Key Takeaways
- Electrical machinery and equipment ranks first among Germany’s imports at €194.3 billion in 2025. Machinery ranks second at €167.8 billion.
- Vehicles rank third among Germany’s imports at €138.5 billion. Germany’s top export category ranks only third here.
- Mineral fuels, oils, and gases rank fourth at €102.4 billion. Germany produces only about 2% of the oil and 6% of the gas it consumes domestically.
- Electrical equipment, machinery, and vehicles combined make up 36.7% of everything Germany imported in 2025.
- Global supply-chain specialization explains why Germany imports so much machinery and electronics that it also exports.
Germany’s Highest-Value Import Categories
| Rank | Category | Import Value (€ billion) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electrical machinery and equipment | 194.3 |
| 2 | Machinery and mechanical appliances | 167.8 |
| 3 | Vehicles other than rail or tramway rolling stock | 138.5 |
| 4 | Mineral fuels, oils, and gases | 102.4 |
| 5 | Pharmaceutical products | 73.5 |
| 6 | Optical, photographic, and precision instruments | 48.1 |
| 7 | Plastics and articles thereof | 44.9 |
| 8 | Organic chemicals | 35.5 |
| 9 | Pearls, precious stones, and precious metals | 32.0 |
| 10 | Articles of iron or steel | 26.0 |
Source: Destatis (2025)
Categories follow the Warenverzeichnis für die Außenhandelsstatistik (WA). It is the two-digit commodity classification used in this table. Each category is one tariff chapter rather than an industry-based grouping.
All figures are provisional and may be revised in later Destatis releases.
“Machinery and mechanical appliances” includes computer hardware under this tariff-based system. Destatis’s own commodity-group press releases count that hardware as electronics instead.
Electrical Equipment and Machinery Rank Above Vehicles on Germany’s Imports
Germany imported €1,362.5 billion worth of goods in 2025.
Electrical machinery and equipment ranks first among Germany’s imports at €194.3 billion. These include items like power generators, telecom hardware, and computer parts under one customs chapter.
Machinery and mechanical appliances follow on import value at €167.8 billion.
Vehicles rank third among Germany’s imports at €138.5 billion. That is the same category that leads Germany’s exports.
Germany’s Top 10 Exported Goods ->
Combined, electrical equipment, machinery, and vehicles make up 36.7% of everything Germany imported in 2025.
That massive import of electronics and machinery reflects a global supply chain. It does not signal a weak industry.
Germany is Europe’s largest exporter of chip-manufacturing equipment. It still imports most of its finished computer chips from South Korea, Taiwan, and China.
No single country builds a chip from start to finish. Different countries specialize in different steps.
Germany’s strength lies in the machines that make chips rather than the chips themselves. That same global division of labor explains why machinery and electrical equipment top Germany’s import list.
Germany Imports Almost All the Oil and Gas It Uses
Mineral fuels, oils, and gases rank fourth among Germany’s imports at €102.4 billion. This category covers crude oil, natural gas, and refined fuels like gasoline and diesel.
Germany produces only about 2% of the oil it consumes domestically. Domestic gas production covers about 6% of consumption.
EU Relies on Imports for Natural Gas ->
Russian pipeline gas deliveries to Germany stopped in September 2022. Norway, the Netherlands, and Belgium are now the country’s main gas suppliers.
Energy imports reflect a resource gap Germany cannot close no matter how well it manufactures or engineers.
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- EU Relies on Imports for Natural Gas
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- EU Countries Are Only Partly Self-Sufficient in Food
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