Germany German exports down for the year as a whole
Germany's exporters closed 2024 with a minus despite growth in December. Goods "Made in Germany" with a total value of 1,559.7 billion euros were delivered abroad last year.
07.02.2025, 08:51
SDA
This was 1.0 percent less than a year earlier. According to figures from the Federal Statistical Office, imports to Germany fell even more sharply, dropping by 2.8% to 1,318.5 billion euros within a year.
Difficulties in important markets
China's aggressive industrial policy is impacting the German export industry, as is the fact - looking ahead - that US President Donald Trump is making good on his threats and imposing tariffs on imports into the important US market.
In the final quarter of 2024, exports were one of the brakes on the German economy, which was stuck in recession: exports of goods "Made in Germany" were "significantly lower" than in the previous quarter, as the Wiesbaden-based statisticians recently stated.
"Lost year" for German foreign trade
In December, however, exports of 131.7 billion euros were both higher than in November 2024 (up 2.9%) and above the figure for December 2023 (up 3.4%), according to the latest figures from the Federal Office. Imports also increased in both periods under review at 111.1 billion euros.
The German Wholesale, Foreign Trade and Services Association (BGA) had already spoken of a "lost year" for German foreign trade with a view to 2024, despite such bright spots at the end of the year.
Bleak outlook
The forecast for the current year is also bleak: According to the BGA, around 80 percent of exporters expected a further decline in volumes and sales in 2025, with the association predicting a 2.7 percent drop in foreign trade sales based on earlier figures.
The Ifo Institute, which regularly surveys the expectations of export-oriented sectors, recently stated that the outlook is particularly bleak for the automotive industry. Expectations in the metal industry have also been negative for more than a year.
