According to a study, Germany dominates the global export business for 180 product groups. But the Federal Republic of the United States cannot do the water – and China plays in its own league anyway.
The Federal Republic has a share of at least 30 percent of the global export at 180 out of 5,300. This emerges from the study of the Cologne (IW) institute of the German Economy.
USA have under the Industrialized countries The nose ahead
After that, there is a clear dominance of the United States among the industrialized countries: the United States have 347 dominant goods. “This is certainly also due to the size of the American economy,” said the IW researchers.
Nevertheless, Germany with its 180 dominants cut off relatively well in international comparison and, for example, left Italy (141), France (73) and Japan (a good 100) behind. “With 1,535 dominant goods, China plays in a league in itself,” said the emerging threshold country. The People’s Republic had managed to almost double the number of dominant since 2010.
Chemistry, machines and electrical engineering in demand
With a view of Germany, it shows that around two thirds of the export dominating goods come from the areas of chemistry, machines/electrical engineering and base metals. Particularly noteworthy: the areas of high technology and military strategic security are only a relatively few goods from Germany.
But there are also goods in which Germany even reaches a world export share of more than 90 percent – for example with certain fertilizers and pain relievers as well as for some other chemical products. In the field of machine/electrical engineering, a world export share of more than 50 percent is achieved, for example for certain microscopes, harvesting machines, control technology instruments and crane cars.
German exporters specialize
For the study, the two IW researchers Jürgen Matthes and Samina Sultan evaluated the United Nations database. Her conclusion: “Germany keeps dominant export positions.” The number of product groups with a dominant export position has tended to decrease. “In the end, the level has stabilized somewhat.”
The number of dominant product groups in the four years 2020 to 2023 in the area between just under 180 and just under 190.
USA and China are the top buyers
But who actually buys the goods “made in Germany”? The fact that the United States is the most important buyer of the-dominant Germans should not be a surprise after US President Donald Trump had recently complained about this fact.
China is in second place, albeit at a clear distance. “At the latest the turn of the time after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it has shown that mutual economic dependencies are not as hoped for a guarantee of peaceful execution of conflicts,” said the IW researchers.
“Rather, their own critical economic dependencies have proven to be attacking areas for geopolitical adversaries in order to exercise economic constraints.” China’s increasing appearance as a system rival and the recent acting of the US government under President Donald Trump not only made it necessary to know his own critical dependencies – but also to identify his own strengths.
