Statistics on services by mode of supply have been prepared since the 2023 reporting year and are generally published by the Bundesbank eleven months after the end of a year.
The statistics provide information on how the service was supplied. There are four different modes.
Mode 1: Cross-border supply
The service is delivered from one country to another without the service provider or the recipient physically entering the other party’s country. One example of this is the provision of consultancy services by telephone or over the internet.
Mode 2: Consumption abroad
Here, the recipient of the service travels to the country of the service provider in order to consume the service there. A typical example is travel, where tourists travel abroad to consume services such as accommodation and meals.
Mode 3: Commercial presence
The service provider establishes an affiliate, a subsidiary or a joint venture abroad in order to offer services there. One example is a German bank that creates a subsidiary in another country and supplies services there through that subsidiary.
Mode 4: Presence of natural persons
This is the temporary presence of one country’s natural persons in another country to provide services there. An example is an engineer who is temporarily sent to another country for a project.
| | Imports | Exports |
| Mode 1: Cross-border provision | Foreign service provider supplies a service to a German. Both remain in their own countries. | German service provider supplies a service to a non-resident. Both remain in their own countries. |
Mode 2: Consumption abroad The consumer of the service moves | German consumer goes abroad to obtain the service (travel). | Foreign consumer comes to Germany to receive the service |
| Mode 3: Commercial presence | Enterprises resident abroad and controlled by Germany provide services abroad. | Enterprises domiciled in Germany that are controlled by non-residents provide services in Germany. |
Mode 4: Presence of natural persons Service provider moves. | Foreign service provider (natural person) goes to Germany to provide a service there. | German service provider (natural person) goes abroad to provide a service there. |
The dataset for these statistics will be expanded in the coming years. In future, Mode 3 will also be plotted and the information on a broader set of countries will be made available.
