Press release No. 178 of 10 May 2019
Exports, March 2019
118.3 billion euros
+1.5% on the previous month (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
+1.9% on the same month a year earlier
Imports, March 2019
95.6 billion euros
+0.4% on the previous month (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
+4.5% on the same month a year earlier
Foreign trade balance, March 2019:
22.7 billion euros
20.0 billion euros (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
Current account according to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank, March 2019
30.2 billion euros
WIESBADEN – Germany exported goods to the value of 118.3 billion euros and imported goods to the value of 95.6 billion euros in March 2019. Based on provisional data, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that German exports were up by 1.9% and imports by 4.5% in March 2019 year on year. After calendar and seasonal adjustment, exports increased by 1.5% and imports by 0.4% compared with February 2019.
The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 22.7 billion euros in March 2019. In March 2018, the surplus amounted to 24.6 billion euros. In calendar and seasonally adjusted terms, the foreign trade balance recorded a surplus of 20.0 billion euros in March 2019.
According to provisional results of the Deutsche Bundesbank, the current account of the balance of payments showed a surplus of 30.2 billion euros in March 2019, which takes into account the balances of trade in goods including supplementary trade items (+24.9 billion euros), services (-0.9 billion euros), primary income (+9.9 billion euros) and secondary income (-3.6 billion euros). In March 2018, the German current account showed a surplus of 29.4 billion euros.
In March 2019, Germany exported goods to the value of 70.5 billion euros to the Member States of the European Union (EU), while it imported goods to the value of 56.6 billion euros from those countries. Compared with March 2018, exports to the EU countries increased by 2.5%, and imports from those countries by 5.5%. Goods to the value of 44.5 billion euros (+0.5%) were exported to the Euro area countries in March 2019, while the value of the goods imported from those countries was 36.9 billion euros (+5.6%). In March 2019, goods to the value of 26.0 billion euros (+6.0%) were dispatched to EU countries not belonging to the Euro area, while the value of the goods which arrived from those countries was 19.7 billion euros (+5.3%).
Exports of goods to countries outside the European Union (third countries) amounted to 47.8 billion euros in March 2019, while imports from those countries totalled 39.0 billion euros. Compared with March 2018, exports to third countries increased by 1.1% and imports from those countries by 3.1%.
| Item | March | January to March | February | March | January to March |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2018 | ||||
| 1 According to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank. | |||||
| Foreign trade | |||||
| 1 Exports (f.o.b.) | 118.3 | 336.1 | 108.9 | 116.1 | 327.9 |
| 2 Imports (c.i.f.) | 95.6 | 280.9 | 90.9 | 91.5 | 267.9 |
| 3 Foreign trade balance (1-2) | 22.7 | 55.2 | 18.0 | 24.6 | 60.0 |
| Transition to trade in goods 1 | |||||
| 4 Supplementary trade items | 2.2 | 4.7 | 1.2 | -0.1 | 1.2 |
| Current account balances 1 | |||||
| 5 Trade in goods (3+4) | 24.9 | 59.9 | 19.2 | 24.5 | 61.2 |
| 6 Services | -0.9 | -2.5 | -0.5 | -1.0 | -2.2 |
| 7 Primary income | 9.9 | 25.8 | 6.9 | 9.9 | 25.3 |
| 8 Secondary income | -3.6 | -16.6 | -8.0 | -4.0 | -14.3 |
| Current account (5+6+7+8) | 30.2 | 66.6 | 17.5 | 29.4 | 70.0 |
| Item | March 2019 | January to March 2019 | Percentage change from | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2018 | January to March 2018 | |||
| billion euro | % | |||
| Total exports | 118.3 | 336.1 | 1.9 | 2.5 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 70.5 | 201.6 | 2.5 | 2.3 |
| Euro-zone | 44.5 | 127.4 | 0.5 | 1.6 |
| Non-euro-zone | 26.0 | 74.2 | 6.0 | 3.7 |
| Third countries | 47.8 | 134.5 | 1.1 | 2.7 |
| Total imports | 95.6 | 280.9 | 4.5 | 4.8 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 56.6 | 161.6 | 5.5 | 5.4 |
| Euro-zone | 36.9 | 105.7 | 5.6 | 6.0 |
| Non-euro-zone | 19.7 | 55.9 | 5.3 | 4.3 |
| Third countries | 39.0 | 119.2 | 3.1 | 4.1 |
| 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 | 116.3 | 0.0 | 110.6 | -0.1 | 96.1 | 4.0 | 91.9 | -1.3 | |
| Dezember | 96.0 | -4.5 | 112.3 | 1.5 | 81.8 | -0.4 | 92.5 | 0.6 | |
| 2019 | January | 108.9 | 1.7 | 112.4 | 0.1 | 94.3 | 4.9 | 93.8 | 1.4 |
| February | 108.9 | 4.0 | 111.0 | -1.2 | 90.9 | 5.2 | 92.3 | -1.6 | |
| March | 118.3 | 1.9 | 112.7 | 1.5 | 95.6 | 4.5 | 92.7 | 0.4 | |
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.
