Macro · Wiesbaden
German exports rise 2.0% in September, beating forecasts, to 141.1 billion euros
Destatis reported on Monday, 9 November, that exports rose 2.0% month on month to 141.1 billion euros, well above the 0.5% economists had expected. Shipments to the United States remained the largest single destination.
AI text based on reports by stern.de, N-tv, Der Tagesspiegel and other publishers. Published . How it is made
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In brief
Exports reached 141.1 billion euros in September, against a Reuters poll expectation of a 0.5% rise and an August decline of 0.4%.
Exports to the EU rose 3.5% to 80.8 billion euros, while US-bound exports fell 0.5% to 13.4 billion euros but were 10.3% higher than a year earlier.
Exports to China fell 5.2% to 5.5 billion euros in September, and shipments to the United Kingdom dropped 4.7% from August.
Exports beat forecasts
German exporters shipped goods worth 141.1 billion euros abroad in September, up 2.0% on August, according to preliminary data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) published on Monday, 9 November. Economists polled by Reuters and analysts at Factset had expected a rise of only 0.5%. August exports had fallen 0.4%, and the September gain was the strongest since February. Compared with September 2025, exports were 7.7% higher on a calendar and seasonally adjusted basis. The gain followed two setbacks in a row earlier in the year.
Shifts by destination
Exports to EU member states rose 3.5% to 80.8 billion euros, and the EU was the main driver of the increase. The United States remained the single largest buyer of German goods, although shipments there slipped 0.5% from August to 13.4 billion euros. Against September 2025, US-bound exports were 10.3% higher, despite the tariff policy of the US government under Donald Trump. Exports to China fell 5.2% to 5.5 billion euros, and shipments to the United Kingdom dropped 4.7%.
- EU member states
- 3.5 % change
- United States
- -0.5 % change
- United Kingdom
- -4.7 % change
- China
- -5.2 % change
Data from the article text
Economists' reading
Alexander Krüger, chief economist at Bethmann HAL Bank, said the figures showed exports picking up their upward trend again.
“The exports are resuming their upward trend. In September they were again significantly higher than a year earlier.”
He added that this was good news, given that competition from China remains high, and said foreign trade should support economic growth for now without driving it. Sebastian Dullien, scientific director of the Institute for Macroeconomics and Business Cycle Research (IMK) at the Hans Böckler Foundation, saw the numbers as further evidence that Germany's recovery is holding up against high energy prices and rising interest rates. He pointed in particular to exports to the US and said German industry also benefits from supplies for the AI data-centre construction boom in the United States.
“Although exports to the US were marginally below the August level in September, the year-on-year comparison now shows an increase of more than 10 percent.”
Imports and trade balance
Imports rose 4.2% on the month to 125.5 billion euros and were 8.7% higher than a year earlier, according to the Radiocor report by Il Sole 24 Ore. That left Germany with a trade surplus of 15.6 billion euros for September, the figure exports minus imports. Exports and imports are compared side by side below.
- Exports
- 141.1 billion euros
- Imports
- 125.5 billion euros
Data from the article text
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Sources and context
- stern.deGerman exports increase surprisingly significantly in SeptemberDeutsche Exporte legen im September überraschend deutlich zu · original in German
- N-tvThe stock market day: German exports at a seven-month highDer Börsen-Tag: Deutsche Exporte mit Siebenmonatshoch · original in German
- N-tvAround 141 billion euros: German exports rose to a seven-month high in SeptemberRund 141 Milliarden Euro: Deutsche Exporte im September auf Sieben-Monats-Hoch gestiegen · original in German
- Der TagesspiegelForeign trade: Made in Germany in demandAußenhandel: "Made in Germany" gefragt - Ausfuhren legen im September zu · original in German
- Donald Trump
- Named in the articles in connection with the tariff policy of the US government that affects German exporters
- Places
- Wiesbaden, Germany, United States, China, United Kingdom
- Organizations
- European Union
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