Press release No. 006 of 7 January 2022
Exports, November 2021
125.7 billion euros
+1.7% on the previous month (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
+12.1% on the same month a year earlier
Imports, November 2021
113.7 billion euros
+3.3% on the previous month (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
+19.3% on the same month a year earlier
Foreign trade balance, November 2021:
12.0 billion euros
10.9 billion euros (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
Current account according to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank, November 2021
18.9 billion euros
WIESBADEN – In November 2021, German exports were up by 1.7% and imports by 3.3% on a calendar and seasonally adjusted basis compared with October 2021. Based on provisional data, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that, after calendar and seasonal adjustment, exports were 5.7% and imports 17.5% higher than in February 2020, the month before restrictions were imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic in Germany.
In November 2021, exports of goods amounted to 125.7 billion euros and imports of goods to 113.7 billion euros. Compared with November 2020, exports increased by 12.1% and imports by 19.3% in November 2021. This is the highest nominal value ever recorded for monthly imports in foreign trade statistics for the second month in a row.
The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 12.0 billion euros in November 2021. In November 2020, the surplus amounted to 16.8 billion euros. The calendar and seasonally adjusted surplus was 10.9 billion euros in November 2021.
The current account of the balance of payments showed a surplus of 18.9 billion euros in November 2021, which takes into account the balances of trade in goods (+13.6 billion euros), services (+1.6 billion euros), primary income (+9.8 billion euros) and secondary income (-6.1 billion euros). In November 2020, the current account showed a surplus of 21.7 billion euros.
Trade with EU countries
In November 2021, Germany exported goods to the value of 67.9 billion euros to the Member States of the European Union (EU), while it imported goods to the value of 60.4 billion euros from those countries. Compared with November 2020, exports to the EU countries increased by 14.0%, and imports from those countries by 16.3%. Goods to the value of 47.2 billion euros (+14.4%) were exported to the euro area countries in November 2021; the value of the goods imported from those countries totalled 41.6 billion euros (+20.9%). In November 2021, goods to the value of 20.8 billion euros (+13.0%) were exported to EU countries not belonging to the euro area, while the value of the goods imported from those countries was 18.9 billion euros (+7.3%).
Trade with non-EU countries
Exports of goods to countries outside the European Union (third countries) amounted to 57.7 billion euros in November 2021, while imports from those countries totalled 53.2 billion euros. Compared with November 2020, exports to third countries increased by 10.0% and imports from those countries by 22.8%.
Trade with the United Kingdom
Compared with the same month last year, exports to the United Kingdom were down by 4.9% to 6.1 billion euros in November 2021. German imports from the United Kingdom declined by 7.9% to 2.9 billion euros over the same period. A selection of other statistical indicators that are assumed to be affected by the exit of the United Kindom from the EU is provided by the Brexit Monitor on the website of the Federal Statistical Office.
Trade with other selected countries
In November 2021, exports to the People's Republic of China declined by 4.2% to 8.9 billion euros compared with November 2020. Exports to the United States increased by 14.7% to 11.0 billion euros.
In November 2021, most imports to Germany came from the People's Republic of China. The value of the goods imported from there was 14.1 billion euros (+29.8% on the same month a year earlier). Imports from the United States were up by 7.9% to 6.3 billion euros in November 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 temporarily strong decreases and increases during the current Covid-19 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 fourth quarter of 2019.
| Item | November | January to November | October | November | January to November |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | ||||
| 1 According to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank. | |||||
| Foreign trade | |||||
| 1 Exports (f.o.b.) | 125.7 | 1,258.0 | 121.4 | 112.1 | 1,105.7 |
| 2 Imports (c.i.f.) | 113.7 | 1,091.4 | 108.7 | 95.3 | 940.4 |
| 3 Foreign trade balance (1-2) | 12.0 | 166.6 | 12.7 | 16.8 | 165.3 |
| Transition to trade in goods 1 | |||||
| 4 Supplementary trade items | 1.5 | 8.5 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 10.2 |
| Current account balances 1 | |||||
| 5 Trade in goods (3+4) | 13.6 | 175.1 | 13.9 | 18.5 | 175.5 |
| 6 Services | 1.6 | 11.5 | -0.5 | 2.2 | 0.6 |
| 7 Primary income | 9.8 | 91.3 | 9.9 | 8.5 | 77.8 |
| 8 Secondary income | -6.1 | -54.1 | -5.6 | -7.6 | -45.7 |
| Current account (5+6+7+8) | 18.9 | 223.7 | 17.6 | 21.7 | 208.2 |
| Item | November 2021 | January to November 2021 | Percentage change from | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2020 | January to November 2020 | |||
| billion euro | % | |||
| Total exports | 125.7 | 1,258.0 | 12.1 | 13.8 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 67.9 | 683.7 | 14.0 | 17.0 |
| Euro-zone | 47.2 | 474.8 | 14.4 | 16.9 |
| Non-euro-zone | 20.8 | 208.9 | 13.0 | 17.3 |
| Third countries | 57.7 | 574.3 | 10.0 | 10.1 |
| including: | ||||
| United Kingdom | 6.1 | 60.5 | -4.9 | -2.0 |
| Total imports | 113.7 | 1,091.4 | 19.3 | 16.1 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 60.4 | 582.1 | 16.3 | 16.2 |
| Euro-zone | 41.6 | 399.2 | 20.9 | 17.2 |
| Non-euro-zone | 18.9 | 182.9 | 7.3 | 14.0 |
| Third countries | 53.2 | 509.3 | 22.8 | 15.9 |
| including: | ||||
| United Kingdom | 2.9 | 29.4 | -7.9 | -7.6 |
| 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 | 0.4 | 93.0 | -1.3 | 93.0 | 1.2 |
| February | 109.1 | 0.3 | 112.6 | 1.3 | 88.9 | -2.4 | 92.0 | -1.1 | |
| March | 109.3 | -7.6 | 99.3 | -11.8 | 92.1 | -3.9 | 86.2 | -6.4 | |
| April | 75.9 | -31.0 | 75.8 | -23.7 | 72.3 | -21.6 | 72.1 | -16.3 | |
| May | 80.6 | -29.5 | 82.5 | 8.8 | 73.3 | -21.6 | 74.5 | 3.3 | |
| June | 96.0 | -9.6 | 94.5 | 14.5 | 80.7 | -9.9 | 79.8 | 7.0 | |
| July | 102.8 | -10.6 | 99.0 | 4.8 | 83.1 | -11.3 | 81.2 | 1.8 | |
| August | 91.2 | -10.2 | 101.9 | 2.9 | 79.3 | -6.8 | 86.7 | 6.7 | |
| September | 109.9 | -3.7 | 104.7 | 2.8 | 89.9 | -3.3 | 87.8 | 1.3 | |
| October | 112.2 | -6.3 | 105.0 | 0.3 | 92.5 | -6.0 | 87.3 | -0.6 | |
| November | 112.1 | -1.0 | 107.1 | 2.0 | 95.3 | 0.6 | 91.2 | 4.4 | |
| December | 101.2 | 3.2 | 107.6 | 0.5 | 86.1 | 3.8 | 91.5 | 0.3 | |
| 2021 | January | 98.4 | -7.7 | 109.3 | 1.6 | 84.2 | -9.4 | 87.6 | -4.2 |
| February | 107.8 | -1.3 | 110.2 | 0.8 | 89.9 | 1.1 | 92.7 | 5.8 | |
| March | 127.1 | 16.3 | 112.0 | 1.7 | 106.3 | 15.4 | 97.5 | 5.1 | |
| April | 111.9 | 47.4 | 111.9 | -0.1 | 96.6 | 33.7 | 96.4 | -1.1 | |
| May | 109.5 | 35.9 | 112.2 | 0.3 | 97.2 | 32.6 | 98.8 | 2.5 | |
| June | 118.7 | 23.7 | 113.5 | 1.1 | 102.7 | 27.4 | 99.7 | 0.9 | |
| July | 115.1 | 12.0 | 114.1 | 0.5 | 97.3 | 17.0 | 97.1 | -2.6 | |
| August | 104.5 | 14.6 | 113.1 | -0.8 | 93.0 | 17.2 | 99.2 | 2.2 | |
| September | 117.9 | 7.2 | 112.4 | -0.7 | 101.9 | 13.3 | 99.5 | 0.3 | |
| October | 121.4 | 8.2 | 117.0 | 4.2 | 108.7 | 17.4 | 104.6 | 5.2 | |
| November | 125.7 | 12.1 | 119.0 | 1.7 | 113.7 | 19.3 | 108.1 | 3.3 | |
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 coronavirus 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 coronavirus crisis and the financial and economic crisis of 2008/2009.
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.
