Press release No. 188 of 28 May 2025

Import prices, April 2025
-0.4% on the same month a year earlier
-1.7% on the previous month

Export prices, April 2025
+1.0% on the same month a year earlier
-0.5% on the previous month

WIESBADEN – Import prices were 0.4% lower in April 2025 compared with April 2024. The year-on-year rate of change was +2.1% in March 2025, and +3.6% in February 2025. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that import prices in April 2025 were down 1.7% from March 2025. This was the largest month-on-month decline in import prices since the start of the Covid-19 crisis in April 2020 (also -1.7% compared with 2019).

Export prices in April 2025 were 1.0% higher than in April 2024. The year-on-year rate of change was +2.0% in March 2025, and +2.5% in February 2025. Compared with March 2025, export prices dropped by 0.5%.

Energy had the biggest impact on the year-on-year decline in import prices

The decrease in energy prices compared with April 2024, at -11.2%, had the biggest impact on the overall development of import prices in April 2025. Prices were also down 11.2% compared with March 2025.

Crude oil (-25.3%), hard coal (-23.1%) and mineral oil products (-19.0%) were less expensive than in April 2024. Compared with the previous month, the prices of crude oil fell by 9.2%, mineral oil products by 7.7% and hard coal by 6.1%.

By contrast, import prices of electricity increased by 25.9% compared with April 2024, and import prices of natural gas were up 12.7% year on year. Both were also down, however, compared with March 2025, with prices of electricity falling 17.5% and those of natural gas declining 14.9%.

When energy prices are excluded, import prices in April 2025 were 0.8% higher than in April 2024. However, they were down 0.8% compared with March 2025. If only crude oil and mineral oil products are not considered, the import price index was 1.1% above the level of April 2024 and 1.4% lower than in March 2025.

Lower prices also registered for intermediate and capital goods

The import prices of intermediate goods were 0.1% lower than in the same month of the previous year (-1.1% on March 2025), while the import prices of capital goods were down 0.2% year on year (-0.4% on March 2025).

Consumer goods and agricultural products continue to see price increases

In April 2025, the prices of imported consumer goods (durable and non-durable) continued to be higher than a year earlier (+2.6%) but were down 0.4% compared with March 2025. Imported non-durable consumer goods were 3.3% more expensive than in April 2024 (-0.3% on March 2025), while the prices of imported durable consumer goods were unchanged year on year (-0.8% on March 2025).

In the case of non-durable consumer goods, food prices, in particular, were markedly higher (+9.8%) than in April 2024 (+1.3% on March 2025). Compared with April 2024, higher prices were recorded particularly for apple juice (+38.8%), orange juice (+33.0%), beef (+32.3%), cocoa, chocolate and sugar confectionery (+30.1%), poultry meat (+29.2%), and milk and milk products (+13.2%). In the case of confectionery, the increase was mainly attributable to higher prices of chocolate and other confectionery (+33.9%).

The prices of imported agricultural products in April 2025 were 6.7% higher than in the same month a year earlier (-3.6% on March 2025). In particular, the price of green coffee increased markedly by +53.1% year on year and rose by 0.8% on the previous month. The prices of poultry and eggs were up 9.5% compared with the same month a year earlier, but were down month on month (-5.2% compared with March 2025).

By contrast, the prices of live pigs (-12.4%) and onions (-8.0%), for example, were down from the previous year. Compared with the previous month, however, the prices of onions (+18.5%) and live pigs (+15.3%) were significantly higher. Raw cocoa cost 1.2% less than in April 2024 and 12.6% less than in March 2025.

Biggest influence on year-on-year development of export prices coming from consumer and capital goods

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

Exported consumer goods were 2.1% more expensive than in April 2024 (+0.2% on March 2025). While the prices of durable consumer goods were up 1.3% year on year, non-durable consumer goods were 2.3% more expensive than in April 2024. In particular, coffee (decaffeinated or roasted) was exported at prices which were 52.9% higher than in April 2024 (+4.6% on March 2025). Butter and dairy spreads were 26.7% more expensive than in the same month a year earlier (+0.8% compared with March 2025).

The prices of exported capital goods rose by 1.0% compared with April 2024 (-0.2% on March 2025).

Intermediate goods were 0.5% more expensive than in April 2024. Compared with the previous month, however, the price of intermediate goods was down by 0.4% on average.

Energy exports also cost 0.5% more than in the same month a year earlier, but 10.4% less than in March 2025. Natural gas prices, for example, were 27.1% higher than in the same month a year earlier (-13.5% on March 2025). By contrast, mineral oil products were 18.7% less expensive year on year (-6.0% on March 2025).

The prices of exported agricultural products were up 4.2% on April 2024 (-0.9% on March 2025).

Indices of foreign trade prices are calculated excluding taxes and customs duties

The calculation of the indices of foreign trade prices is based exclusively on the contractually agreed prices at which domestic businesses buy goods abroad or sell goods abroad. Taxes and customs duties are therefore not included in the calculation of the indices.

Methodological notes:

The current base year of the indices of foreign trade prices is 2021. The basket of goods and the weighting of the indices refer to this base year.

More information:

Current results can also be found in the tables and statistical reports on the "Import and export price index" page of the Federal Statistical Office's website. Long time series are available, for example, 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) for real-time economic monitoring.