 | 91.4 | 1.0 | |
| July | 111.0 | 7.6 | 110.3 | -0.6 | 94.6 | 12.5 | 93.8 | 2.7 | |
| August | 105.4 | 2.4 | 110.4 | 0.1 | 88.3 | 6.8 | 92.3 | -1.6 | |
| September | 109.2 | -1.0 | 110.0 | -0.4 | 90.9 | 5.6 | 92.3 | 0.0 | |
| October | 117.2 | 8.5 | 110.8 | 0.7 | 98.9 | 11.3 | 93.5 | 1.3 | |
First detailed provisional results by country of origin/country of destination and by chapter of the Commodity Classification for Foreign Trade Statistics as well as a comparative table based on the country of origin/country of consignment concepts are available for downloading (only in German).
