Economy Federal Statistical Office
Germany’s exports increased by 3.3 percent in the first half of the year
Status: 11.08.2023 | Reading time: 2 minutes
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Germany’s exports totaled almost 798 billion euros in the first half of the year. Cars, machines and chemical products were most in demand. As in previous years, the most important customer country was the USA.
Germany’s exports increased overall in the first half of the year: They increased by 3.3 percent compared to the same period last year to almost 798 billion euros, as the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden announced on Friday. The most important export goods were cars and car parts, machines and chemical products. Imports to Germany, on the other hand, decreased in the first six months – by 4.3 percent to around 699 billion euros.
Motor vehicle exports rose in the first half of the year by 15.9 percent to a value of 136.5 billion euros, as the statisticians further announced. There was also a strong increase in the export of machines by eleven percent compared to the previous year to a value of 112.4 billion euros. The export of chemical products, on the other hand, fell by 11.6 percent to a value of 74.4 billion euros. In terms of volume, the decline was even greater, at 16.3 percent.
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Imports of chemical products fell 30.5 percent – but that was due to the high volumes imported in the same period last year, mainly from China. Germany had imported so-called lactams from the People’s Republic, which can be used for the production of plastics and medicines. Hardly any lactams were imported in the first six months of this year.
As in previous years, the most important customer country for German goods was the USA – goods worth 78 billion euros went there. France and the Netherlands came in second and third. Most imports came from China, followed by the Netherlands and the USA.
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