At the end of 2019, Germany’s net external assets stood at €2,472 billion, thus amounting to almost 72% of nominal gross domestic product (GDP). The German net external asset position rose by €345 billion year-on-year.

Germany’s current account posted a surplus of €20.0 billion in July 2020, down €0.5 billion from the previous month’s level.

Die deutsche Leistungsbilanz verzeichnete im Juni 2020 einen Überschuss von 22,4 Mrd €. Das Ergebnis lag damit um 15,4 Mrd € über dem Niveau des Vormonats.

Germany’s current account recorded a surplus of €6.5 billion in May 2020, putting it €2.6 billion below its level in April.

Germany’s current account recorded a surplus of €7.7 billion in April 2020,1 putting it €17.9 billion below the March level.  

German direct investment abroad totalled €1,277 billion at the end of 2018. This represents an increase of €70 billion on the year. The United States was again the most important destination for German direct investors, with a figure of €361 billion.

Germany’s net international investment position stood at €2,073 billion at the end of 2018, thus amounting to around 62% of nominal gross domestic product. The German net external asset position rose by €281 billion year-on-year. 

The foreign direct investment stocks reached a new peak at year-end 2017. In 2017, Germany’s primary outward foreign direct investment (FDI) grew considerably by €61 billion and reached a new peak of €1,167 billion at the end of that year. In the opposite direction, inward FDI in Germany rose by €32 billion, likewise achieving its highest ever recorded value (€741 billion).

Germany’s net external position stood at €1,771 billion at the end of 2017, thus amounting to around 54% of nominal gross domestic product.

Germany’s outward foreign direct investment (FDI) stocks grew at a significantly slower rate in 2016 than they did one year earlier on account of smaller positive exchange rate effects as well as a lower volume of new equity investments. Inward FDI in Germany expanded at just a subdued pace, much as it had done in the previous years.