US, China major trading partners of Germany in 2021

Exports last year were 3.6 per cent and imports 8.9 per cent above the level of the pre-COVID year 2019.

The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of €173.3 billion in 2021. This means that the German export surplus declined for the fifth year in a row, Destatis said in a press note. In 2020, the surplus amounted to €180.4 billion.

Exports to the United States increased by 18 per cent to €122.1 billion compared with the 2020 figure. Exports to China totalled €103.6 billion (plus 8.1 per cent on the previous year), followed by France with €102.3 billion (plus 12.6 per cent).

Most imports to Germany came from China in 2021. Goods to the value of €141.7 billion were imported from there (plus 20.8 per cent on a year earlier). The Netherlands ranked second among the countries for imports to Germany, accounting for goods worth €105.6 billion (plus 21.4 per cent). The United States came third with a value of €72.1 billion (plus 6.5 per cent).

Germany exported goods worth €117 billion and imported goods worth €110.0 billion in December last year. Compared with December 2020, exports increased by 15.6 per cent and imports by 27.8 per cent in that month.

In December 2021, German exports were up by 0.9 per cent and imports by 4.7 per cent over November figures that year after calendar and seasonal adjustment. Most exports were to the United States in the month; they increased by 16.7 per cent to €10.7 billion over the December 2020 figure.

Most imports to Germany came from China in December 2021. The value of the goods imported from there was €14.6 billion (plus 42.3 per cent on the same month a year earlier). Imports from the United States rose by 13.6 per cent to €6.4 billion in December 2021.

The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of €7 billion in December 2021. In December 2020, the surplus amounted to €15.1 billion. The calendar and seasonally adjusted surplus in December 2021 was €6.8 billion.

In December 2021, Germany exported goods to the value of €63.3 billion to the member states of the European Union (EU), while it imported goods to the value of €56.3 billion from those countries.

Exports of goods to countries outside the EU amounted to €53.7 billion in December 2021, while imports from those countries totalled €53.6 billion. Compared with December 2020, exports to third countries increased by 8 per cent and imports from those countries by 32.5 per cent.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)