German export market shares have been contracting since 2017, and especially since 2021. According to the latest Monthly Report, this is largely due to a deterioration in the competitiveness of the German economy. More than three-quarters of the losses in market shares between 2021 and 2023 were the result of supply-side constraints. In this issue, the authors look at what is behind the decline in German export market shares and derive possible structural reforms.

At the end of 2024, Germany’s net external assets totalled €3,452 billion, thus amounting to around 80 % of the country’s nominal gross domestic product (GDP). Overall, both assets and liabilities vis-à-vis non-residents rose further in 2024. 

Germany’s current account recorded a surplus of €9.6 billion in May 2025, virtually half the level seen in the preceding month. This was mainly attributable to the swing to a deficit in invisible current transactions, which comprise services as well as primary and secondary income. There was also a somewhat smaller surplus in goods trading. 

Scientific study on the expectations of firms in Germany