Press release No. 383 of 9 October 2018
Exports, August 2018
105.2 billion euros
-0.1% on the previous month (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
+2.2% on the same month a year earlier
Imports, August 2018
88.1 billion euros
-2.7% on the previous month (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
+6.2% on the same month a year earlier
Foreign trade balance, August 2018:
17.2 billion euros
18.3 billion euros (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
Current account of the Deutsche Bundesbank, August 2018
15.3 billion euros
WIESBADEN – Germany exported goods to the value of 105.2 billion euros and imported goods to the value of 88.1 billion euros in August 2018. Based on provisional data, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that German exports in August 2018 increased by 2.2% and imports by 6.2% on August 2017. After calendar and seasonal adjustment, exports were down 0.1% and imports 2.7% compared with July 2018.
The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 17.2 billion euros in August 2018. In August 2017, the surplus amounted to +20.0 billion euros. In calendar and seasonally adjusted terms, the foreign trade balance recorded a surplus of 18.3 billion euros in August 2018.
According to provisional results of the Deutsche Bundesbank, the current account of the balance of payments showed a surplus of 15.3 billion euros in August 2018, which takes into account the balances of trade in goods including supplementary trade items (+18.2 billion euros), services (-5.6 billion euros), primary income (+6.5 billion euros) and secondary income (-3.8 billion euros). In August 2017, the German current account showed a surplus of 17.8 billion euros.
In August 2018, Germany exported goods to the value of 59.3 billion euros to the Member States of the European Union (EU), while it imported goods to the value of 48.3 billion euros from those countries. Compared with August 2017, exports to the EU countries increased by 1.2%, and imports from those countries by 5.2%. Goods to the value of 36.4 billion euros (+1.3%) were dispatched to the Euro area countries in August 2018, while the value of the goods received from those countries was 31.4 billion euros (+7.2%). In August 2018, goods to the value of 22.9 billion euros (+1.1%) were exported to EU countries not belonging to the Euro area, while the value of the goods imported from those countries was 17.0 billion euros (+1.8%).
Exports of goods to countries outside the European Union (third countries) amounted to 45.9 billion euros in August 2018, while imports from those countries totalled 39.7 billion euros. Compared with August 2017, exports to third countries increased by 3.5% and imports from those countries by 7.2%.
| Item | August | January to August | July | August | January to August |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 2017 | ||||
| 1 According to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank | |||||
| Foreign trade | |||||
| 1 Exports (f.o.b.) | 105.2 | 879.0 | 111.0 | 103.0 | 843.8 |
| 2 Imports (c.i.f.) | 88.1 | 723.1 | 94.5 | 83.0 | 683.7 |
| 3 Foreign trade balance (1-2) | 17.2 | 155.9 | 16.5 | 20.0 | 160.1 |
| Transition to trade in goods 1 | |||||
| 4 Supplementary trade items | 1.0 | 14.7 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 15.6 |
| Current account balances 1 | |||||
| 5 Trade in goods (3+4) | 18.2 | 170.6 | 18.4 | 21.5 | 175.7 |
| 6 Services | -5.6 | -14.1 | -4.3 | -5.4 | -17.1 |
| 7 Primary income | 6.5 | 37.5 | 5.6 | 5.2 | 35.7 |
| 8 Secondary income | -3.8 | -28.3 | -4.7 | -3.5 | -36.5 |
| Current account (5+6+7+8) | 15.3 | 165.7 | 15.1 | 17.8 | 157.7 |
| Item | August 2018 | January to August 2018 | change on | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2017 | January to August 2017 | |||
| billion euro | % | |||
| Total exports | 105.2 | 879.0 | 2.2 | 4.2 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 59.3 | 520.5 | 1.2 | 5.2 |
| Euro-zone | 36.4 | 329.1 | 1.3 | 6.1 |
| Non-euro-zone | 22.9 | 191.4 | 1.1 | 3.7 |
| Third countries | 45.9 | 358.6 | 3.5 | 2.7 |
| Total imports | 88.1 | 723.1 | 6.2 | 5.8 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 48.3 | 413.4 | 5.2 | 6.4 |
| Euro-zone | 31.4 | 269.3 | 7.2 | 7.0 |
| Non-euro-zone | 17.0 | 144.1 | 1.8 | 5.3 |
| Third countries | 39.7 | 309.7 | 7.2 | 4.9 |
| 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 | 103.0 | 2.2 | 84.0 | 11.7 | 84.3 | 2.6 |
| February | 102.3 | 3.7 | 105.4 | 2.3 | 82.4 | 3.7 | 84.2 | -0.2 | |
| March | 118.2 | 11.0 | 105.2 | -0.2 | 93.0 | 14.8 | 85.9 | 2.1 | |
| April | 100.9 | -3.0 | 106.2 | 0.9 | 83.1 | 5.5 | 86.4 | 0.6 | |
| May | 110.5 | 14.2 | 107.4 | 1.1 | 88.7 | 16.3 | 87.1 | 0.7 | |
| June | 107.2 | 1.0 | 105.3 | -2.0 | 85.1 | 3.7 | 84.5 | -3.0 | |
| July | 103.1 | 7.6 | 105.5 | 0.3 | 84.4 | 9.6 | 86.1 | 1.9 | |
| August | 103.0 | 7.3 | 107.9 | 2.3 | 83.0 | 8.2 | 86.7 | 0.7 | |
| September | 110.3 | 4.4 | 107.5 | -0.4 | 86.4 | 5.5 | 85.8 | -1.0 | |
| October | 108.0 | 6.9 | 107.4 | -0.1 | 89.2 | 8.5 | 87.3 | 1.8 | |
| November | 116.3 | 8.1 | 110.8 | 3.2 | 92.8 | 8.3 | 88.8 | 1.6 | |
| December | 100.5 | 3.5 | 110.7 | -0.1 | 82.5 | 4.7 | 89.6 | 0.9 | |
2018 | January | 107.1 | 8.6 | 110.5 | -0.2 | 89.9 | 7.0 | 89.4 | -0.2 |
| February | 104.7 | 2.4 | 108.0 | -2.3 | 86.5 | 4.9 | 88.3 | -1.3 | |
| March | 116.1 | -1.8 | 109.5 | 1.4 | 91.5 | -1.6 | 87.9 | -0.4 | |
| April | 110.2 | 9.3 | 109.4 | -0.2 | 89.8 | 8.2 | 89.8 | 2.1 | |
| May | 109.1 | -1.3 | 111.2 | 1.7 | 89.0 | 0.4 | 90.4 | 0.6 | |
| June | 115.6 | 7.8 | 111.3 | 0.1 | 93.8 | 10.3 | 92.0 | 1.8 | |
| July | 111.0 | 7.7 | 110.4 | -0.8 | 94.5 | 12.0 | 94.5 | 2.8 | |
| August | 105.2 | 2.2 | 110.3 | -0.1 | 88.1 | 6.2 | 92.0 | -2.7 | |
First detailed provisional results by country of origin/country of destination and by chapter of the Commodity Classification for Foreign Trade Statistics as well as a comparative table based on the country of origin/country of consignment concepts are available for downloading (only in German).
