Press release No. 008 of 9 January 2019
Exports, November 2018
116.3 billion euros
-0.4% on the previous month (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
0.0% on the same month a year earlier
Imports, November 2018
95.7 billion euros
-1.6% on the previous month (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
+3.6% on the same month a year earlier
Foreign trade balance, November 2018:
20.5 billion euros
19.0 billion euros (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
Current account according to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank, November 2018
21.4 billion euros
WIESBADEN – Germany exported goods to the value of 116.3 billion euros and imported goods to the value of 95.7 billion euros in November 2018. Based on provisional data, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that German exports in November 2018 remained nearly unchanged on November 2017. Imports rose 3.6% in the same period. After calendar and seasonal adjustment, exports were down 0.4% and imports 1.6% compared with October 2018.
The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 20.5 billion euros in November 2018. In November 2017, the surplus amounted to 23.8 billion euros. In calendar and seasonally adjusted terms, the foreign trade balance recorded a surplus of 19.0 billion euros in November 2018.
According to provisional results of the Deutsche Bundesbank, the current account of the balance of payments showed a surplus of 21.4 billion euros in November 2018, which takes into account the balances of trade in goods including supplementary trade items (+20.0 billion euros), services (-0.3 billion euros), primary income (+7.4 billion euros) and secondary income (-5.6 billion euros). In November 2017, the German current account showed a surplus of 26.4 billion euros.
In November 2018, Germany exported goods to the value of 68.1 billion euros to the Member States of the European Union (EU), while it imported goods to the value of 54.5 billion euros from those countries. Compared with November 2017, exports to the EU countries increased by 0.3%, and imports from those countries by 3.1%. Goods to the value of 42.8 billion euros (-0.4%) were dispatched to the Euro area countries in November 2018, while the value of the goods received from those countries was 34.8 billion euros (+2.9%). In November 2018, goods to the value of 25.3 billion euros (+1.3%) were exported to EU countries not belonging to the Euro area, while the value of the goods imported from those countries was 19.7 billion euros (+3.3%).
Exports of goods to countries outside the European Union (third countries) amounted to 48.2 billion euros in November 2018, while imports from those countries totalled 41.2 billion euros. Compared with November 2017, exports to third countries declined by 0.4% and imports from those countries increased by 4.3%.
| Item | November | January to November | October | November | January to November |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 2017 | ||||
| 1 According to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank | |||||
| Foreign trade | |||||
| 1 Exports (f.o.b.) | 116.3 | 1,221.7 | 117.4 | 116.3 | 1,178.4 |
| 2 Imports (c.i.f.) | 95.7 | 1,007.6 | 98.4 | 92.4 | 948.9 |
| 3 Foreign trade balance (1-2) | 20.5 | 214.2 | 18.9 | 23.8 | 229.5 |
| Transition to trade in goods 1 | |||||
| 4 Supplementary trade items | -0.5 | 16.3 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 20.6 |
| Current account balances 1 | |||||
| 5 Trade in goods (3+4) | 20.0 | 230.4 | 20.1 | 25.3 | 250.1 |
| 6 Services | -0.3 | -19.4 | -3.6 | -0.5 | -23.9 |
| 7 Primary income | 7.4 | 58.9 | 6.8 | 6.9 | 55.7 |
| 8 Secondary income | -5.6 | -41.9 | -4.4 | -5.3 | -49.1 |
| Current account (5+6+7+8) | 21.4 | 228.0 | 18.9 | 26.4 | 232.8 |
| Item | November 2018 | January to November 2018 | change on | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2017 | January to November 2017 | |||
| billion euro | % | |||
| Total exports | 116.3 | 1,221.7 | -0.0 | 3.7 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 68.1 | 723.4 | 0.3 | 4.5 |
| Euro-zone | 42.8 | 456.6 | -0.4 | 5.2 |
| Non-euro-zone | 25.3 | 266.8 | 1.3 | 3.4 |
| Third countries | 48.2 | 498.3 | -0.4 | 2.5 |
| Total imports | 95.7 | 1,007.6 | 3.6 | 6.2 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 54.5 | 575.5 | 3.1 | 6.7 |
| Euro-zone | 34.8 | 373.6 | 2.9 | 7.3 |
| Non-euro-zone | 19.7 | 201.9 | 3.3 | 5.7 |
| Third countries | 41.2 | 432.1 | 4.3 | 5.5 |
| 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 | -0.5 | 94.6 | 12.5 | 93.8 | 2.7 | |
| August | 105.4 | 2.4 | 110.4 | 0.1 | 87.7 | 6.1 | 91.7 | -2.2 | |
| September | 109.2 | -1.0 | 110.0 | -0.3 | 90.9 | 5.6 | 92.3 | 0.6 | |
| October | 117.4 | 8.7 | 111.0 | 0.9 | 98.4 | 10.8 | 93.1 | 0.8 | |
| November | 116.3 | 0.0 | 110.6 | -0.4 | 95.7 | 3.6 | 91.6 | -1.6 | |
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).
