German exports fell more sharply than expected in May, official data showed today, highlighting the challenges that Europe's biggest economy faces to emerge from the doldrums.
German exports dropped 3.6% from the previous month and stood at €131.6 billion, federal statistics agency Destatis said in a statement.
It followed two months of slight increases, and was worse than forecast by analysts surveyed by financial data firm FactSet, who had been expecting a decrease of 2.5%.
Exports to the European Union fell 2.5% while beyond the bloc they were down 4.9%.
Exports to China, which was Germany's top trading partner in 2023, fell 10.2%.
The US remained the biggest importer of "made in Germany" goods, although exports to the world's biggest economy declined 2.9%.
Germany imported €106.7 billion worth of products in May, down 6.6% from a month earlier, with its trade surplus coming in at €24.9 billion.
Germany was the only major advanced economy to shrink last year as it battled high inflation, a manufacturing slowdown and weakness in key trading partners.
A recovery is getting underway this year but recent indicators have suggested it may be slower than originally anticipated.
The German government is forecasting 0.3% growth for 2024.
