Year over year, the total cost of Germany’s imported goods accelerated by 8.8% from $1.414 trillion in 2024.
Based on the average exchange rate for 2025, Germany uses the euro which strengthened via a 4.4% advance against the US dollar from 2024 to 2025. The stronger European Union currency made Germany’s imports paid for in weaker US dollars in 2025 relatively less expensive than in 2024 when converted starting from euros.
German imports represent 6.3% of all globally imported goods which totaled an estimated $24.259 trillion one year earlier in 2024, up from 5.9% one year prior.
Domestically, the inflation rate for Germany’s average consumer prices was 2.086% in 2025 down from an average 2.489% for 2024.
Germany’s 5 biggest imported products by value in 2025 were cars, automobile parts or accessories, medication mixes in dosage, crude oil then blood fractions including antisera. Collectively, that quintet of leading imports represents 15.9% of Germany’s total spending on imported goods during 2025.
Germany’s Main Imported Products Suppliers
The latest available country-specific data shows that 70.8% of products imported into Germany was supplied by exporters in: mainland China (35.6% of the German total), United States of America (7.5%), Netherlands (5.2%), Poland (5.1%), Italy (4%), France (2.8%), Czech Republic (2.7%), Switzerland (2.16%), Austria (also 2.16%), Belgium (1.8%), Spain (1.7%) and United Kingdom (1.3%).
Applying a continental lens, over three-fifths (61%) of Germany’s total imports by value in 2025 was purchased from fellow European countries. Trade partners in Asia satisfied 26.1% of import purchases by Germany while another 8.3% worth of goods originated from providers located in North America.
Smaller percentages came from shippers in Africa (2.6%), Latin America (1.6%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, then Oceania (0.4%) led by Australia.
Germany is also a key member of the European Union. By value, EU member states furnished 51.8% of overall German imports in 2025 compared to 52.7% for the prior year.
Given Germany’s population of 84.9 million people, its total US$1.539 trillion in 2025 imports translates to roughly $18,150 in yearly product demand from every person in the European republic. That per-capita amount exceeds the average $16,800 one year earlier in 2024.
Germany’s Top 10 Imports
The following product groups represent the highest dollar value in Germany’s import purchases during 2025. Also shown is the percentage share each product category represents in terms of overall imports into Germany.
- Electrical machinery, equipment: US$219.3 billion (14.3% of total imports)
- Machinery including computers: $189.2 billion (12.3%)
- Vehicles: $156.6 billion (10.2%)
- Mineral fuels including oil: $115.8 billion (7.5%)
- Pharmaceuticals: $83.1 billion (5.4%)
- Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $54.3 billion (3.5%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: $50.8 billion (3.3%)
- Organic chemicals: $40.1 billion (2.6%)
- Gems, precious metals: $36.1 billion (2.3%)
- Articles of iron or steel: $29.3 billion (1.9%)
Germany’s top 10 import product categories accounted for 63.3% of the overall value of German product purchases from other countries.
The fastest-growing top categories from 2024 to 2025 were Germany’s imports of gems and precious metals (up 61.9%) then the machinery including computers (up 9.3%) and optical, technical or medical apparatus (up 9%) product categories.
The lone decliner for Germany were imports of organic chemicals via a -3.4% reduction from 2024.
Note that the results listed above are at the categorized two-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) code level. For a more detailed view of imported goods at the four-digit HTS code level, see the sections below.
Germany’s Best Electronics Imports
In 2025, German importers spent the most on the following 10 subcategories of electrical equipment including consumer electronics.
- Phone devices including smartphones: US$27.6 billion (up 7.9% from 2024)
- Electric storage batteries: $25.7 billion (up 13.8%)
- Integrated circuits/microassemblies: $20.1 billion (up 6.8%)
- Insulated wire/cable: $17 billion (up 13.8%)
- Electrical converters/power units: $14.1 billion (up 11.6%)
- Electrical/optical circuit boards, panels: $12.2 billion (up 5.8%)
- Lower-voltage switches, fuses: $10.4 billion (up 14.1%)
- Electric motors, generators: $8.4 billion (up 10.4%)
- Solar power diodes/semi-conductors: $8.1 billion (up 0.02%)
- Electric water heaters, hair dryers: $6.6 billion (up 12.8%)
Among these import subcategories, German purchases of lower-voltage switches and fuses (up 14.1%), electric storage batteries (up 13.8%) then insulated wire or cable (also up 13.8%) grew at the fastest pace from 2024 to 2025.
These amounts and the percentage gains within parenthesis clearly show where the strongest demand lies for different types of imported electronics among German businesses and consumers.
Germany’s Best Machinery Imports
In 2025, German importers spent the most on the following 10 subcategories of machines including computers.
- Computers, optical readers: US$33.4 billion (up 16.1% from 2024)
- Turbo-jets: $18.7 billion (up 19.2%)
- Taps, valves, similar appliances: $9 billion (up 11.7%)
- Centrifuges, filters and purifiers: $8.3 billion (up 3.5%)
- Printing machinery: $7.7 billion (up 0.6%)
- Miscellaneous machinery: $7.1 billion (up 8.5%)
- Piston engine parts: $6.7 billion (up 1.9%)
- Transmission shafts, gears, clutches: $6.7 billion (up 7.6%)
- Air or vacuum pumps: $6.2 billion (up 10.5%)
- Liquid pumps and elevators: $5.8 billion (up 7%)
Among these import subcategories, German purchases of turbo-jets (up 19.2%), computers or optical readers (up 16.1%) then taps, valves and similar appliances (up 11.7%) grew at the fastest pace from 2024 to 2025.
These amounts and the percentage gains within parenthesis clearly show where the strongest demand lies for different types of imported machinery among German businesses and consumers.
Germany’s Best Vehicles Imports
In 2025, German importers spent the most on the following 10 subcategories of vehicles.
- Cars: US$77.8 billion (up 7.1% from 2024)
- Automobile parts/accessories: $49.1 billion (up 8%)
- Trucks: $10.4 billion (up 4.9%)
- Tractors: $3.9 billion (up 7.8%)
- Motorcycle parts/accessories: $3.33 billion (up 21.6%)
- Trailers: $3.27 billion (up 23.6%)
- Motorcycles: $2.9 billion (up 3.5%)
- Public-transport vehicles: $2 billion (up 43.2%)
- Bicycles, other non-motorized cycles: $899.2 million (up 12.8%)
- Special purpose vehicles: $556 million (up 6.9%)
Among these import subcategories, German purchases of public-transport vehicles (up 43.2%), trailers (up 23.6%) then motorcycle parts or accessories (up 21.6%) grew at the fastest pace from 2024 to 2025.
These amounts and the percentages within parenthesis clearly show where the strongest demand lies for different types of imported vehicles among German businesses and consumers.
Germany’s Best Mineral Fuels Imports
In 2025, German importers spent the most on the following 10 subcategories of mineral fuels-related products.
- Crude oil: US$40.7 billion (down -16% from 2024)
- Petroleum gases: $33.6 billion (up 44.8%)
- Processed petroleum oils: $24.8 billion (down -6.9%)
- Electrical energy: $9.1 billion (up 27.3%)
- Coal, solid fuels made from coal: $4 billion (down -22.3%)
- Coal tar oils (high temperature distillation): $1.1 billion (down -17.9%)
- Coke, semi-coke: $606.4 million (down -34.6%)
- Petroleum oil residues: $319.9 million (down -3.5%)
- Petroleum jelly, mineral waxes: $307.4 million (up 0.3%)
- Peat: $144.8 million (up 32.8%)
Among these import subcategories, German purchases of petroleum gases (up 44.8%), peat (up 32.8%) then electrical energy (up 27.3%) grew at the fastest pace from 2024 to 2025.
These amounts and the percentage gains within parenthesis clearly show where the strongest demand lies for different types of mineral fuels-related imports among German businesses and consumers.
See also Germany’s Top 10 Exports, Germany’s Top Trading Partners, Top German Trade Balances and Germany’s Top 10 Major Export Companies
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Country Profiles. Accessed on March 7, 2026
Imported Consumer Products, Germany’s Top 100 Imported Consumer Products. Accessed on March 7, 2026
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on March 7, 2026
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on March 7, 2026
X-rates.com, Exchange Rates: Euro to US Dollar (monthly average 2025). Accessed on March 7, 2026