Significant decline in German exports to the US

2026-01-21 07:55:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

US President Donald Trump's tariff policies have hit German exporters hard, with the Federal Statistical Office reporting that exports of "Made in Germany" goods to the US fell by 9.4 percent last year, a significant drop.

Meanwhile, imports from the United States to Germany increased by 2.2 percent. From January to November 2025, German exports to the US were worth 135.8 billion euros, while those from the US to Germany were 86.9 billion euros.

German export surplus has narrowed

Overall, Germany's export surplus in trade with the US fell to 48.9 billion euros in 2025, reaching its lowest level since the 2021 coronavirus pandemic.

The German export surplus means that Germany sells significantly more goods to the US than vice versa. That's why President Trump has targeted Germany - mainly car exports - by repeatedly criticizing Germany's large trade surpluses with the US and arguing that they are harmful to the US economy. A key motive behind his protectionist tariff policy is to try to compensate for such trade imbalances, which he considers "unfair".

The automotive industry has been hit particularly hard.

And indeed, the German automotive industry in particular suffered heavy losses due to Trump's tariff policies. Exports of cars and car parts fell by 17.5 percent from January to November 2025, reaching a value of 26.9 billion euros. Meanwhile, exports of machinery fell by 9.0 percent to 24.1 billion euros.

Meanwhile, the pharmaceutical industry managed to maintain its export volume, which increased by 0.7 percent to a value of 26.2 billion euros.

China is again Germany's most important trading partner

From January to November 2025, the US also lost its position as Germany's most important trading partner, a position it had first gained in 2024. Now Germany's most important trading partner is China again.

Total trade with the People's Republic of China, i.e. the value of all exports and imports, reached approximately 230.8 billion euros in this period. While that with the USA was only 222.8 billion euros. /DW