Official figures show that German exports plunged by 24.5% in May from the same month a year earlier. On a monthly basis, however, Germany posted a slight rise of 0.3%, and a seasonally adjusted overall trade surplus of €10.3 billion.
The unadjusted trade surplus of €9.6 billion was up from April and well above most analysts' forecasts.
The German central bank, the Bundesbank, meanwhile reported that Germany's May current account balance of payments, the widest measure of trade with other countries, showed a surplus of €3.7 billion, less than half the May 2008 figure of €8.1 billion.
German companies have been hit by the global economic slowdown. Statistics office Destatis said exports to other EU countries were down by 25.4% on an annual basis, while imports fell by 22.1%.
Separate Destatis figures showed that the annual rate of German inflation stood at 0.1% in June, unchanged from a previous estimate. Economists also expect Germany to experience a brief period of deflation in the coming months.
