It is often said that wage moderation in Germany was the primary cause of the current account imbalances in the euro area that emerged prior to the financial crisis. A new study puts this hypothesis to the test.

Monthly turnover data are available for industry and the retail trade sector. Quarterly time series are published for the services sector. The results for the retail trade are also included in the calculation of private consumption.

Statutory basis, implementation provisions, Bundesbank notices and circulars

On this page you will find frequently asked questions and notices on reports in external sector.

On this page you will find relevant code lists on reports in external sector.

Germany’s Statistics on International Trade in Services are collected by the Deutsche Bundesbank in order to compile Germany’s Balance of Payments Statistics and serve as the basis for the research data set Statistics on International Trade in Services (SITS).

German enterprises constitute net debtors vis-à-vis non-residents: Standing at €1796 billion at the end of June 2025, their liabilities arising from financial operations and trade credits, exceeded their corresponding assets of €1508 billion by €288 billion. Compared with the previous month, this is a change of -€18 billion.

On the occasion of the 100th birthday of the German balance of payments, an anniversary volume was published by Springer-Verlag, which can also be downloaded free of charge. In this book, international, European and national scientists, statisticians and practitioners describe the development of the balance of payments.

Stock reports pursuant to Annexes Z 5, Z 5a and Z 5b to the Foreign Trade and Payments Regulation can be submitted via file transfer in different file formats.