Press release No. 395 of 10 October 2019
Exports, August 2019
101.2 billion euros
-1.8% on the previous month (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
-3.9% on the same month a year earlier
Imports, August 2019
85.0 billion euros
+0.5% on the previous month (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
-3.1% on the same month a year earlier
Foreign trade balance, August 2019
16.2 billion euros
18.1 billion euros (calendar and seasonally adjusted)
Current account according to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank, August 2019
16.9 billion euros
WIESBADEN – Germany exported goods to the value of 101.2 billion euros and imported goods to the value of 85.0 billion euros in August 2019. Based on provisional data, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that German exports decreased by 3.9% and imports by 3.1% in August 2019 year on year. After calendar and seasonal adjustment, exports were down 1.8% and imports up 0.5% compared with July 2019.
The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 16.2 billion euros in August 2019. In August 2018, the surplus amounted to 17.6 billion euros. In calendar and seasonally adjusted terms, the foreign trade balance recorded a surplus of 18.1 billion euros in August 2019.
According to provisional results of the Deutsche Bundesbank, the current account of the balance of payments showed a surplus of 16.9 billion euros in August 2019, which takes into account the balances of trade in goods including supplementary trade items (+17.0 billion euros), services (-5.0 billion euros), primary income (+9.1 billion euros) and secondary income (-4.2 billion euros). In August 2018, the German current account showed a surplus of 15.2 billion euros.
In August 2019, Germany exported goods to the value of 57.5 billion euros to the Member States of the European Union (EU), while it imported goods to the value of 47.2 billion euros from those countries. Compared with August 2018, exports to the EU countries decreased by 3.3%, and imports from those countries by 2.7%. Goods to the value of 35.1 billion euros ( 3.7%) were exported to the Euro area countries in August 2019, while the value of the goods imported from those countries was 30.2 billion euros (-3.8%). In August 2019, goods to the value of 22.4 billion euros (-2.6%) 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 (-0.6%).
Exports of goods to countries outside the European Union (third countries) amounted to 43.7 billion euros in August 2019, while imports from those countries totalled 37.8 billion euros. Compared with August 2018, exports to third countries decreased by 4.8% and imports from those countries by 3.6%.
| Item | August | January to August | July | August | January to August |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2018 | ||||
| 1 According to calculations of the Deutsche Bundesbank. | |||||
| Foreign trade | |||||
| 1 Exports (f.o.b.) | 101.2 | 882.6 | 115.2 | 105.4 | 878.9 |
| 2 Imports (c.i.f.) | 85.0 | 735.1 | 93.6 | 87.7 | 722.5 |
| 3 Foreign trade balance (1-2) | 16.2 | 147.5 | 21.6 | 17.6 | 156.4 |
| Transition to trade in goods 1 | |||||
| 4 Supplementary trade items | 0.8 | 10.8 | 1.3 | -1.7 | -3.9 |
| Current account balances 1 | |||||
| 5 Trade in goods (3+4) | 17.0 | 158.3 | 22.9 | 15.9 | 152.5 |
| 6 Services | -5.0 | -16.6 | -5.6 | -5.7 | -15.6 |
| 7 Primary income | 9.1 | 54.8 | 8.6 | 8.6 | 50.4 |
| 8 Secondary income | -4.2 | -31.6 | -4.6 | -3.6 | -27.8 |
| Current account (5+6+7+8) | 16.9 | 164.9 | 21.3 | 15.2 | 159.6 |
| Item | August 2019 | January to August 2019 | Percentage change from | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2018 | January to August 2018 | |||
| billion euro | % | |||
| Total exports | 101.2 | 882.6 | -3.9 | 0.4 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 57.5 | 517.3 | -3.3 | -0.6 |
| Euro-zone | 35.1 | 328.1 | -3.7 | -0.2 |
| Non-euro-zone | 22.4 | 189.2 | -2.6 | -1.4 |
| Third countries | 43.7 | 365.3 | -4.8 | 2.0 |
| Total imports | 85.0 | 735.1 | -3.1 | 1.8 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 47.2 | 422.3 | -2.7 | 2.2 |
| Euro-zone | 30.2 | 276.0 | -3.8 | 2.6 |
| Non-euro-zone | 17.0 | 146.3 | -0.6 | 1.5 |
| Third countries | 37.8 | 312.8 | -3.6 | 1.2 |
| 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 | 89.3 | -0.4 |
| February | 104.7 | 2.3 | 108.0 | -2.3 | 86.5 | 5.2 | 88.5 | -0.9 | |
| 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 | 89.7 | 1.9 | |
| 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 | 91.6 | 1.4 | |
| July | 111.0 | 7.6 | 110.3 | -0.6 | 94.6 | 12.5 | 93.6 | 2.2 | |
| August | 105.4 | 2.4 | 110.4 | 0.1 | 87.7 | 6.1 | 92.0 | -1.7 | |
| September | 109.2 | -1.1 | 110.0 | -0.4 | 91.0 | 5.7 | 92.3 | 0.3 | |
| October | 117.1 | 8.5 | 110.7 | 0.7 | 98.5 | 10.9 | 93.0 | 0.8 | |
| November | 116.3 | 0.0 | 110.6 | -0.1 | 96.1 | 4.0 | 91.9 | -1.2 | |
| Dezember | 96.0 | -4.5 | 112.3 | 1.5 | 81.8 | -0.4 | 93.0 | 1.2 | |
| 2019 | January | 108.8 | 1.6 | 112.4 | 0.1 | 94.3 | 4.9 | 93.5 | 0.5 |
| February | 108.9 | 4.0 | 111.0 | -1.2 | 91.1 | 5.4 | 92.6 | -1.0 | |
| March | 118.2 | 1.8 | 112.7 | 1.5 | 95.9 | 4.8 | 93.1 | 0.6 | |
| April | 110.0 | -0.2 | 109.0 | -3.2 | 92.2 | 2.6 | 92.0 | -1.2 | |
| May | 114.2 | 4.7 | 110.6 | 1.4 | 93.6 | 5.1 | 91.6 | -0.4 | |
| June | 106.1 | -8.0 | 110.4 | -0.2 | 89.4 | -4.2 | 92.9 | 1.3 | |
| July | 115.2 | 3.8 | 111.2 | 0.8 | 93.6 | -1.0 | 90.7 | -2.4 | |
| August | 101.2 | -3.9 | 109.2 | -1.8 | 85.0 | -3.1 | 91.1 | 0.5 | |
First detailed provisional results (only in german) by country of origin/country of destination and by chapter of the Commodity Classification for Foreign Trade Statistics as well as a comparative table (only in german) based on the country of origin/country of consignment concepts are available for downloading.
