Press release No. 215 of 7 June 2019
Exports, April 2019
109.7 billion euros
-3.7% on the previous month (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
-0.5% on the same month a year earlier
Imports, April 2019
91.7 billion euros
-1.3% on the previous month (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
+2.1% on the same month a year earlier
Foreign trade balance, April 2019
17.9 billion euros
17.0 billion euros (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
Current account according to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank, April 2019
22.6 billion euros
WIESBADEN – Germany exported goods to the value of 109.7 billion euros and imported goods to the value of 91.7 billion euros in April 2019. Based on provisional data, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that German exports declined by 0.5%, while imports increased by 2.1% in April 2019 year on year. After calendar and seasonal adjustment, exports were down 3.7% and imports 1.3% compared with March 2019.
The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 17.9 billion euros in April 2019. In April 2018, the surplus amounted to 20.4 billion euros. In calendar and seasonally adjusted terms, the foreign trade balance recorded a surplus of 17.0 billion euros in April 2019.
According to provisional results of the Deutsche Bundesbank, the current account of the balance of payments showed a surplus of 22.6 billion euros in April 2019, which takes into account the balances of trade in goods including supplementary trade items (+19.2 billion euros), services (-0.7 billion euros), primary income (+7.6 billion euros) and secondary income (-3.6 billion euros). In April 2018, the German current account showed a surplus of 22.7 billion euros.
In April 2019, Germany exported goods to the value of 63.8 billion euros to the Member States of the European Union (EU), while it imported goods to the value of 53.1 billion euros from those countries. Compared with April 2018, exports to the EU countries decreased by 3.5%, while imports from those countries increased by 1.9%. Goods to the value of 41.6 billion euros (-0.5%) were exported to the Euro area countries in April 2019, while the value of the goods imported from those countries was 34.8 billion euros (+2.5%). In April 2019, goods to the value of 22.3 billion euros (-8.7%) were exported to EU countries not belonging to the Euro area, while the value of the goods imported from those countries was 18.2 billion euros (+0.7%).
Exports of goods to countries outside the European Union (third countries) amounted to 45.8 billion euros in April 2019, while imports from those countries totalled 38.6 billion euros. Compared with April 2018, exports to third countries increased by 4.0% and imports from those countries by 2.4%.
| Item | April | January to April | March | April | January to April |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2018 | ||||
| 1 According to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank. | |||||
| Foreign trade | |||||
| 1 Exports (f.o.b.) | 109.7 | 445.8 | 118.4 | 110.2 | 438.1 |
| 2 Imports (c.i.f.) | 91.7 | 372.8 | 95.9 | 89.8 | 357.7 |
| 3 Foreign trade balance (1-2) | 17.9 | 73.0 | 22.6 | 20.4 | 80.4 |
| Transition to trade in goods 1 | |||||
| 4 Supplementary trade items | 1.3 | 6.6 | 2.8 | -0.1 | 1.1 |
| Current account balances 1 | |||||
| 5 Trade in goods (3+4) | 19.2 | 79.6 | 25.4 | 20.3 | 81.5 |
| 6 Services | -0.7 | -3.0 | -0.7 | 0.1 | -2.1 |
| 7 Primary income | 7.6 | 33.4 | 9.8 | 5.0 | 30.2 |
| 8 Secondary income | -3.6 | -20.2 | -3.6 | -2.6 | -16.9 |
| Current account (5+6+7+8) | 22.6 | 89.8 | 30.9 | 22.7 | 92.7 |
| Item | April 2019 | January to April 2019 | Percentage change from | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2018 | January to April 2018 | |||
| billion euro | % | |||
| Total exports | 109.7 | 445.8 | -0.5 | 1.8 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 63.8 | 265.5 | -3.5 | 0.9 |
| Euro-zone | 41.6 | 169.1 | -0.5 | 1.1 |
| Non-euro-zone | 22.3 | 96.5 | -8.7 | 0.5 |
| Third countries | 45.8 | 180.3 | 4.0 | 3.0 |
| Total imports | 91.7 | 372.8 | 2.1 | 4.2 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 53.1 | 214.9 | 1.9 | 4.6 |
| Euro-zone | 34.8 | 140.6 | 2.5 | 5.2 |
| Non-euro-zone | 18.2 | 74.3 | 0.7 | 3.5 |
| Third countries | 38.6 | 157.9 | 2.4 | 3.7 |
| 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 | 1.1 | |
| July | 111.0 | 7.6 | 110.3 | -0.6 | 94.6 | 12.5 | 93.8 | 2.6 | |
| 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 | 108.8 | 1.6 | 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 | 118.4 | 2.0 | 112.9 | 1.6 | 95.9 | 4.7 | 92.9 | 0.7 | |
| April | 109.7 | -0.5 | 108.7 | -3.7 | 91.7 | 2.1 | 91.7 | -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.
