Because of the customs duties, Germany is facing a slowdown in its trade surplus with America

Germany continues to export its goods to the United States more than it imports, but the high customs duties imposed by the administration of US President Donald Trump slowed the trade movement between the two countries.

The Federal Statistics Office in Wiesbaden announced on Friday that the surplus of Germany’s exports to the United States fell from January 2025 to its lowest level since 2021. The data showed that the German trade balance surplus with the United States reached 34.6 billion euros, a decrease of 15 percent compared to the same period last year. On the global level, Germany’s surplus in foreign trade decreased by 32.7 billion Euro, or 21.2 percent, to 121.3 billion euros, and this is partly attributed to increasing imports from China. Despite this decline, the United States remains the commercial partner with which Germany is achieving the highest surplus in exports. Since last August 7, the United States has imposed 15 percent fees on most imports from the European Union, while steel and aluminum fees have increased to 50 percent since June. Although most German exports were directed to the United States last July, this month recorded the fourth monthly decline in a row, the lowest level since September 2021. German exports to the United States during the first seven months of 2025 declined 5.3 percent to 89.9 billion euros, while US exports to Germany increased by 2.2 percent to reach 55.3 billion euros. The European Trump administration accuses the fraud on the United States, and seeks to achieve a greater balance in global trade by imposing high customs duties on imports. So far, it has not become clear whether this strategy will succeed in the long term. Germany has been achieving a surplus in its trade with the United States for more than three decades, as the last registered deficit dates back to 1991.