In January 2026, Germany’s exports and imports were adjusted for calendar and seasonal effects, falling by 2.3 % and 5.9 % respectively compared to December. However, when compared with the same month a year earlier, exports grew by 0.6 % while imports dropped by 4.0 %, according to preliminary data released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Tuesday.
The seasonal‑adjusted figures for the first month of the year show that Germany exported goods worth €130.5 billion and imported goods worth €109.2 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of €21.2 billion. In contrast, December’s seasonal‑adjusted balance was +€17.4 billion, and January 2025 was +€15.9 billion.
Exports to EU member states in January 2026 were €71.6 billion, with imports from those countries at €55.6 billion. Relative to December, exports to the EU fell by 4.8 % and imports by 6.5 %. Within the Eurozone, exports were €50.1 billion (down 5.7 %) and imports were €37.6 billion (down 5.9 %). For EU countries outside the Eurozone, exports totaled €21.5 billion (down 2.7 %) and imports were €18.0 billion (down 7.8 %).
Trade with non‑EU third countries was €58.8 billion in exports and €53.6 billion in imports. Compared with December 2025, exports to third countries rose by 1.0 % while imports fell by 5.3 %.
Germany’s largest export market in January 2026 was the United States, where seasonal‑adjusted exports amounted to €13.2 billion, up 11.7 % from December 2025 and 0.4 % above the same month last year. Exports to the United Kingdom fell 2.6 % year‑on‑year to €6.8 billion, while exports to China declined 13.2 % to €6.3 billion.
China was also the biggest source of imports in January 2026, with seasonal‑adjusted imports worth €14.2 billion-8.3 % lower than the previous month. Imports from the United States decreased 8.2 % to €7.2 billion, whereas imports from the United Kingdom rose 2.5 % to €3.0 billion.
Trade with Russia showed a sharp decline: exports fell 8.3 % from December to €0.5 billion, and 15.9 % compared with January 2025. Imports from Russia dropped 20.0 % from December 2025 to €0.1 billion, and 19.7 % from January 2025.
