Press release No. 084 of 3 March 2022
- Foreign trade balance decreased 4.2% on 2020
- Highest export surpluses in trade with United States, France and United Kingdom
- Imports from Russia exceeding exports due to crude oil and natural gas imports
- Foreign trade in machinery contributing most to positive balance
WIESBADEN – The German export surplus (exports minus imports) dropped by 4.2% to 172.9 billion euros in 2021 on a year earlier. According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the export surplus was down for the fifth consecutive year. The foreign trade balance decreased by 22.8% on 2019, the year before restrictions were imposed because of the Covid-19 pandemic in Germany. At that time, the German export surplus had totalled 224.0 billion euros. In 2021, Germany recorded an excess of imports over exports in trade with Russia because the prices of imported crude oil and natural gas had risen sharply; the year before, Germany had attained its first export surplus since 1993 owing to the low price level in the first pandemic year.
