Press release No. 267 of 9 June 2021
Exports, April 2021
111.8 billion euros
+0.3% on the previous month (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
+47.7% on the same month of the previous year
Imports, April 2021
96.3 billion euros
-1.7% on the previous month (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
+33.2% on the same month of the previous year
Foreign trade balance, April 2021
15.5 billion euros
15.9 billion euros (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
Current account according to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank, April 2021
21.3 billion euros
WIESBADEN – In April 2021, German exports were up 0.3%, while imports were down 1.7% on a calendar and seasonally adjusted basis compared with March 2021. Based on provisional data, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that, after calendar and seasonal adjustment, exports were 0.5% lower and imports 5.5% higher than in February 2020, the month before restrictions were imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic in Germany.
Germany exported goods to the value of 111.8 billion euros and imported goods to the value of 96.3 billion euros in April 2021. Compared with April 2020, exports increased by 47.7%, and imports by 33.2% in April 2021. This rise is also due to the very low level of foreign trade in the comparison month (base effect).
The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 15.5 billion euros in April 2021. In April 2020, the surplus amounted to 3.4 billion euros. The calendar and seasonally adjusted surplus of April 2021 was 15.9 billion euros.
The German current account of the balance of payments showed a surplus of 21.3 billion euros in April 2021, which takes into account the balances of trade in goods (+16.7 billion euros), services (+2.1 billion euros), primary income (+6.5 billion euros) and secondary income (-3.9 billion euros). In April 2020, the German current account showed a surplus of 10.0 billion euros.
Trade with EU countries
In April 2021, Germany exported goods to the value of 60.7 billion euros to the Member States of the European Union (EU), while it imported goods to the value of 50.8 billion euros from those countries. Compared with April 2020, exports to the EU countries increased by 58.6%, and imports from those countries by 44.8%. Goods to the value of 42.2 billion euros (+59.8%) were exported to the euro area countries in April 2021; the value of the goods imported from those countries was 34.6 billion euros (+40.5%). In April 2021, goods to the value of 18.5 billion euros (+55.9%) were exported to EU countries not belonging to the euro area, while the value of the goods imported from those countries was 16.2 billion euros (+55.1%).
Trade with non-EU countries
Exports of goods to countries outside the EU (third countries) amounted to 51.1 billion euros in April 2021, while imports from those countries totalled 45.5 billion euros. Compared with April 2020, exports to third countries increased by 36.5% and imports from those countries by 22.3%.
Trade with the United Kingdom
Compared with the same month last year, exports to the United Kingdom showed an increase of 64.1% to 5.3 billion euros in April 2021. Due to the decreases in the preceding months, exports dropped by 5.8% in the period from January to April 2021 compared with the same period a year earlier. German imports from the United Kingdom declined by 0.6% to 3.1 billion euros in April 2021, compared with April 2020.
On 1 January 2021, the partnership agreement negotiated between the EU and the United Kingdom took provisional effect. Now that the United Kingdom has left the EU single market and the customs union, the withdrawal process is complete. 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.
Trade with other selected countries
In April 2021, exports to the People's Republic of China rose by 16.0% to 8.4 billion euros compared with April 2020. Exports to the United States increased by 59.9% to 10.1 billion euros.
In April 2021, most imports to Germany came from the People's Republic of China. The value of the goods imported from there was 10.7 billion euros (+13.3% on the same month of the previous year). Imports from the United States rose by 2.2% to 6.2 billion euros in April 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. To enable 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 4th quarter of 2019.
| Item | April | January to April | March | April | January to April |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | ||||
| 1 According to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank. | |||||
| Foreign trade | |||||
| 1 Exports (f.o.b.) | 111.8 | 444.8 | 126.7 | 75.7 | 400.5 |
| 2 Imports (c.i.f.) | 96.3 | 376.8 | 106.5 | 72.3 | 345.8 |
| 3 Foreign trade balance (1-2) | 15.5 | 68.0 | 20.2 | 3.4 | 54.7 |
| Transition to trade in goods 1 | |||||
| 4 Supplementary trade items | 1.2 | 4.6 | 2.8 | 0.3 | 1.5 |
| Current account balances 1 | |||||
| 5 Trade in goods (3+4) | 16.7 | 72.6 | 22.9 | 3.7 | 56.2 |
| 6 Services | 2.1 | 5.7 | 1.3 | 1.7 | -1.0 |
| 7 Primary income | 6.5 | 34.2 | 10.3 | 8.9 | 35.7 |
| 8 Secondary income | -3.9 | -24.6 | -4.5 | -4.3 | -18.7 |
| Current account (5+6+7+8) | 21.3 | 87.8 | 30.0 | 10.0 | 72.3 |
| Item | April 2021 | January to April 2021 | Percentage change from | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2020 | January to April 2020 | |||
| billion euro | % | |||
| Total exports | 111.8 | 444.8 | 47.7 | 11.1 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 60.7 | 241.3 | 58.6 | 14.7 |
| Euro-zone | 42.2 | 167.9 | 59.8 | 14.7 |
| Non-euro-zone | 18.5 | 73.4 | 55.9 | 14.5 |
| Third countries | 51.1 | 203.5 | 36.5 | 7.1 |
| including: | ||||
| United Kingdom | 5.3 | 21.6 | 64.1 | -5.8 |
| Total imports | 96.3 | 376.8 | 33.2 | 9.0 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 50.8 | 203.0 | 44.8 | 12.7 |
| Euro-zone | 34.6 | 137.7 | 40.5 | 10.6 |
| Non-euro-zone | 16.2 | 65.3 | 55.1 | 17.3 |
| Third countries | 45.5 | 173.8 | 22.3 | 4.9 |
| including: | ||||
| United Kingdom | 3.1 | 10.6 | -0.6 | -21.3 |
| 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 | 111.2 | 0.5 | 92.9 | -1.4 | 93.2 | 1.6 |
| February | 109.2 | 0.3 | 112.5 | 1.2 | 88.9 | -2.4 | 91.0 | -2.3 | |
| March | 108.9 | -7.9 | 99.0 | -12.0 | 91.7 | -4.3 | 85.8 | -5.7 | |
| April | 75.7 | -31.1 | 75.7 | -23.6 | 72.3 | -21.6 | 72.1 | -16.0 | |
| May | 80.2 | -29.8 | 82.2 | 8.7 | 73.3 | -21.6 | 75.1 | 4.0 | |
| June | 96.0 | -9.5 | 94.8 | 15.2 | 80.6 | -9.9 | 80.3 | 7.0 | |
| July | 102.3 | -11.0 | 98.9 | 4.4 | 83.1 | -11.3 | 81.0 | 0.9 | |
| August | 91.3 | -10.2 | 101.9 | 3.0 | 79.4 | -6.7 | 86.8 | 7.2 | |
| September | 109.9 | -3.8 | 104.3 | 2.4 | 89.7 | -3.5 | 87.5 | 0.8 | |
| October | 112.2 | -6.3 | 105.0 | 0.6 | 92.5 | -6.0 | 87.2 | -0.4 | |
| November | 112.0 | -1.1 | 106.9 | 1.9 | 95.3 | 0.6 | 91.1 | 4.4 | |
| December | 101.0 | 3.0 | 107.3 | 0.3 | 85.7 | 3.3 | 90.8 | -0.2 | |
| 2021 | January | 98.4 | -7.7 | 109.3 | 1.9 | 84.2 | -9.4 | 88.0 | -3.2 |
| February | 107.9 | -1.2 | 110.2 | 0.8 | 89.7 | 0.9 | 91.3 | 3.8 | |
| March | 126.7 | 16.3 | 111.7 | 1.3 | 106.5 | 16.2 | 97.7 | 7.1 | |
| April | 111.8 | 47.7 | 111.9 | 0.3 | 96.3 | 33.2 | 96.1 | -1.7 | |
First detailed provisional results by country of origin/country of destination and by chapter of the Commodity Classification for Foreign Trade Statistics are available for downloading.
Crisis Monitor enables comparison between corona crisis and financial and economic crisis
Foreign trade statistics also form part of the Crisis Monitor (www.destatis.de/krisenmonitor) by means of which the Federal Statistical Office compares the development of major short-term indicators in the corona crisis and in the 2008-2009 financial and economic crisis. The Crisis monitor complements the Corona statistics webpage (www.destatis.de/corona), which provides statistical information on the economic and social consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.
