Germany imported €712.1 billion worth of goods during the first six months of 2026, highlighting the enormous scale of the country’s connections to global supply chains and foreign producers.

The Federal Statistical Office of Germany, known as Destatis, reported that the value of goods imported between January and June was 4.7% higher than in the first half of 2025. The increase amounted to €31.7 billion.

The figure covers merchandise entering Germany from both European Union members and countries outside the EU. It does not include imports of services and should not be interpreted as a measure of total German imports under the national accounts framework.

Imports grew slightly faster than Germany’s goods exports during the first half of the year.

German goods exports reached €817.8 billion, up 3.9% from the same period of 2025. With imports at €712.1 billion, Germany recorded a goods trade surplus of €105.7 billion. That was slightly below the €106.4 billion surplus recorded a year earlier.

The figures show that Germany remained a substantial net exporter of goods even as the value of merchandise arriving from abroad increased more quickly than the value shipped overseas.

This trade balance refers specifically to foreign trade in goods. Broader measures of Germany’s external position can differ because national accounts and balance-of-payments statistics also include services and make other methodological adjustments. Destatis explicitly distinguishes its foreign trade concept from measures covering both goods and services.

China was Germany’s largest supplier of imported goods in the first half of 2026.

Germany imported €89.1 billion worth of goods from China, an increase of 8.8% from the same period a year earlier. The United States ranked second at €50.6 billion, followed by the Netherlands at €48.9 billion. Imports from the United States increased 7.0%, while imports from the Netherlands rose 0.7%.

China’s position was particularly significant because Germany’s exports in the opposite direction were much smaller. German exports to China fell 12.2% to €36.4 billion, leaving Germany with a €52.7 billion goods trade deficit with China, compared with €40.5 billion in the first half of 2025.

China also remained Germany’s largest trading partner when imports and exports were combined. Bilateral goods trade totaled €125.5 billion, narrowly ahead of the United States at €123.7 billion and the Netherlands at €109.3 billion.

That ranking measures total two-way goods trade rather than imports alone.

Two broad product groups accounted for particularly large amounts of Germany’s import spending.

Imports of motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts reached €77.1 billion, up 3.7% from the first half of 2025. Imports of data-processing equipment and electrical and optical products were close behind at €75.6 billion, an increase of 10.0%.

These figures reflect the value of imported goods rather than domestic retail sales or the amount ultimately consumed inside Germany. Imported components can enter German manufacturing supply chains, while finished products can be sold domestically or incorporated into goods that are subsequently exported.

Germany nevertheless continued to run substantial trade surpluses in several major industrial categories. Machinery produced a €54.0 billion surplus during the first half, while motor vehicles and parts generated a €47.6 billion surplus. By contrast, crude oil and natural gas produced an import surplus of €35.5 billion, while agricultural products recorded an import surplus of €16.5 billion.

The €712.1 billion figure is a nominal value of goods imports, meaning it measures their value in euros rather than an inflation-adjusted quantity of merchandise.

A 4.7% increase in import value therefore should not automatically be interpreted as a 4.7% increase in the physical volume of goods imported. Changes in prices, quantities and the composition of imports can all affect the nominal total.

Germany’s foreign trade statistics record cross-border movements of merchandise. Trade within the EU is primarily captured through the Intrastat system using company declarations, while trade with countries outside the EU is generally recorded through customs declarations.

Under the foreign trade methodology, imports are valued at the German border using the c.i.f. principle, which includes cost, insurance and freight to the border. Duties, taxes and other levies are not included in the statistical value.

The detailed €712.1 billion half-year total should also be distinguished from the calendar and seasonally adjusted figures Destatis published earlier in August. Its June release showed adjusted first-half imports of €711.6 billion. Destatis describes adjusted values as calculated figures intended primarily for analyzing short-term movements and cautions against directly comparing them with unadjusted nominal series.

For measuring the actual stated value of goods Germany imported during the first six months of 2026, the later detailed Destatis release puts the total at €712.1 billion.