Press release No. 318 of 8 September 2026
Exports (calendar and seasonally adjusted exports of goods), July 2026
138.2 billion euros
-0.8% on the previous month
+6.1% on the same month a year earlier
Imports (calendar and seasonally adjusted imports of goods), July 2026
116.9 billion euros
-5.7% on the previous month
+3.0% on the same month a year earlier
Foreign trade balance (calendar and seasonally adjusted), July 2026
21.3 billion euros
WIESBADEN – In July 2026, German exports were down 0.8% and imports dropped 5.7% on a calendar and seasonally adjusted basis compared with June 2026. Compared with July 2025, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) further reports that exports increased by 6.1% and imports rose by 3.0%, based on provisional data.
After calendar and seasonal adjustment, Germany exported goods to the value of 138.2 billion euros and imported goods to the value of 116.9 billion euros in July 2026. The foreign trade balance thus showed a surplus of 21.3 billion euros in July 2026. The calendar and seasonally adjusted surplus stood at 15.4 billion euros in June 2026. In July 2025, the surplus was 16.8 billion euros.
Trade with EU countries
On a calendar and seasonally adjusted basis, Germany exported goods to the value of 78.0 billion euros to the Member States of the European Union (EU) in July 2026, while it imported goods to the value of 59.6 billion euros from these countries in the same period. Compared with June 2026, calendar and seasonally adjusted exports to EU countries dropped by 1.6% and imports from these countries fell by 6.1%. The value of the goods exported to euro area countries totalled 53.9 billion euros (-2.8%), and the value of the goods imported from these countries was 39.9 billion euros (-6.5%). Goods to the value of 24.1 billion euros (+1.1%) were exported to EU countries not belonging to the euro area, while the value of the goods imported from those countries was 19.6 billion euros (-5.1%).
Trade with non-EU countries
Exports of goods to countries outside the EU (third countries) amounted to 60.2 billion euros in July 2026, while imports from those countries totalled 57.4 billion euros, on a calendar and seasonally adjusted basis. Compared with June 2026, exports to third countries increased by 0.2% and imports from those countries fell by 5.3%.
Most German exports in July 2026 went to the United States, with goods exports totalling 14.4 billion euros after seasonal and calendar adjustment. This represented an increase of 19.1% on June 2026. Compared with July 2025, exports to the United States were up 28.3% on a calendar and seasonally adjusted basis. Month on month, exports to the United Kingdom declined by 7.2% to 6.7 billion euros. Exports to the People’s Republic of China decreased by 9.5% to 5.6 billion euros in July 2026 from June 2026.
Most imports in July 2026 came from the People's Republic of China. Goods to the value of 15.2 billion euros were imported from there, after calendar and seasonal adjustment. This was a decrease of 7.5% compared with the previous month. Imports from the United States were down 8.2% to 7.9 billion euros. Imports from the United Kingdom fell by 1.0% to 3.2 billion euros during the same period.
Original foreign trade values (not adjusted for calendar or seasonal effects)
Germany exported goods to the value of 143.1 billion euros and imported goods to the value of 121.0 billion euros on a nominal basis (not adjusted for calendar or seasonal effects) in July 2026. Compared with July 2025, exports therefore increased by 6.0% and imports were up 3.1%. The unadjusted foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 22.2 billion euros in July 2026. In July 2025, the surplus was 17.6 billion euros.
Methodological notes:
The differing comparative periods must be taken into account in all press releases on short-term indicators. Short-term economic monitoring focuses on comparisons of seasonally and calendar adjusted figures with those of the previous month or quarter. These reflect short-term economic trends. Year-on-year comparisons of calendar adjusted results enable long-term comparisons of levels and are not influenced by seasonal fluctuations or calendar effects.
Detailed explanations on calendar and seasonal adjustment are included in the "Saisonbereinigung im Außenhandel" methodological paper (only in German). Calendar and seasonally adjusted values are always notional calculated values. For this reason, a comparison between adjusted series and unadjusted (nominal) series would serve little purpose.
The results in this press release are provisional data from monthly foreign trade statistics. 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.
| Item | July 2026 | January to July 2026 | Percentage change from | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2026 | January to July 2025 | |||
| billion euros | % | |||
| Total exports | 138.2 | 954.2 | -0.8 | 4.0 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 78.0 | 541.2 | -1.6 | 7.1 |
| Euro area | 53.9 | 376.5 | -2.8 | 6.2 |
| Non-euro area | 24.1 | 164.6 | 1.1 | 9.2 |
| Third countries | 60.2 | 413.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| including: | ||||
| United States | 14.4 | 88.8 | 19.1 | -1.5 |
| China | 5.6 | 42.1 | -9.5 | -12.7 |
| United Kingdom | 6.7 | 48.8 | -7.2 | 3.4 |
| Total imports | 116.9 | 828.4 | -5.7 | 4.2 |
| including: | ||||
| EU Member States | 59.6 | 419.4 | -6.1 | 3.0 |
| Euro area | 39.9 | 283.4 | -6.5 | 4.3 |
| Non-euro area | 19.6 | 136.0 | -5.1 | 0.5 |
| Third countries | 57.4 | 409.1 | -5.3 | 5.5 |
| including: | ||||
| United States | 7.9 | 58.7 | -8.2 | 6.1 |
| China | 15.2 | 107.3 | -7.5 | 8.8 |
| United Kingdom | 3.2 | 23.2 | -1.0 | 2.8 |
| Year | Month | Exports | Imports | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| calendar and seasonally adjusted value | original value | calendar and seasonally adjusted value | original value | ||||||
| in billion euros | change on previous month, % | in billion euros | change on the same month of the previous year, % | in billion euros | change on previous month, % | in billion euros | change on the same month of the previous year, % | ||
2025 | January | 130.1 | 0.8 | 125.1 | -1.3 | 113.8 | 3.5 | 112.3 | 6.7 |
| February | 131.4 | 0.9 | 129.9 | -1.8 | 113.7 | -0.1 | 111.0 | 1.7 | |
| March | 133.2 | 1.4 | 140.6 | 4.7 | 113.3 | -0.4 | 117.4 | 4.4 | |
| April | 131.9 | -1.0 | 131.8 | -5.0 | 115.0 | 1.5 | 115.2 | 0.1 | |
| May | 130.0 | -1.4 | 130.4 | 2.9 | 111.2 | -3.3 | 111.9 | 5.7 | |
| June | 130.7 | 0.6 | 129.0 | 0.4 | 114.3 | 2.8 | 112.5 | 5.6 | |
| July | 130.3 | -0.3 | 135.0 | 1.4 | 113.5 | -0.7 | 117.4 | 4.0 | |
| August | 129.5 | -0.6 | 115.4 | -4.1 | 111.9 | -1.4 | 102.3 | 0.4 | |
| September | 130.7 | 0.9 | 137.6 | 5.4 | 115.4 | 3.1 | 119.7 | 7.1 | |
| October | 131.1 | 0.3 | 139.3 | 4.2 | 113.6 | -1.5 | 120.9 | 2.1 | |
| November | 129.4 | -1.4 | 131.5 | -1.1 | 114.5 | 0.7 | 116.4 | 3.9 | |
| December | 132.6 | 2.5 | 118.7 | 6.1 | 116.0 | 1.3 | 104.8 | 8.2 | |
2026 | January | 131.1 | -1.1 | 122.0 | -2.5 | 110.9 | -4.4 | 106.8 | -4.9 |
| February | 135.0 | 3.0 | 131.9 | 1.5 | 115.4 | 4.1 | 111.7 | 0.6 | |
| March | 135.8 | 0.6 | 150.3 | 6.9 | 120.6 | 4.5 | 129.5 | 10.3 | |
| April | 136.6 | 0.6 | 136.6 | 3.6 | 121.8 | 1.0 | 122.2 | 6.0 | |
| May | 138.1 | 1.1 | 129.5 | -0.7 | 118.7 | -2.6 | 113.6 | 1.4 | |
| June | 139.4 | 0.9 | 147.0 | 13.9 | 124.0 | 4.5 | 128.3 | 14 | |
| July | 138.2 | -0.8 | 143.1 | 6.0 | 116.9 | -5.7 | 121.0 | 3.1 | |
More information:
More calendar and seasonally adjusted results of foreign trade statistics are available in the GENESIS-Online database (Tables 51000-0020 and 51000-0021). It also contains first provisional results (nominal basis) for reference month July 2026 (Tables 51000-0002, 51000-0004 and 51000-0006). These first provisional figures will be updated on 21 September 2026 when full detailed results are published for the reference month (Tables 51000).
Foreign trade results can also be found on the "Economic Dashboard" (www.dashboard-konjunktur.de) (only in German). In this data portal, the Federal Statistical Office brings together high-frequency indicators from official statistics producers and other data providers on the topics of the economy, finance, the labour market, construction and energy.