26 March 2021
Imports of raw materials, semi-finished and finished products down 5.8% in 2020
German imports and exports of raw materials, semi-finished and finished products in the corona year 2020 saw the strongest year-on-year decline since 2009. Imports and exports of materials declined to a similar extent. Based on provisional results of the environmental-economic accounts, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reports that the amount of materials imported by the German economy totalled 622 million tonnes in 2020, which was a 5.8% decline on 2019. The German exports of materials were down by 5.6% to 405 million tonnes. In line with the long-term trend, the German economy’s material imports continued to exceed markedly the relevant exports. The results reflect the weight of all imports and exports of raw materials like fossil energy sources and ores, semi-finished products such as pig iron, and finished products such as household appliances.
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