Press release No. 107 of 9 March 2021
Exports, January 2021
98.1 billion euros
+1.4% on the previous month (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
-8.0% on the same month a year earlier
Imports, January 2021
83.8 billion euros
-4.7% on the previous month (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
-9.8% on the same month a year earlier
Foreign trade balance, January 2021
14.3 billion euros
22.2 billion euros (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
Current account according to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank, January 2021
16.9 billion euros
WIESBADEN – In January 2021, German exports were up 1.4%, while imports were down 4.7% on December 2020 on a calendar and seasonally adjusted basis. Based on provisional data, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that, after calendar and seasonal adjustment, exports were 3.3% and imports 5.2% lower than in February 2020, the month before restrictions were imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic in Germany.
Germany exported goods to the value of 98.1 billion euros and imported goods to the value of 83.8 billion euros in January 2021. Compared with January 2020, exports decreased by 8.0% and imports by 9.8% in January 2021.
The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 14.3 billion euros in January 2021. In January 2020, the surplus amounted to 13.7 billion euros. In calendar and seasonally adjusted terms, the foreign trade balance recorded a surplus of 22.2 billion euros in January 2021.
The German current account of the balance of payments showed a surplus of 16.9 billion euros in January 2021, which takes into account the balances of trade in goods (+13.5 billion euros), services (+1.0 billion euros), primary income (+9.7 billion euros) and secondary income (-7.3 billion euros). In January 2020, the German current account showed a surplus of 15.9 billion euros.
Trade with EU countries
In January 2021, Germany exported goods to the value of 54.5 billion euros to the Member States of the European Union (EU), while it imported goods to the value of 44.3 billion euros from those countries. Compared with January 2020, exports to the EU countries decreased by 6.0%, and imports from those countries fell by 5.9%. Goods to the value of 38.1 billion euros (-6.5%) were exported to the euro area countries in January 2021, while the value of the goods imported from those countries was 29.7 billion euros (-7.4%). In January 2021, goods to the value of 16.4 billion euros (-4.8%) were exported to EU countries not belonging to the euro area, while the value of the goods imported from those countries was 14.5 billion euros (-2.7%).
Trade with non-EU countries
Exports of goods to countries outside the European Union (third countries) amounted to 43.6 billion euros in January 2021, while imports from those countries totalled 39.5 billion euros. Compared with January 2020, exports to third countries declined by 10.3% and imports from those countries by 13.9%.
Trade with the United Kingdom
Compared with the same month last year, exports to the United Kingdom dropped by 29.0% to 4.3 billion euros in January 2021. This confirmed the provisional calculation of 2 March 2021, which showed a 30% decline (see press release no. 096). German imports from the United Kingdom were down 56.2% to 1.6 billion euros.
On 1 January 2021 the partnership agreement negotiated between the EU and the United Kingdom took provisional effect. As the United Kingdom has left the EU single market and the customs union, its withdrawal from the EU has now been completed. More information on the Brexit and a selection of statistical indicators that are assumed to be affected by the Brexit are provided by the Brexit Monitor of the Federal Statistical Office.
Impact of the coronavirus pandemic on trade with selected countries
In January 2021, exports to the People's Republic of China rose by 3.1% to 7.5 billion euros compared with January 2020. Exports to the United States fell by 6.2% to 8.5 billion euros.
In January 2021, most imports to Germany came from the People's Republic of China. Goods to the value of 10.5 billion euros were imported from there (+1.1% on the same month of the previous year). Imports from the United States declined by 22.8% to 4.7 billion euros in January 2021.
Methodological note:
The differing comparative periods must be taken into account in all press releases on short-term indicators. Short-term economic monitoring focuses on comparisons with the previous month or previous quarter. These reflect short-term economic trends. A comparison with the previous year is intended to offer a long-term comparison of levels and is not subject to seasonal fluctuations. Due to strong temporary decreases and increases during the current coronavirus crisis, the results of month-on-month/quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year comparisons may differ considerably. Both of the two perspectives are important: what is the short-term economic trend compared with the previous month/previous quarter, and how far has the catching-up process gone compared with the previous year’s level? In order to provide also a direct comparison with the pre-crisis level, all press releases on short-term indicators available in seasonally adjusted form will, for the time being, include a comparison with February 2020 or the fourth quarter of 2019.
| Item | January | December | January |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | ||
| 1 According to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank | |||
| Foreign trade | |||
| 1 Exports (f.o.b.) | 98.1 | 101.0 | 106.6 |
| 2 Imports (c.i.f.) | 83.8 | 85.8 | 92.9 |
| 3 Foreign trade balance (1-2) | 14.3 | 15.2 | 13.7 |
| Transition to trade in goods 1 | |||
| 4 Supplementary trade items | -0.8 | -0.6 | 0.4 |
| Current account balances 1 | |||
| 5 Trade in goods (3+4) | 13.5 | 14.6 | 14.1 |
| 6 Services | 1.0 | 2.5 | -1.1 |
| 7 Primary income | 9.7 | 14.6 | 10.2 |
| 8 Secondary income | -7.3 | -5.9 | -7.3 |
| Current account (5+6+7+8) | 16.9 | 25.9 | 15.9 |
| Item | January 2021 | January 2020 | Change on January 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| billion euro | % | ||
| Total exports | 98.1 | 106.6 | -8.0 |
| including: | |||
| EU Member States | 54.5 | 58.0 | -6.0 |
| Euro-area | 38.1 | 40.8 | -6.5 |
| Non-euro-area | 16.4 | 17.2 | -4.8 |
| Third countries | 43.6 | 48.6 | -10.3 |
| including: | |||
| United Kingdom | 4.3 | 6.1 | -29.0 |
| Total imports | 83.8 | 92.9 | -9.8 |
| including: | |||
| EU Member States | 44.3 | 47.0 | -5.9 |
| Euro-area | 29.7 | 32.1 | -7.4 |
| Non-euro-area | 14.5 | 14.9 | -2.7 |
| Third countries | 39.5 | 45.9 | -13.9 |
| including: | |||
| United Kingdom | 1.6 | 3.7 | -56.2 |
| 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 J-DEMETRA+ (X-13 ARIMA). | |||||||||
| 2020 | January | 106.6 | -2.1 | 111.0 | 0.4 | 92.9 | -1.4 | 92.4 | 1.0 |
| February | 109.2 | 0.3 | 112.4 | 1.3 | 88.9 | -2.4 | 91.3 | -1.2 | |
| March | 108.9 | -7.9 | 99.3 | -11.7 | 91.7 | -4.3 | 86.5 | -5.2 | |
| April | 75.7 | -31.1 | 75.7 | -23.7 | 72.3 | -21.6 | 72.2 | -16.5 | |
| May | 80.2 | -29.8 | 82.2 | 8.6 | 73.3 | -21.6 | 75.1 | 3.9 | |
| June | 96.0 | -9.5 | 94.8 | 15.3 | 80.6 | -9.9 | 80.4 | 7.0 | |
| July | 102.3 | -11.0 | 98.9 | 4.4 | 83.1 | -11.3 | 81.1 | 0.9 | |
| August | 91.3 | -10.2 | 101.9 | 3.0 | 79.4 | -6.7 | 86.8 | 7.1 | |
| September | 109.9 | -3.8 | 104.3 | 2.4 | 89.7 | -3.5 | 87.5 | 0.8 | |
| October | 112.2 | -6.3 | 104.9 | 0.6 | 92.5 | -6.0 | 87.1 | -0.4 | |
| November | 111.8 | -1.2 | 106.8 | 1.8 | 95.2 | 0.5 | 90.8 | 4.2 | |
| December | 101.0 | 3.0 | 107.2 | 0.4 | 85.8 | 3.5 | 90.8 | 0.0 | |
| 2021 | January | 98.1 | -8.0 | 108.8 | 1.4 | 83.8 | -9.8 | 86.5 | -4.7 |
First detailed provisional results (only in German) 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.
