09.06.202606:10:58UTC+00German Exports Hit Near 3-1/2-Year High

Germany’s exports rose unexpectedly by 0.9% month-on-month in April 2026 to €136.6 billion, the highest level in nearly three and a half years. This marked an acceleration from the downwardly revised 0.3% increase recorded in March and clearly outperformed market expectations, which had pointed to a 0.3% decline.

Exports to EU member states increased by 1.0%. Within this group, shipments to the Eurozone edged up 0.1%, while exports to EU countries outside the Eurozone advanced by 3.0%. Sales to non-EU “third countries” also gained 0.7%, supported in particular by a 1.8% rise in exports to the United States, Germany’s largest single export market.

By contrast, exports to China fell by 3.5%, and shipments to the United Kingdom declined sharply, by 9.5%. Over the first four months of 2026 as a whole, German exports increased by 2.1% year-on-year to a total of €537.6 billion.