Press release No. 356 of 8 October 2026 Exports in August 2026: -0.8% on July 2026

Press release No. 356 of 8 October 2026

Exports (calendar and seasonally adjusted exports of goods), August 2026
137.6 billion euros
-0.8% on the previous month
+6.2% on the same month a year earlier

Imports (calendar and seasonally adjusted imports of goods), August 2026
118.1 billion euros
+0.9% on the previous month
+5.5% on the same month a year earlier

Foreign trade balance (calendar and seasonally adjusted), August 2026
19.5 billion euros

WIESBADEN - In August 2026, German exports were down 0.8% and imports were up 0.9% on a calendar and seasonally adjusted basis compared with July 2026. Compared with August 2025, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) further reports that exports increased by 6.2% and imports rose by 5.5%, based on provisional data.

After calendar and seasonal adjustment, Germany exported goods to the value of 137.6 billion euros and imported goods to the value of 118.1 billion euros in August 2026. The foreign trade balance thus showed a surplus of 19.5 billion euros in August 2026. The calendar and seasonally adjusted foreign trade balance stood at +21.6 billion euros in July 2026. In August 2025, the balance was +17.6 billion euros.

Trade with EU countries

On a calendar and seasonally adjusted basis, Germany exported goods to the value of 77.5 billion euros to the Member States of the European Union (EU) in August 2026, while it imported goods to the value of 59.3 billion euros from these countries in the same period. Compared with July 2026, calendar and seasonally adjusted exports to EU countries dropped by 0.6% and imports from these countries fell by 0.4%. The value of the goods exported to euro area countries totalled 54.3 billion euros (+0.8%), and the value of the goods imported from these countries was 39.6 billion euros (-0.3%). Goods to the value of 23.2 billion euros (-3.5%) were exported to EU countries not belonging to the euro area, while the value of the goods imported from those countries was 19.7 billion euros (-0.7%).

Trade with non-EU countries

Exports of goods to countries outside the EU (third countries) amounted to 60.0 billion euros in August 2026, while imports from those countries totalled 58.8 billion euros, on a calendar and seasonally adjusted basis. Compared with July 2026, exports to third countries decreased by 1.1% and imports from those countries rose by 2.2%.

Most German exports in August 2026 went to the United States, with goods exports totalling 13.5 billion euros after seasonal and calendar adjustment. This represented a decrease of 6.3% on July 2026. Compared with August 2025, exports to the United States were up 22.6%, however, on a calendar and seasonally adjusted basis. Month on month, exports to the United Kingdom increased by 16.7% to 7.9 billion euros. In August 2026, exports to the People's Republic of China rose by 4.7% to 5.9 billion euros compared with July 2026.

Most imports in August 2026 came from the People's Republic of China. Goods to the value of 16.8 billion euros were imported from there, after calendar and seasonal adjustment. This was an increase of 11.0% compared with the previous month. Imports from the United States decreased by 0.5% to 8.1 billion euros. Imports from the United Kingdom fell by 3.8% 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 123.4 billion euros and imported goods to the value of 108.4 billion euros on a nominal basis (not adjusted for calendar or seasonal effects) in August 2026. Compared with August 2025, exports therefore increased by 7.0% and imports were up 6.0%. The unadjusted foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 15.0 billion euros in August 2026. In August 2025, the surplus was 13.1 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.

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 20 October 2026 when full detailed results are published for the reference month (Tables 51000).

Foreign trade results can also be found on the "Economic Dashboard" (https://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.