Preliminary data released by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on Tuesday reported that for April 2026, German exports increased by 0.9 percent and imports increased by 1.2 percent when adjusted for calendar and seasonal variations compared to March 2026. Year-over-year, both exports rose by 3.6 percent and imports grew by 6.2 percent, compared to April 2025.
In April 2026, Germany exported goods worth 136.6 billion euros and imported goods valued at 122.1 billion euros, resulting in a foreign trade balance surplus of 14.5 billion euros. This figure was slightly lower than the 14.7 billion euro surplus recorded in March, and significantly lower than the 16.9 billion euro surplus seen in April 2025.
Analysis of continental trade shows that Germany exported 79.1 billion euros worth of goods to EU member states, while imports from these countries totaled 61.0 billion euros. Compared to the previous month, exports to the EU rose by 1.0 percent, and imports from the EU increased by 0.4 percent.
Trade within the eurozone involved exports valued at 54.8 billion euros (up 0.1 percent) and imports of 41.6 billion euros (up 2.2 percent). Meanwhile, exports to non-euro EU countries reached 24.3 billion euros (up 3.0 percent), while imports from these nations dropped by 3.4 percent, totaling 19.4 billion euros.
Turning to international trade with third countries, Germany exported 57.5 billion euros, and imported 61.1 billion euros. Between March and April, exports to third countries rose by 0.7 percent, while imports from those regions increased by 2.0 percent.
The United States remained the primary destination for German exports in April 2026, receiving goods worth 11.4 billion euros (a 1.8 percent increase from March 2026). However, compared to the same month last year, exports to the U.S. were 12.9 percent lower. Conversely, exports to the United Kingdom fell by 9.5 percent month-over-month to 6.7 billion euros. Exports to China declined by 3.5 percent in April 2026, falling to 5.8 billion euros.
In terms of imports, China was the largest supplier in April 2026, providing 15.6 billion euros worth of goods (a 0.2 percent increase from the previous month). Imports from the United States grew by 7.6 percent to 8.6 billion euros, and imports from the United Kingdom also rose by 4.7 percent to 3.3 billion euros during the same period.
