But total exports for 2025 rebounded by around 1% following two years of contraction, as stronger trade with Europe offset falling shipments to the US, statistics agency Destatis said.

German exports to the US fell 9.3% last year, while US imports to Germany rose slightly.

Germany’s trade surplus with the world’s biggest economy was €52.2 billion (US$62 billion), its lowest level since 2021, after a record surplus the previous year of nearly €70 billion.

China returned as Germany’s biggest trading partner last year, overtaking the US, as exports from the world’s number two economy to Germany rose sharply, according to the preliminary data.

Europe was in Trump’s crosshairs when he launched his tariff onslaught, as it runs a hefty trade surplus with the United States, much of it due to German exports.

Under a deal struck in July, EU exports to the US face a baseline levy of 15% – far higher than before Trump’s return to office.

It was a heavy blow for Germany, whose firms, from well-known automakers and machinery giants to smaller, family-owned companies, have long relied on robust trade with the US.