German exports to the United States fell by 9.4 percent in the first eleven months of 2025 on an annual basis, while imports from the US rose by 2.2 percent, Germany's Federal Statistical Office “Destatis“ reported. (Destatis), quoted by DPA, reported BTA.
From January to November 2025, German companies exported goods worth around 135.8 billion euros to the US, which is almost a tenth less than in the same period in 2024. Imports from the US to Germany for the same period reached 86.9 billion euros.
As a result of the decline in exports and the increase in imports, Germany's trade surplus in trade with the US shrank to 48.9 billion euros in the first eleven months of 2025. According to the statistical office, this is the lowest value for this period since 2021.
In the same period of the previous year, the surplus reached a record 64.8 billion euros. Despite the decline, the US remains the country with which Germany has the largest trade surplus globally.
The automotive sector is hardest hit by the trade slump. Exports of cars and car parts to the US fell by 17.5 percent to €26.9 billion between January and November 2025. Exports of machinery fell by 9 percent to just over €24 billion.
On the other hand, exports of pharmaceuticals to the US rose slightly by 0.7 percent to €26.2 billion.
According to statistics, the US continues to be Germany's most important export destination. However, the decline in trade with the United States has contributed to the contraction of total German exports in 2025 for the third consecutive year.
The period was marked by the trade policy of US President Donald Trump, who imposed additional tariffs on goods from the European Union. At the end of last week, Trump announced that from February the United States would introduce new tariffs of 10 percent on imports from Germany and seven other European countries, which will increase to 25 percent from June 1 if an agreement is not reached on the Greenland issue.
Against this background, fears of an escalation of the trade dispute between the European Union and the United States are growing.