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2023
Flag → Flag
Exports $104BRnk 4 / 220
2023
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Top Product $16.2BCars
2023
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Exports $164BRnk 4 / 208
2023
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Top Product $15.5BBroadcasting Equipment
2023
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Economic Complexity (ECI) ECI 1.79Rnk 5 / 132
2023
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Economic Complexity (ECI) ECI 1.16Rnk 21 / 132
2023
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GDP$4.53TCURRENT US$
Rnk 3 / 195
2013-2023
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GDP GROWTH18.8%CURRENT US$
Rnk 144 / 195
2023
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 GDP$17.8TCURRENT US$
Rnk 2 / 195
2013-2023
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GDP GROWTH85.9%CURRENT US$
Rnk 22 / 195
2023
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GDP PC $54,343CURRENT US$
Rnk 21 / 195
2013-2023
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GDP PC GROWTH15.1%CURRENT US$
Rnk 118 / 195
2023
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GDP PC$12,614CURRENT US$
Rnk 80 / 196
2013-2023
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GDP PC GROWTH79.7%CURRENT US$
Rnk 17 / 195

About

Germany-China Trade: In 2023, Germany exported $104B to China. The main products that Germany exported to China were Cars ($16.2B), Motor vehicles; parts and accessories (8701 to 8705) ($8.72B), and Packaged Medicaments ($3.07B). Over the past 5 years the exports of Germany to China have decreased at an annualized rate of 0.39%, from $106B in 2018 to $104B in 2023.

In 2020, Germany exported services to China worth $14.9B, with Royalties and license fees ($6.09B), Other business services ($5.48B), and Transportation ($3.08B) being the largest in terms of value.

China-Germany Trade: In 2023, China exported $164B to Germany. The main products that China exported to Germany were Broadcasting Equipment ($15.5B), Electric Batteries ($13.3B), and Computers ($12.7B). Over the past 5 years the exports of China to Germany have increased at an annualized rate of 6.8%,  from $118B in 2018 to $164B in 2023.

In 2023, China did not export any services to Germany.

Comparison: In 2023,  Germany ranked 5 in the Economic Complexity Index (ECI 1.79), and 3 in total exports ($1.57T). That same year, China ranked 21 in the Economic Complexity Index (ECI 1.16), and 1 in total exports ($3.42T).

Latest Trends

November, 2024

About

Overview In November 2024, Germany exported €6.69B and imported €14.4B from China, resulting in a negative trade balance of €7.71B. Between November 2023 and November 2024 the exports of Germany have decreased by €-1.85B (-21.7%) from €8.55B to €6.69B, while imports increased by €327M (2.32%) from €14.1B to €14.4B.

Trade In November 2024, the top exports of Germany to China were Motor cars and motor caravans (€1.25B), Machinery for electricity production, distribution (€728M), Chassis, bodies, engines etc. for motor... (€688M), Pharmaceutical products (€525M), and Other machinery (€401M). In November 2024 the top imports of Germany from China were Machinery for electricity production, distribution (€2.04B), Telecommunication devices and apparatus (€1.72B), Office and automatic data processing machines (€1.69B), Electronic devices (€898M), and Other electric machinery, apparatus and appliances (€603M).

Origins In November 2024 the exports of Germany were mainly from Baden-Württemberg (€1.21B), Bavaria (€1.13B), North Rhine-Westphalia (€797M), Saxony (€381M), and Hamburg (€317M), while imports destinations were mainly North Rhine-Westphalia (€3.07B), Bavaria (€2.94B), Baden-Württemberg (€1.73B), Hesse (€1.41B), and Lower Saxony (€1.15B).

Growth In November 2024, the decrease in Germany's year-by-year exports to China was explained primarily by an decrease in product exports in Motor cars and motor caravans (€-462M or -26.9%), Chassis, bodies, engines etc. for motor... (€-154M or -18.3%), and Other semi-finished products (€-64.4M or -96.5%). In November 2024, the increase in Germany's year-by-year imports  from China was explained primarily by an increase in product imports  in Machinery for electricity production, distribution (€771M or 60.9%), Telecommunication devices and apparatus (€694M or 67.3%), and Estimations for non-response (€209M or 173%).

Latest Trade

Time Scale
Flow
Value
EXPORT GROWTH (November 2023 - November 2024)€-1.85B(-21.7%)
IMPORT GROWTH (November 2023 - November 2024)€327M(2.32%)
MAIN EXPORTER (November 2024)Baden-Württemberg€1.21B

This section shows exports and imports data at subnational level for Germany. Click any date in the line plot, any subnational region in the geomap or any product to explore the exports or imports behavior of Germany over time.

To check China and Germany trade dynamics, check the bilateral page.

For full datasets download visit Bulk Download page.

Explore China and Germany Data

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Historical Data

Bilateral Trade by Products

Depth
Value

In 2023, Germany exported $104B to China. The main products exported from Germany to China were Cars ($16.2B), Motor vehicles; parts and accessories (8701 to 8705) ($8.72B), and Packaged Medicaments ($3.07B). During the last 5 years the exports of Germany to China have decreased at an annualized rate of 0.39%, from $106B in 2018 to $104B in 2023.

In 2018, China exported $164B to Germany. The main products exported from China to Germany were Broadcasting Equipment ($15.5B), Electric Batteries ($13.3B), and Computers ($12.7B). During the last 5 years the exports of China to Germany have increased at an annualized rate of 6.8%, from $118B in 2023 to $164B in 2018.

Exports from Germany (Flag) to China (Flag) (2023)

Exports from China (Flag) to Germany (Flag) (2023)

Market Competitiveness

Color
Germany
Top DestinationUnited States$157B
China
Top DestinationUnited States$436B

This map shows whether countries import more from Germany or China. Each country is colored based on the difference in imports they receive from Germany and China or the difference in the growth in imports.

In 2023, countries that imported more from Germany than China included France ($118B), Austria ($71.6B), and Italy ($94.7B).

In 2023, countries that imported more from China than Germany included United States ($436B), Hong Kong ($259B), and Japan ($169B).

Difference in imports from China (Flag) and Germany (Flag) (2023)

Comparative Advantage Germany - China

Flow
Scale

This chart compares trade between Germany and China by product, considering products traded by both, Germany and China.

During 2023, Germany had a large net trade with China in the exports of Machines ($38.5B), Transportation ($28.6B), and Chemical Products ($10.2B).

During 2018, China had a large net trade with Germany in the exports of Machines ($96B), Textiles ($10.6B), and Miscellaneous ($9.71B).

Potential Exports

Potential Exports

Depth
View
Sort By
Top Product Potential Germany China+$1.05BIntegrated Circuits
Top Product Potential China Germany+$2.14BTelephones

We estimate the export potential of an economy for each product and destination using an extension of the bilateral relatedness model of Jun et al. (2019).This extended gravity model considers similarities among products and geographies and explains more than 50% of the variance in future trade flows.

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Economic Complexity

Competitive Landscape

This visualization shows the product space at the HS4 level with the flags of Germany and China. This means that a dot/product with the flag of Germany indicates it has a comparative advantage over China. Similarly, a dot/product with the flag of China indicates it has a comparative advantage over Germany.

Product Space of Germany (Flag) and China (Flag) (2023)

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