Germany exports rise unexpectedly on stronger U.S. shipments in May

Germany’s exports rose 0.9% in May to 137.9 billion euros, while imports fell 2.5% to 118.8 billion euros, lifting the trade surplus to 19.1 billion euros, the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden said. The sharpest lift came from the United States, where shipments surged 23.1% and helped offset softer demand elsewhere.

The May increase beat a Reuters poll forecast for a 0.3% decline in exports and marked the fourth straight monthly gain. On a year-over-year basis, exports were up 6.1% and imports were up 6.9%, a sign that Germany’s external sector improved even as the fall in imports pointed to weaker domestic appetite for goods and inputs.

The United States remained Germany’s largest export market, and the trade relationship has become more volatile under Washington’s tariff policy. Germany’s export surplus with the United States shrank 30.5% in the first quarter of 2026 from a year earlier to 12.4 billion euros after the United States imposed higher tariffs on many imports, including motor vehicles from Europe. Destatis said Germany has recorded a goods-trade surplus with the United States for more than three decades, underscoring how unusual the recent disruption has been.

The latest figures suggest only a partial rebound in the transatlantic flow, not a clean reversal of the 2025 slump in German exports to the United States. Even with the May jump, the data show an economy still leaning heavily on overseas demand, especially American buyers, at a time when home-market strength remains uncertain.

Trade with China also moved unevenly. German exports to China rose 7.1% in May, while imports from China fell 2%, reinforcing the picture of a trade balance supported by stronger sales abroad and softer goods inflows at home. For Germany, that mix offers a short-term cushion for manufacturers, but it does not yet point to a broad revival in domestic demand or consumer spending.