Press release No. 259 of 8 July 2019
Exports, May 2019
113.9 billion euros
1.1% on the previous month (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
+4.5% on the same month a year earlier
Imports, May 2019
93.4 billion euros
-0.5% on the previous month (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
+4.9% on the same month a year earlier
Foreign trade balance, May 2019:
20.6 billion euros
18.7 billion euros (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
Current account according to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank, May 2019
16.5 billion euros
WIESBADEN – Germany exported goods to the value of 113.9 billion euros and imported goods to the value of 93.4 billion euros in May 2019. Based on provisional data, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that German exports increased by 4.5% and imports by 4.9% in May 2019 year on year. After calendar and seasonal adjustment, exports were up 1.1% compared April 2019, while imports were down 0.5%.
The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 20.6 billion euros in May 2019. In May 2018, the surplus amounted to +20.0 billion euros. In calendar and seasonally adjusted terms, the foreign trade balance recorded a surplus of 18.7 billion euros in May 2019.
According to provisional results of the Deutsche Bundesbank, the current account of the balance of payments showed a surplus of 16.5 billion euros in May 2019, which takes into account the balances of trade in goods including supplementary trade items (+21.3 billion euros), services (-1.1 billion euros), primary income (-4.2 billion euros) and secondary income (+0.5 billion euros). In May 2018, the German current account showed a surplus of 13.0 billion euros.
In May 2019, Germany exported goods to the value of 66.1 billion euros to the Member States of the European Union (EU), while it imported goods to the value of 54.2 billion euros from those countries. Compared with May 2018, exports to EU countries increased by 0.6%, and imports from those countries by 4.7%. Goods to the value of 42.3 billion euros (+3.8%) were exported to the Euro area countries in May 2019, while the value of the goods imported from those countries was 35.8 billion euros (+8.7%). In May 2019, goods to the value of 23.8 billion euros (-4.8%) were exported to EU countries not belonging to the Euro area, while the value of the goods imported from those countries was 18.4 billion euros (-2.3%).
Exports of goods to countries outside the European Union (third countries) amounted to 47.9 billion euros in May 2019, while imports from those countries totalled 39.2 billion euros. Compared May 2018, exports to third countries increased by 10.4% and imports from those countries by 5.1%.
| Item | May | January to May | April | May | January to May |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2018 | ||||
| 1 According to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank. | |||||
| Foreign trade | |||||
| 1 Exports (f.o.b.) | 113.9 | 560.1 | 110.0 | 109.1 | 547.2 |
| 2 Imports (c.i.f.) | 93.4 | 466.8 | 92.1 | 89.0 | 446.7 |
| 3 Foreign trade balance (1-2) | 20.6 | 93.3 | 17.9 | 20.0 | 100.4 |
| Transition to trade in goods 1 | |||||
| 4 Supplementary trade items | 0.7 | 7.4 | 1.4 | -0.9 | 0.2 |
| Current account balances 1 | |||||
| 5 Trade in goods (3+4) | 21.3 | 100.7 | 19.3 | 19.1 | 100.6 |
| 6 Services | -1.1 | -3.9 | -0.5 | -1.4 | -3.5 |
| 7 Primary income | -4.2 | 29.3 | 7.8 | -4.9 | 25.4 |
| 8 Secondary income | 0.5 | -19.7 | -3.6 | 0.1 | -16.7 |
| Current account (5+6+7+8) | 16.5 | 106.4 | 22.9 | 13.0 | 105.8 |
| Item | May 2019 | January to May 2019 | Percentage change from | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2018 | January to May 2018 | |||
| billion euro | % | |||
| Total exports | 113.9 | 560.1 | 4.5 | 2.4 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 66.1 | 332.0 | 0.6 | 0.9 |
| Euro-zone | 42.3 | 211.5 | 3.8 | 1.7 |
| Non-euro-zone | 23.8 | 120.5 | -4.8 | -0.4 |
| Third countries | 47.9 | 228.1 | 10.4 | 4.5 |
| Total imports | 93.4 | 466.8 | 4.9 | 4.5 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 54.2 | 269.3 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| Euro-zone | 35.8 | 176.4 | 8.7 | 5.9 |
| Non-euro-zone | 18.4 | 92.8 | -2.3 | 2.5 |
| Third countries | 39.2 | 197.5 | 5.1 | 4.2 |
| 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 | |||||||||
2018 | January | 107.1 | 8.4 | 110.5 | -0.3 | 89.9 | 7.4 | 89.6 | 0.3 |
| February | 104.7 | 2.3 | 108.0 | -2.3 | 86.5 | 5.2 | 88.5 | -1.2 | |
| March | 116.1 | -1.7 | 109.5 | 1.4 | 91.5 | -1.4 | 88.0 | -0.6 | |
| April | 110.2 | 9.4 | 109.3 | -0.2 | 89.8 | 8.5 | 89.8 | 2.1 | |
| May | 109.1 | -1.3 | 111.0 | 1.6 | 89.0 | 0.7 | 90.4 | 0.7 | |
| June | 115.3 | 7.6 | 110.9 | -0.1 | 93.4 | 10.1 | 91.4 | 1.0 | |
| July | 111.0 | 7.6 | 110.3 | -0.6 | 94.6 | 12.5 | 93.8 | 2.7 | |
| August | 105.4 | 2.4 | 110.4 | 0.1 | 87.7 | 6.1 | 91.7 | -2.2 | |
| September | 109.2 | -1.1 | 110.0 | -0.4 | 91.0 | 5.7 | 92.4 | 0.7 | |
| October | 117.1 | 8.5 | 110.7 | 0.7 | 98.5 | 10.9 | 93.2 | 0.9 | |
| November | 116.3 | 0.0 | 110.6 | -0.1 | 96.1 | 4.0 | 91.9 | -1.3 | |
| Dezember | 96.0 | -4.5 | 112.3 | 1.5 | 81.8 | -0.4 | 92.5 | 0.6 | |
| 2019 | January | 108.8 | 1.6 | 112.4 | 0.1 | 94.3 | 4.9 | 93.8 | 1.4 |
| February | 108.9 | 4.0 | 111.0 | -1.2 | 91.1 | 5.4 | 92.5 | -1.4 | |
| March | 118.4 | 2.0 | 112.9 | 1.6 | 95.9 | 4.7 | 92.9 | 0.4 | |
| April | 110.0 | -0.2 | 109.0 | -3.4 | 92.1 | 2.5 | 92.1 | -0.9 | |
| May | 113.9 | 4.5 | 110.3 | 1.1 | 93.4 | 4.9 | 91.6 | -0.5 | |
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.
