External sector

External sector statistics provide information on a country’s economic relationships with the rest of the world. The data on external transactions and stocks form an important basis for economic policy decisions.

Germany’s current account surplus falls to €245½ billion in 2019

Germany’s current account surplus dropped by €2 billion to €245½ billion in 2019. As a percentage of German gross domestic product (GDP), the balance sank to 7¼ percent.

Time series

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Balance of payments, international investment position, external debt, external position of the Bundesbank, international reserves, direct investments, external position of non-banks.

Foreign direct investment: new peaks

Germany’s outward foreign direct investment (FDI) reached a new peak of €1,167 billion at year-end 2017. In the opposite direction, FDI rose to a record level of €741 billion. The United States continued to be the main destination for German FDI, with stocks totalling €225 billion, or around 20%. The significance of China as an investment location remained comparatively limited with a share of just under €77 billion, or 7%.