We Respect Your Privacy
We use cookies to operate this website, improve usability, deliver better user experience, and improve our marketing. Your privacy is important to us and we never collect any personal data.View Cookie policy
What does Germany export - Header.jpg

Largest economy in the European Union


As the European Union’s largest economy, Germany is responsible for around one-fifth of the European bloc’s overall GDP. For nearly a decade now, it has been enjoying economic growth. But it seems the tide may just be turning.


Germany very narrowly avoided a recession after registering zero growth in the final quarter of 2018. This followed a 0.2% contraction in Q3. Experts have attributed this to a fall in overseas demand, which affected manufacturing output and as a result, exports.


Overall, its economy recorded a 1.4% overall growth in 2018, a decrease from 2.2% the year before. The country is now facing further slowdowns that are threatening growth as Berlin revises its 2019 economic outlook to 1.0% from an earlier estimate of 1.8%.



“If you look at Germany across 2018 we’ve seen a pretty broad-based slowdown in growth. We’ve seen household consumption slow, we’ve seen business investment slow and we’ve seen export growth slow. What’s particularly worrying is that the early signs for 2019 suggest that a strong rebound is unlikely.”



Jack Allen, senior Europe economist at Capital Economics


World’s largest exporters of cars


As the fourth largest economy in the world, Germany also has a significant economic influence on the world stage.


This holds particularly true for the automobile industry, with five out of the ten most valuable car brands calling Germany home. That said, it should come as no surprise then that Germany is the world’s top exporter of cars.


In fact, according to the Observatory of Economic Complex, around 21%, or one of every five cars being shipped around the world, is exported from Germany. The second-largest car exporter is Japan with 14%, around two-thirds of the number of automobiles exported by Germany.


Of Germany’s automobile exports, 58% are exported to other European countries. Asia and North America receive 21% and 16% respectively.


And with the US now threatening tariffs of up to 25% on imported automobiles and automobile parts from the EU, Germany’s automotive industry has reason to worry. Excluding the EU, the US is the largest importing country of German vehicles.


Here’s a breakdown of the top five destinations of Germany’s car exports.


  • United States (14%)
  • United Kingdom (13%)
  • China (8.6%)
  • Italy (6.6%)
  • France (6.3%)

Germany’s largest trading partners


Germany’s exports in 2017 totalled a value of $1.33 trillion, marking an increase from $1.25 trillion in 2016. Of these exports, two-thirds are to countries within Europe.


On a country-basis, Germany’s top export destinations are the US, France, China, UK, and the Netherlands. In total, these five countries receive over one-third of the total exported German goods.


Here’s an infographic to illustrate the breakdown of German exports and its top export destinations:


inforgraphic to illustrate the breakdown of German exports

Related Articles

iContainers is a digital freight forwarder based in Barcelona that assists thousands of companies and families around the globe in moving their merchandise internationally.


Our online freight quoting platform has the latest technology in the sector and simplifies ocean freight, quoting and managing your bookings from the same user area.


We are part of the Agility group, and we work side by side with Shipa Freight to fully cover the demands of our customers.

agility-logo
Get in touch
United States:+1-830-465-4006
Spain:+34932204856
Dominican Republic:+1-829-946-0444
UAE:+1 (830) 465 4006
India:+917981212480
Canada:+1 437-747-8314
All Rights Reserved. © 2024 iContainers