Press release No. 122 of 31 March 2025

Import prices, February 2025
+3.6% on the same month a year earlier
+0.3% on the previous month 

Export prices, February 2025
+2.5% on the same month a year earlier
+0.3% on the previous month 

WIESBADEN – Import prices were 3.6% higher in February 2025 than in February 2024. This was the largest year-on-year increase recorded since January 2023 (+5.3% on January 2022). Compared with the same month a year earlier, the rate of change was +3.1% in January 2025, and +2.0% in December 2024. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that import prices in February 2025 rose by 0.3% on January 2025.

Export prices in February 2025 were 2.5% higher than in February 2024. This was the largest year-on-year increase recorded since March 2023 (+3.3% on March 2022). Compared with the same month a year earlier, the rate of change was +2.4% in January 2025, and +1.8% in December 2024. Compared with January 2025, export prices increased by 0.3% in February 2025. 

Year-on-year increase in import prices mainly due to higher prices of consumer goods

The increase in consumer goods prices of 4.5% compared with the same month of the previous year had the biggest impact on the overall development of import prices in February 2025 (+0.3% on January 2025). The prices of imported non-durable consumer goods were 5.2% higher than in February 2024, durable consumer goods cost 2.1% more than a year earlier.

In the case of non-durable consumer goods, food prices, in particular, were markedly higher (+11.2%) than in February 2024. 

Higher prices were recorded particularly for cocoa, chocolate and sugar confectionery (+61.7%), orange juice (+40.1%), apple juice (+33.6%), poultry meat (+27.2%), beef (+20.7%), milk and milk products (+13.7%). In the case of confectionery, the increase was mostly attributable to higher prices of cocoa butter, fat and oil (+119.4%) and chocolate and other confectionery (+34.7%). 

Higher prices also for agricultural goods, energy, intermediate and capital goods

The prices of imported agricultural goods in February 2025 were 13.7% higher than in the same month a year earlier (-0.4% compared with January 2025). In particular, the prices of raw cocoa increased strongly by +76.4% year on year but dropped by 7.0% on the previous month. The prices of green coffee were up 69.8% on February 2024 and rose 2.0% on January 2025. By contrast, the prices of onions (-39.3%) and live pigs (-27.1%), for example, were down from the previous year. 

Energy imports were also more expensive than in February 2024 (+9.8%). Compared with January 2025, prices here were up 0.7%, on average.

Import prices of electricity increased by 111.7% compared with February 2024 (+13.7% on January 2025), import prices of natural gas were up 40.5% year on year (+4.2% on January 2025).

By contrast, imported hard coal (-17.4%), mineral oil products (-6.8%) and crude oil (-6.1%) were less expensive than in February 2024.

Compared with the previous month, the prices of hard coal declined by 4.5%. Crude oil (-3.6%) and mineral oil products (-0.4%) were also less expensive than in January 2025.

When energy prices are excluded, import prices in February 2025 were 3.0% higher than in February 2024. They were up 0.3% compared with January 2025. If only crude oil and mineral oil products are not considered, the import price index was 4.4% above the level of February 2024 and 0.4% higher than in January 2025. 

The prices of intermediate goods were 2.9% higher than in the same month of the previous year (+0.5% on January 2025), capital goods prices increased by 0.5% year on year (unchanged compared with January 2025). 

Biggest influence on year-on-year price development coming from exports of intermediate, capital and consumer goods

In the case of exports, the increase in the prices of intermediate, capital and consumer goods in February 2025 had the biggest influence on the development of prices. 

The prices of intermediate goods rose by 1.9%, and capital goods cost 1.5% more than in February 2024. Compared with the previous month, the price of intermediate goods increased by 0.3% on average, and the price of capital goods by 0.1%.

In the case of intermediate goods, the prices of non-ferrous metals (+13.6%), in particular, were markedly higher than a year earlier. Precious metals (+39.5%), unwrought aluminium (+21.5%) and unwrought copper (+16.3%) cost more than in February 2024.

The development in the case of capital goods was primarily influenced by the year-on-year price increases for motor vehicles and their engines (+2.6%) and machinery (+1.9%).

Exported consumer goods cost 2.8% more than in February 2024 and were up 0.2% on January 2025.

Durable consumer goods cost 1.3% more than a year earlier, and the prices of non-durable consumer goods were up 3.2% from February 2024. Higher prices were observed in particular for exported cocoa, chocolate and sugar confectionery (+40.6%), including, in particular, the prices of cocoa paste, cocoa butter, fat and oil and cocoa powder (+95.5%). The prices of exported coffee (decaffeinated or roasted) were 40.2% higher than in February 2024. Butter and dairy spreads were 35.7% more expensive than a year earlier.

The prices of exported agricultural products were 9.1% higher than in February 2024 (+2.1% on January 2025).

Energy exports were 17.1% more expensive than in the same month a year earlier, and were up 3.3% compared with January 2025. For example, natural gas prices (+35.0%) were higher than in the same month of the previous year (+4.9% compared with January 2025), whereas the prices of mineral oil products were down 7.5% year on year and were 0.8% less expensive than in the previous month.

More information:

All current results are also provided in the statistical reports on the statistics of import and export prices. Long time series are also available in the tables on the index of import prices (61411-0002 and 61411-0006) and index of export prices (61421-0002 and 61421-0006) in the GENESIS-Online database.

Import price indices can also be found on the Economic Dashboard, which is part of Dashboard Germany (www.dashboard-deutschland.de) (only in German). In this data portal, the Federal Statistical Office brings together up-to-date indicators from official statistics producers and other data providers on the topics of the economy, finance, the labour market, construction, housing, energy and Ukraine. The portal also contains the Economic Pulse Monitor tool (Pulsmesser Wirtschaft) (only in German) tool for real-time economic monitoring.