Germany’s exports to the US have slumped, according to the latest data by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).
On June 6, the agency wrote that in April 2025, German exports to the US had dropped by more than 10 per cent compared to March 2025. That came in the wake of the “Trump tariffs”, which were initially announced on April 3.
During the first three months of 2025 German exports to the US had still shown a slight growth of 0.2 per cent. This, though, was primarily due to anticipatory effects as companies pulled forward imports to shield against expected changes in the US tariff system.
As German industrial magazine Produktion reported on June 6, the April drop in exports may just have been the start of a longer-term decrease in trade activity between Germany and the US.
The main burden of the tariff conflict was borne by industries such as mechanical engineering, metals and materials as well as automotive suppliers, all important sectors for the German economy.
While the US remained Germany’s most important non-EU trade partner, exports in April only amounted to €13 billion, the lowest value since October 2024 (€12.3 billion).
This equated to a drop of 10.5 per cent compared to March 2025. The data was adjusted for differences in months’ lengths and seasonality.
Year-on-year exports to the US decreased by 6.3 per cent. Similarly, exports to other non-EU countries fell but less dramatically, with exports to China dropping by 5.9 per cent to €7 billion and those to the UK slipping by 2.1 per cent to €6.3 billion.
While exports to non-EU countries slid, those from Germany to European Union member states in April were up 0.9 per cent to €72.9 billion.
Altogether, Germany exported goods worth €131.1 billion (a fall of 1.7 per cent) and imported goods worth €116.5 billion.
This meant the country achieved a trade balance surplus of €14.6 billion in April 2025. Exports, though, were still 2.1 per cent lower than they were in April 2024.
Latest data from China also showed a decline in international trade.
In May, the country’s exports to the US dropped by 34.5 per cent year-on-year to $28.8 billion. Meanwhile, Chinese exports to Germany were up 21.5 per cent to §10.5 billion, according to calculations posted on X on June 9 by journalist Finbarr Bermingham.
