Germany's foreign trade recorded a marginal decline in August 2025, with exports down 0.5% and imports dropping 1.3% on a calendar and seasonally adjusted basis compared with July, according to provisional data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). Compared with August 2024, exports fell by 0.7% while imports rose by 3.5%. The trade surplus for August stood at €17.2 billion, slightly higher than the €16.3 billion recorded in July but below last year's €21.9 billion.
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Exports to European Union (EU) member states amounted to €72.5 billion in August 2025, down 2.5% from July, while imports from the EU decreased by 1.9% to €58.8 billion. Within the euro area, exports fell 2.2% to €50.8 billion, while imports declined 0.7% to €39.3 billion. Non-euro area EU trade also saw decreases, with exports of €21.8 billion (-3.1%) and imports of €19.5 billion (-4.2%).
Trade with non-EU countries presented a mixed picture. Exports rose 2.2% to €57.1 billion, while imports fell 0.7% to €53.7 billion. The United States remained Germany's largest export destination outside Europe, with sales totalling €10.9 billion, a 2.5% drop from July and the fifth consecutive monthly decline. Compared with August 2024, exports to the US were down 20.1%. Exports to China increased by 5.4% to €6.8 billion, while exports to the UK fell 6.5% to €6.5 billion. Russian exports surged 53.5% month-on-month to €0.8 billion and were up 31.8% year-on-year.
Imports mirrored these dynamics. The bulk came from China at €13.5 billion, down 4.5% from July, while imports from the US rose 3.4% to €8.0 billion and from the UK dropped 4.6% to €3.0 billion. Imports from Russia fell 8.5% to €0.1 billion.
On a nominal, non-adjusted basis, German exports totalled €115.6 billion in August 2025, down 3.9% from the same month in 2024, while imports were €102.9 billion, up 1.0%. The resulting unadjusted trade surplus stood at €12.8 billion, compared with €18.4 billion a year earlier.
Destatis emphasises that the figures are provisional and that short-term indicators focus on seasonally and calendar-adjusted comparisons. As detailed results are not available this early, "it is not possible to provide information on the reasons for changes in foreign trade as a whole or in trade with individual countries or groups of countries."
Further information and detailed datasets are available via the GENESIS-Online database and the Economic Dashboard Germany.
More information:
Destatis
www.destatis.de
