German Export Levels Maintained from Previous Year; Imports Experienced an Uptick - Imports saw an uptick while German exports remained consistent compared to the prior year.
In the first half of 2025, Germany's trade balance with the United States has seen a significant shift. According to the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden, exports to the US dropped by 3.9% compared to the same period in 2024, reaching lows not seen since early 2022. Specifically, in June 2025, exports were down 8.4% year-on-year and fell month-on-month by 2.1% [1][3].
On the other hand, imports from the US have increased significantly. June 2025 imports rose by 19.8% month-on-month, reaching one of the highest levels since June 2022 [3]. As a result, Germany's trade surplus with the US has reduced by 22.2%, from €133.7 billion in H1 2024 to €104.0 billion in H1 2025 [1][4].
The decline in exports to the US partly reflects lingering effects of tariffs imposed under the Trump administration and softer global demand [2]. Germany's total exports in H1 2025 were nearly flat (-0.1%), while imports grew by 4.4% during this period, underscoring rising domestic demand and energy costs contributing to higher imports overall [1][4].
It's worth noting that the USA remains the largest customer of German products, despite the decline in exports. However, no new information about the USA's position as the largest customer was provided in the recent statistics [1].
In other aspects of Germany's international trade, the country imported more German products from the Netherlands, but the increase was not specified. More goods were also imported from China, with a 10.7% increase from the same period last year [1][4]. The trade balance with China deteriorated significantly, with Germany importing 40.0 billion euros more from China than it exported [1][4].
Germany exported 435.5 billion euros to other EU countries, an increase of 1.2% from the same period last year. The trend is a weakening German trade surplus with the US driven by falling exports and rising imports, contributing to the overall narrowing of Germany’s trade surplus in the first half of 2025, consistent with pressures on Germany’s export-driven economy and trade frictions with the US [1][2][4].
[1] Federal Statistical Office (2025). Trade figures for Germany in the first half of 2025. Retrieved from www.destatis.de
[2] European Commission (2025). Germany's trade balance with the US: An analysis. Retrieved from www.ec.europa.eu
[3] Deutsche Welle (2025). Germany's trade balance with the US: A closer look at the numbers. Retrieved from www.dw.com
[4] Handelsblatt (2025). Germany's trade surplus with the US: A shrinking surplus in H1 2025. Retrieved from www.handelsblatt.com
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