Germany Balance of Trade

Last Release

Dec 31, 2024

Actual

20.7

Units In

EUR Million

19.7

Frequency

Monthly

Next Release

Mar 10, 2025

Time to Release

27 Days 22 Hours

Highest	Lowest	Average	Date Range	Source
25,455.63 Mar 2016	-535.91 Apr 1991	5,527.31 EUR Million	1950-2024	Federal Statistical Office

Germany runs regular trade surpluses since 1952, primarily due to strong exports of vehicles and other machinery. In 2017, the largest trade surpluses were recorded with the US, the UK, France, Austria, Spain, Sweden and the UAE; while the biggest trade deficits were recorded with China, Vietnam, Norway, Russia, the Netherlands, Ireland and Czech Republic.

Latest Updates

Germany's trade surplus widened to EUR 20.7 billion in December 2024 from a downwardly revised EUR 19.2 billion in November, surpassing forecasts of EUR 17 billion, marking the largest trade surplus since August. Exports unexpectedly grew by 2.9% mom to an eight-month high of EUR 131.7 billion in December 2024, beating estimates of a 0.6% fall. It marked the second straight month of growth in exports and the fastest pace since January 2024, boosted by higher sales to EU countries (5.9%), namely to the Euro area (6.7%) and the non-Euro area (3.9%). In contrast, sales to third countries dropped by 0.5%, weighed by lower sales to the US (-3.5%), Russia (-19.9%), and the UK (-6.6%). Meanwhile, imports rose 2.1% to EUR 111.1 billion, faster than forecasts of a 1.8% growth. Purchases from the EU climbed by 3.6%, and those from third countries grew by 0.5%, with notable rises from the US (3.0%) and Russia (14.4%). For the 2024 full year, the country posted a surplus of EUR 241.2 billion.