Press release No. 088 of 11 March 2019
Exports, January 2019
108.9 billion euros
+0.0% on the previous month (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
+1.7% on the same month a year earlier
Imports, January 2019
94.4 billion euros
+1.5% on the previous month (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
+5.0% on the same month a year earlier
Foreign trade balance, January 2019:
14.5 billion euros
18.5 billion euros (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
Current account according to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank, January 2019
18.3 billion euros
WIESBADEN – Germany exported goods to the value of 108.9 billion euros and imported goods to the value of 94.4 billion euros in January 2019. Based on provisional data, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that German exports increased by 1.7% and imports by 5.0% in January 2019 year on year. After calendar and seasonal adjustment, exports remained almost unchanged and imports were up 1.5% compared with December 2018.
The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 14.5 billion euros in January 2019. In January 2018, the surplus amounted to 17.2 billion euros. In calendar and seasonally adjusted terms, the foreign trade balance recorded a surplus of 18.5 billion euros in January 2019.
According to provisional results of the Deutsche Bundesbank, the current account of the balance of payments showed a surplus of 18.3 billion euros in January 2019, which takes into account the balances of trade in goods including supplementary trade items (+15.1 billion euros), services (-0.9 billion euros), primary income (+9.2 billion euros) and secondary income (-5.0 billion euros). In January 2018, the German current account showed a surplus of 21.1 billion euros.
In January 2019, Germany exported goods to the value of 65.3 billion euros to the Member States of the European Union (EU), while it imported goods to the value of 51.7 billion euros from those countries. Compared with January 2018, exports to the EU countries increased by 0.6%, and imports from those countries by 3.7%. Goods to the value of 41.4 billion euros (+1.0%) were exported to the Euro area countries in January 2019, while the value of the goods imported from those countries was 33.8 billion euros (+4.7%). In January 2019, goods to the value of 23.9 billion euros (+0.0%) were exported to EU countries not belonging to the Euro area, while the value of the goods imported from those countries was 17.9 billion euros (+2.0%).
Exports of goods to countries outside the European Union (third countries) amounted to 43.5 billion euros in January 2019, while imports from those countries totalled 42.7 billion euros. Compared with January 2018, exports to third countries increased by 3.3% and imports from those countries by 6.5%.
| Item | January | December | January |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2018 | ||
| 1 According to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank | |||
| Foreign trade | |||
| 1 Exports (f.o.b.) | 108.9 | 96.1 | 107.1 |
| 2 Imports (c.i.f.) | 94.4 | 81.8 | 89.9 |
| 3 Foreign trade balance (1-2) | 14.5 | 14.3 | 17.2 |
| Transition to trade in goods 1 | |||
| 4 Supplementary trade items | 0.6 | -0.9 | 0.4 |
| Current account balances 1 | |||
| 5 Trade in goods (3+4) | 15.1 | 13.4 | 17.6 |
| 6 Services | -0.9 | 1.8 | -0.4 |
| 7 Primary income | 9.2 | 14.4 | 8.9 |
| 8 Secondary income | -5.0 | -6.4 | -5.0 |
| Current account (5+6+7+8) | 18.3 | 23.1 | 21.1 |
| Item | January 2019 | January 2018 | change on January 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| billion euro | % | ||
| Results in accordance with the EU concept (by country of consignment) | |||
| Total exports | 108.9 | 107.1 | 1.7 |
| including: | |||
| EU Member States | 65.3 | 64.9 | 0.6 |
| Euro-zone | 41.4 | 41.0 | 1.0 |
| Non-euro-zone | 23.9 | 23.9 | 0.0 |
| Third countries | 43.5 | 42.2 | 3.3 |
| Total imports | 94.4 | 89.9 | 5.0 |
| including: | |||
| EU Member States | 51.7 | 49.8 | 3.7 |
| Euro-zone | 33.8 | 32.2 | 4.7 |
| Non-euro-zone | 17.9 | 17.6 | 2.0 |
| Third countries | 42.7 | 40.1 | 6.5 |
| 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 | |||||||||
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 | 87.7 | 6.1 | 91.7 | -2.2 | |
| September | 109.2 | -1.1 | 110.0 | -0.4 | 91.0 | 5.7 | 92.4 | 0.7 | |
| October | 117.1 | 8.5 | 110.7 | 0.7 | 98.5 | 10.9 | 93.2 | 0.9 | |
| November | 116.4 | 0.1 | 110.7 | -0.1 | 96.0 | 3.9 | 91.8 | -1.4 | |
| Dezember | 96.1 | -4.4 | 112.4 | 1.5 | 81.8 | -0.4 | 92.5 | 0.7 | |
| 2019 | January | 108.9 | 1.7 | 112.4 | 0.0 | 94.4 | 5.0 | 93.9 | 1.5 |
Due to conversion work on the internet pages, the following publications containing further information are not available at present: 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.
However, copies will be sent by email, free of charge, if they are requested using our contact form.
For further information:
Foreign trade,
tel: +49 (0) 611 / 75 24 75,
contact form
