Press release No. 126 of 9 April 2018
Exports, February 2018
- 104.7 billion euros
- –3.2% on the previous month (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
- +2.4% on the same month a year earlier
Imports, February 2018
- 86.3 billion euros
- –1.3% on the previous month (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
- +4.7% on the same month a year earlier
Foreign trade balance, February 2018
- 18.4 billion euros
- 19.2 billion euros (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
Current account of the Deutsche Bundesbank, February 2018
- 20.7 billion euros
WIESBADEN – Germany exported goods to the value of 104.7 billion euros and imported goods to the value of 86.3 billion euros in February 2018. Based on provisional data, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that German exports increased by 2.4% and imports by 4.7% in February 2018 year on year. After calendar and seasonal adjustment, exports fell by 3.2% and imports by 1.3% compared with January 2018.
The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 18.4 billion euros in February 2018. In February 2017, the surplus amounted to +19.8 billion euros. In calendar and seasonally adjusted terms, the foreign trade balance recorded a surplus of 19.2 billion euros in February 2018.
According to provisional results of the Deutsche Bundesbank, the current account of the balance of payments showed a surplus of 20.7 billion euros in February 2018, which takes into account the balances of trade in goods including supplementary trade items (+19.8 billion euros), services (+0.7 billion euros), primary income (+5.7 billion euros) and secondary income (-5.4 billion euros). In February 2017, the German current account showed a surplus of 23.4 billion euros.
In February 2018, Germany exported goods to the value of 63.2 billion euros to the Member States of the European Union (EU), while it imported goods to the value of 49.9 billion euros from those countries. Compared with February 2017, exports to the EU countries increased by 3.5%, and imports from those countries by 4.4%. Goods to the value of 40.1 billion euros (+5.3%) were dispatched to the Euro area countries in February 2018, while the value of the goods received from those countries was 32.5 billion euros (+5.0%). In February 2018, goods to the value of 23.1 billion euros (+0.4%) were exported to EU countries not belonging to the Euro area, while the value of the goods imported from those countries was 17.3 billion euros (+3.4%).
Exports of goods to countries outside the European Union (third countries) amounted to 41.5 billion euros in February 2018, while imports from those countries totalled 36.4 billion euros. Compared with February 2017, exports to third countries increased by 0.9% and imports from those countries by 5.0%.
| Item | February | January to February | January | February | January to February |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 2017 | ||||
| 1 According to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank | |||||
| Foreign trade | |||||
| 1 Exports (f.o.b.) | 104.7 | 211.8 | 107.1 | 102.3 | 200.9 |
| 2 Imports (c.i.f.) | 86.3 | 176.1 | 89.8 | 82.4 | 166.5 |
| 3 Foreign trade balance (1-2) | 18.4 | 35.7 | 17.3 | 19.8 | 34.4 |
| Transition to trade in goods 1 | |||||
| 4 Supplementary trade items | 1.4 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 3.6 |
| Current account balances 1 | |||||
| 5 Trade in goods (3+4) | 19.8 | 38.1 | 18.3 | 22.3 | 38.0 |
| 6 Services | 0.7 | 0.1 | – 0.5 | – 0.6 | – 1.5 |
| 7 Primary income | 5.7 | 13.3 | 7.6 | 6.3 | 13.1 |
| 8 Secondary income | – 5.4 | – 10.4 | – 5.1 | – 4.6 | – 14.3 |
| Current account (5+6+7+8) | 20.7 | 41.1 | 20.3 | 23.4 | 35.2 |
| Item | February 2018 | January to February 2018 | change on | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2017 | January to February 2017 | |||
| billion euro | % | |||
| Total exports | 104.7 | 211.8 | 2.4 | 5.5 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 63.2 | 128.2 | 3.5 | 7.0 |
| Euro-zone | 40.1 | 81.2 | 5.3 | 8.2 |
| Non-euro-zone | 23.1 | 46.9 | 0.4 | 5.0 |
| Third countries | 41.5 | 83.7 | 0.9 | 3.1 |
| Total imports | 86.3 | 176.1 | 4.7 | 5.8 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 49.9 | 99.6 | 4.4 | 5.8 |
| Euro-zone | 32.5 | 64.7 | 5.0 | 6.0 |
| Non-euro-zone | 17.3 | 34.9 | 3.4 | 5.2 |
| Third countries | 36.4 | 76.5 | 5.0 | 5.8 |
| 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 Census X-12-ARIMA | |||||||||
| 2017 | January | 98.6 | 11.1 | 103.4 | 2.0 | 84.0 | 11.7 | 84.5 | 2.6 |
| February | 102.3 | 3.7 | 105.0 | 1.5 | 82.4 | 3.7 | 84.3 | –0.2 | |
| March | 118.2 | 11.0 | 105.1 | 0.1 | 93.0 | 14.8 | 85.4 | 1.2 | |
| April | 100.9 | –3.0 | 105.9 | 0.7 | 83.1 | 5.5 | 86.4 | 1.2 | |
| May | 110.5 | 14.2 | 107.3 | 1.3 | 88.7 | 16.3 | 87.0 | 0.7 | |
| June | 107.2 | 1.0 | 105.3 | –1.8 | 85.1 | 3.7 | 84.4 | –3.0 | |
| July | 103.1 | 7.6 | 105.3 | 0.0 | 84.4 | 9.6 | 86.0 | 1.9 | |
| August | 103.0 | 7.3 | 107.9 | 2.4 | 83.0 | 8.2 | 86.7 | 0.8 | |
| September | 110.3 | 4.4 | 107.4 | – 0.4 | 86.4 | 5.5 | 85.9 | –1.0 | |
| October | 108.0 | 6.9 | 107.1 | –0.3 | 89.2 | 8.5 | 87.4 | 1.8 | |
| November | 116.3 | 8.1 | 111.5 | 4.1 | 92.8 | 8.3 | 88.9 | 1.7 | |
| December | 100.6 | 3.6 | 111.5 | 0.0 | 82.5 | 4.7 | 89.7 | 0.9 | |
2018 | January | 107.1 | 8.6 | 111.0 | –0.4 | 89.8 | 6.9 | 89.5 | –0.2 |
| February | 104.7 | 2.4 | 107.5 | –3.2 | 86.3 | 4.7 | 88.3 | –1.3 | |
Methodological notes:
As of reference month January 2018, the monthly press release for foreign trade statistics has been converted to the country of origin concept. This press release is now in line with all other national publications based on the country of origin. Until then the press release was published in accordance with the Eurostat concept (country of consignment). As a consequence, the results published for the groups of countries in the press release differed from those in other publications of foreign trade statistics. A comparative table for the country of origin and the country of consignment concept is available for download (only in German) on the internet.
In addition, first detailed preliminary results (only in German) will be released by countries of origin/consignment and by chapters of the Commodity Classification for Foreign Trade Statistics at the time the press released is published.
