In 2023, Germany imported around 157.2 billion euros worth of goods from China. This was a decrease compared to 2022, which showed the highest value within this time period, at almost 193 billion euros worth of imported goods. Germany also exported around 97 billion euros worth of goods to China, which was a decrease of almost nine percent compared to 2022. The volume of all imports and exports between Germany and China has therefore fallen by more than 15 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year. Nevertheless, China is still, and has been since 2026, Germany's most important foreign trade partner in terms of total foreign trade volume.

Exports in Germany increased to 131.70 EUR Billion in December from 128 EUR Billion in November of 2024. This dataset provides - Germany Exports - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

The timeline shows the total value of U.S. trade in goods (export and import) with Germany from 2000 to 2022. In 2023, the total value of U.S. trade in goods with Germany amounted to about 236 billion U.S. dollars; composed of exports worth 77 billion U.S. dollars and imports of 160 billion U.S. dollars.

This page displays a table with Germany Exports By Country in U.S. dollars, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.

Key information about Germany Total Exports

• Germany Total Exports recorded 133.8 USD bn in Jan 2025, compared with 138.7 USD bn in the previous month
• Germany Total Exports data is updated monthly, available from Jan 1957 to Jan 2025, with an averaged value of 32.0 USD bn
• The data reached an all-time high of 145.4 USD bn in Feb 2023 and a record low of 651.9 USD mn in Jan 1957

CEIC converts monthly Total Exports into USD. Federal Statistics Office Germany provides Total Exports, FOB, in EUR. Federal Reserve Board average market exchange rate is used for currency conversions. Total Exports prior to January 1990 cover West Germany only and prior to January 1960 exclude Saarland.


Further information about Germany Total Exports

• In the latest reports, Germany Total Exports dropped 0.1 % YoY in Jan 2025
• Total Imports recorded 117.2 USD bn in Jan 2025, which registered an increase of 8.7 % year on year
• Germany Trade Balance recorded a surplus of 16.6 USD bn in Jan 2025

In 2024, Germany imported 81.7 terawatt hours of electricity and exported 50.7 terawatt hours. Imports had increased compared to the year before, the opposite was true for exports.

Imports of goods and services represent the value of all goods and other market services received from the rest of the world. They include the value of merchandise, freight, insurance, transport, travel, royalties, license fees, and other services, such as communication, construction, financial, information, business, personal, and government services. They exclude compensation of employees and investment income (formerly called factor services) and transfer payments. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

Germany Exports to United States was US$116.33 Billion during 2024, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. Germany Exports to United States - data, historical chart and statistics - was last updated on March of 2025.

Germany - Trade volume indices: Volume Ratio (Export/Import) was 99.30% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Germany - Trade volume indices: Volume Ratio (Export/Import) - last updated from the EUROSTAT on March of 2025. Historically, Germany - Trade volume indices: Volume Ratio (Export/Import) reached a record high of 110.70% in December of 2013 and a record low of 94.20% in December of 2022.

This statistic shows the value of Germany's exports from 2013 to 2023 in billion U.S. dollars. In 2023, Germany's exports amount to 1.72 billion U.S. dollars.

Key information about Germany Total Exports

• Germany Total Exports dropped 0.1 % YoY in Jan 2025, compared with an increase of 3.9 % YoY in the previous month
• Germany Total Exports Growth data is updated monthly, available from Jan 1951 to Jan 2025, with an averaged rate of 7.5 %
• The data reached an all-time high of 107.4 % in Feb 1951 and a record low of -31.0 % in Apr 2020

CEIC calculates Total Exports Growth from monthly Total Exports. Federal Statistics Office Germany provides Total Exports, FOB, in EUR. Total Exports Growth prior to January 1990 covers West Germany only and prior to January 1960 excludes Saarland.


Further information about Germany Total Exports

• In the latest reports, Germany Total Exports recorded 133.8 USD bn in Jan 2025
• Total Imports recorded 117.2 USD bn in Jan 2025, which registered an increase of 8.7 % year on year
• Germany Trade Balance recorded a surplus of 16.6 USD bn in Jan 2025

This statistic compares the import and export value of food and beverages to and from Germany, from 1998 to 2023. In 2023, Germany exported food and beverages worth roughly 81 billion euros, based on preliminary figures.

Germany Exports to India was US$13.2 Billion during 2024, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. Germany Exports to India - data, historical chart and statistics - was last updated on March of 2025.

Germany Exports to China was US$62.14 Billion during 2024, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. Germany Exports to China - data, historical chart and statistics - was last updated on March of 2025.

Germany Electricity Imports: Belgium and Luxembourg data was reported at 243,945.000 MWh in Dec 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of 344,557.000 MWh for Nov 2024. Germany Electricity Imports: Belgium and Luxembourg data is updated monthly, averaging 5.500 MWh from Jan 1991 (Median) to Dec 2024, with 408 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 559,089.000 MWh in Jun 2024 and a record low of 0.000 MWh in Jul 2020. Germany Electricity Imports: Belgium and Luxembourg data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistisches Bundesamt. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Germany – Table DE.RB007: Electricity Imports and Exports.

A comprehensive statistics on Germany’s foreign trade, recording all goods imported into and exported from the German customs territory, exists only since 1880. The German foreign trade statistics for the period after 1871 till 1880, is only with numerous limitations applicable. The study is into four parts: I) General basics for the development of the German foreign trade in the 19th century till the foundation of the German Empire. II) Germany’s foreign trade as first step to the formation of a national market. (1815 to 1833) III) Germany’s foreign trade in the first twenty years after the foundation of the German customs area (1834 to 1845) IV) The position of the German capitalism in the world market during the final stage of industrial early capitalism (1854 to 1870).

The aim of the investigation is to characterize the changes, the German foreign trade underwent at that time. It turned out, that the early German statistics on the basis of individual selected factors and the additional use of foreign statistics, reflect correctly the decisive and important developments of the German foreign trade.

It is important to note, that Bodo F.R. von Borries in his publication on the German foreign trade in the period of 1836 to 1856 has criticized extensively Bondi’s used databasis for his investigation (see: Bodo Fritz Rudolf von Borries, 1970: Deutschlands Außenhandel 1836 bis 1856. Stuttgart; archived study under the number: ZA8365, searchable and downloadable via HISTAT)

Datatables in the search- and downloadsystem HISTAT: T = Tables in the text T.01 Entwicklung des Außenhandels des Deutschen Zollvereins (1834-1853) (Development of the foreign trade of the German custom area) T.02 Ein- und Ausfuhr des Zollvereins nach Anteilsätzen oder einzelnen Warenklassen (1828-1869) (Import and Export of the German custom area by shares of the single classes of goods) T.03 Ein- und Ausfuhr von Rohbaumwolle und Baumwollgarn des Zollvereins (1828-1840) (Import and Export of raw cutton and cutton yarn of the custom area) T.04 Ein- und Ausfuhr von Flachs und Leinengarn (1828-1850) (Import and Export of flax and flax yarn) T.05 Importe von Roh- und Stabeisen (1837-1853) (Imports of raw and bar-iron) T.06 Verbrauch des Zollvereins an Roheisen für den inneren Bedarf (1834-1850) (The custom area’s consumption of raw iron for the inner requires)

A = Tables in the annex A.01 Deutscher Außenhandel (1800-1872) (= German Foreign Trade)

The study deals with the changes in the regional structure of Germany’s foreign trade as well as with the causes of these changes between 1880 and 1938. In this context the regional development of german import and export by continents, regions and counties for the major German tradepartners is described. After that the regional development of the trade flows of all major import- and exportproducts is analysed. The German foreign trade therefore is examined on the basis of the goods on the one hand and on the other on the basis of the countries.

For the analysis the researcher collected the data (time series) for the important goods and commodity groups. Further more he developed a consistent definition of the commodity groups, so that they are comparable.

Mehtodology

a) Definition and Problem: The following processes hab been defined as structural change: - fundamental shifts in the composition of foreign trade partners, as well as - meaningful and sustained change of direction or volume of important commodities and products that affect the trade with countries or regions.

b) Temporal Delimination: Period of investigation is from 1880 to 1938. The statistics for the war years 1914-1918 and 1939 and for the post-war years 1919-1924 have not been included in the analysis because values were not covered or values are very incomplete or unreliable coused by inflation and other circumstances of that period.

c) Changes of Territory: The data of the German trade statistics refer from 1880 to February 1906 to the German custom territory, which comprised since 1872 the territory of the German Customs Union, consisting of the 26 states, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the Austrian municipalities Jungholz and Mittelberg. The free port areas of Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Geestermünde and Helgoland and parts of the municipality of Hamburg and Cuxhaven did not belong to the German custum territory. Since March 1906 the german trade statistics collected data of the foreign merchandise traffic of the entire German economic area, consists until the Versailler contract of the area of the German Empire including the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the Austrian municipalities Jungholz and Mittelberg, excluding Helgoland and the badenese Custum boards. Since 1920 the official trade statistics reports the values of the foreign trade for the German Empire in its new borders. That is to say, the regions of Alsace-Lorraine, the Free City of Danzig, and parts of the Prussian provinces of East Prussia, West Prussia, Brandenburg, Pomerania, Silesia, Posen, Schleswig-Holstein, the Rhine province, the territory of Luxembourg and for the years 1919 to 1935, the Saarland no longer belong to the German economic territory. The expansion of the German Empire territory between 1938 and 1939 by the annexation of Austria, Sudetenland, Bohemia, Moravia, and the Memel territory has been kept out of consideration.

For the analysis of the German foreign trade the values of german imports and exports published by the Statistical Office of the German Empire has been used. While comparing the pre-1914 values with values after the first World War, it is important to reconsider the lost of major agricultural areas of East-Germany, which restricts the comparison and it’s explanatory power or validity. On the other hand these changes reveals the changes of Germany’s foreign trade structure. Thus, it becomes obvious how the separation of large agricultural and farming land increased Germany’s import dependency in the food sector as well as Germany’s decreased export opportunities of agricultural products.

d) System of commodity groups: The problem of published German trade values of the Official Statistics of the German Empire is, that commodity groups are not defined in terms of their content. Insofar as the information is about single goods (eg.: rye, copper, cotton, etc.), the values are reliable. This is not the case as soon as the information is about commodity groups, such as ‘food’, ‘textiles’, ‘metal goods’, etc., because the structure of the aggregation of specific goods to a commodity group has changed six times over the period of investigation. The list of countries in the german foreign trade statistics has changed as well. Therfore, the author had to revised commodity groups and country lists for the purpose of its analysis and to make them comparable.

The author developed the following scheme in order to sort countries into groups or regions:

• Europe: Denmarc, Norway, Sweden, Finnland = North Europe Netherlands, Belgium/Luxembuorg, Great Britain, France, Swizerland = West Europe Jugoslawia, Hungary, Rumania, Bulgaria, Albania, Greek, european and asiatic Turkey = South-East Europe Portugal, Spane, Italy = South Europe Poland, Tschechoslowakia, Russia, Baltic States = East Europ Austria-Hungary

• America: Canada, United States of America = North-America Mexico, Costarica, Duba, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras,...

Germany Electricity Imports: Total data was reported at 6,268,208.000 MWh in Dec 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of 6,664,745.000 MWh for Nov 2024. Germany Electricity Imports: Total data is updated monthly, averaging 3,503,865.000 MWh from Jan 1991 (Median) to Dec 2024, with 408 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 8,573,163.000 MWh in Aug 2023 and a record low of 1,474,930.000 MWh in Sep 2016. Germany Electricity Imports: Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistisches Bundesamt. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Germany – Table DE.RB007: Electricity Imports and Exports.

Between 1933 and 1939, Germany expanded and strengthened its trade connections with a number of Eastern European countries to a point where their economic expansion became dependent on trade with Germany, making it the dominant economic power in the region. By 1939, the year the Second World War began in Europe, Germany was the largest trading partner of the four countries listed; this was also true of Czechoslovakia in 1937, Poland in 1938, and the Soviet Union in 1940, although the share of total exports to Germany from these countries was lower. German influence increases in the Second World War To consolidate its power in the region, Germany exported its high-quality industrial products to these countries and paid above-market prices to import raw materials and agricultural produce. Following the outbreak of the war, Germany invested more into the farming sectors of the four countries listed, to the point where they were economically subordinate and considered satellite extensions of the German economy. The demand for agricultural imports from these countries impeded their industrialization and prevented them from developing their industries that could compete with Germany. Three of the countries listed would side with the Axis powers as the war escalated. At the same time, Yugoslavia was quickly annexed, and a puppet government was installed, continuing the agricultural supply to Germany. Post-war difficulties Following the war, the four listed countries eventually fell within the Soviet sphere of influence (though Yugoslavia to a lesser extent than the other three), and the dominance of agricultural sectors led to difficulties, as new communist governments attempted to take their economies in a more industrialized direction. The socialist economic systems required the agricultural means of production to be publicly owned (collectivized); however, many rural landowners were unwilling to part from their land; especially in Bulgaria. These factors exacerbated the delaying effect that Germany had had on these countries' industrialization in the 1930s, contributing to the economic imbalances that emerged between Europe's Eastern and Western Blocs in the decades that followed.

Germany Electricity Imports: France data was reported at 1,624,331.000 MWh in Dec 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1,791,010.000 MWh for Nov 2024. Germany Electricity Imports: France data is updated monthly, averaging 1,167,206.500 MWh from Jan 1990 (Median) to Dec 2024, with 420 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,541,481.000 MWh in Jul 2014 and a record low of 350.000 MWh in Jan 1990. Germany Electricity Imports: France data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistisches Bundesamt. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Germany – Table DE.RB007: Electricity Imports and Exports.