What does Germany produce and export?
Germany ranks in the top ten producers of 13 commodities: cheese (#2, 10% of world output in 2023), barley (#3, 7.5% of world output in 2024), milk (#5, 4.3% of world output in 2024), potash (#5, 6.1% of world output in 2025), pork (#6, 3.4% of world output in 2024), potatoes (#6, 3.3% of world output in 2024) and more. It is a top-ten exporter of cheese (#1, 15% of world export value in 2024), logs (#3, 6.8% of world export value in 2024), pork (#3, 11% of world export value in 2024), potash (#3, 7.3% of world export value in 2024), potatoes (#3, 13% of world export value in 2024) and more.
Germany's position in world commodity statistics is a manufacturing position. Hamburg has handled coffee since the eighteenth century and holds the warehouses, roasters and traders that supply much of northern Europe, which is why Germany bought 13% of world coffee import value in 2024 (CEPII BACI) despite consuming only a part of it; the rest leaves again as green beans traded on or as roasted coffee. The same is true of chocolate: German grinders and confectioners took 9.4% of world cocoa import value in 2024 (CEPII BACI), turning West African beans into butter, powder and finished products for export.
Metals follow the factories. The country's rolling mills, extruders, wire drawers and automotive suppliers need far more metal than its own smelters make, and several primary smelters closed after European power prices rose. Germany took 7.3% of world aluminum import value in 2024 (CEPII BACI), and its wire and tube makers buy refined metal on the same terms. Its refineries and bullion trade also move metal outward: Germany held 2.8% of world gold export value in 2024 (CEPII BACI), almost none of it mined domestically, and a comparable share of world platinum exports, reflecting refining and autocatalyst recycling rather than any deposit.
Energy is where the dependence became visible. German industry and heating ran for decades on pipeline gas from the Netherlands, Norway and the Soviet Union and then Russia, a relationship built deliberately from the 1970s. When those pipeline flows stopped in 2022 the country had no liquefied-gas terminals at all and built floating ones within months. Germany bought 5.5% of world natural gas import value in 2024 (CEPII BACI).
What Germany does produce comes from two specific rocks. The Zechstein evaporites beneath Lower Saxony and Thuringia, laid down when a Permian sea dried out, hold potash salts that have been mined since the 1860s; Germany produced 6.1% of the world's potash in 2025 (USGS). Sugar beet on the loess soils of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt gave 2.4% of world sugar production in 2023 (FAOSTAT), refined and largely sold within Europe.
What does Germany produce?
| Commodity | World rank | Share of world | Production | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheese | 2 | 10% | 2.4 million t | 2023 | FAOSTAT |
| Barley | 3 | 7.5% | 10.6 million t | 2024 | FAOSTAT |
| Milk | 5 | 4.3% | 33.8 million t | 2024 | FAOSTAT |
| Potash | 5 | 6.1% | 3 million t | 2025 | USGS MCS |
| Pork | 6 | 3.4% | 4.3 million t | 2024 | FAOSTAT |
| Potatoes | 6 | 3.3% | 12.7 million t | 2024 | FAOSTAT |
| Sawnwood | 6 | 5.2% | 23.2 million m3 | 2024 | faostat_fo |
| Canola | 7 | 4.1% | 3.6 million t | 2024 | FAOSTAT |
| Steel | 7 | 2% | 38 million t | 2025 | USGS MCS |
| Sugar | 9 | 2.4% | 4.6 million t | 2023 | FAOSTAT |
| Coal | 10 | 1% | 86.4 million tonnes | 2025 | Energy Institute |
| Logs | 10 | 2.4% | 47.3 million m3 | 2024 | faostat_fo |
| Oats | 10 | 3.1% | 696,800 t | 2024 | FAOSTAT |
What does Germany export?
| Rank | Country | Export value (US$) | Share of world |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | cheese | $6.6 billion | 15% |
| 3 | logs | $889 million | 6.8% |
| 3 | pork | $4.1 billion | 11% |
| 3 | potash | $1.5 billion | 7.3% |
| 3 | potatoes | $903.1 million | 13% |
| 4 | graphite | $37.6 million | 7% |
| 4 | milk | $1.6 billion | 7.4% |
| 4 | pistachios | $102.3 million | 3% |
| 4 | steel | $3.2 billion | 4.6% |
| 4 | vanilla | $17 million | 3.7% |
| Rest of world | $0 | 22% |
| Commodity | World rank | Share of world exports | Export value | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheese | 1 | 15% | $6.6 billion | 2024 |
| Logs | 3 | 6.8% | $889 million | 2024 |
| Pork | 3 | 11% | $4.1 billion | 2024 |
| Potash | 3 | 7.3% | $1.5 billion | 2024 |
| Potatoes | 3 | 13% | $903.1 million | 2024 |
| Graphite | 4 | 7% | $37.6 million | 2024 |
| Milk | 4 | 7.4% | $1.6 billion | 2024 |
| Pistachios | 4 | 3% | $102.3 million | 2024 |
| Steel | 4 | 4.6% | $3.2 billion | 2024 |
| Vanilla | 4 | 3.7% | $17 million | 2024 |
| Almonds | 5 | 2.3% | $119.9 million | 2024 |
| Barley | 5 | 7.8% | $714.5 million | 2024 |
| Eggs | 5 | 6% | $353 million | 2024 |
| Lithium | 5 | 1.5% | $55.7 million | 2024 |
| Quinoa | 5 | 2.7% | $8.1 million | 2024 |
| Rare earths | 5 | 6% | $66.9 million | 2024 |
| Sawnwood | 5 | 7% | $2.7 billion | 2024 |
| Chicken | 6 | 3.4% | $1.2 billion | 2024 |
| Honey | 6 | 5.8% | $134.2 million | 2024 |
| Lead | 6 | 4.7% | $411.3 million | 2024 |
| Palladium | 6 | 7.1% | $930.9 million | 2024 |
| Silver | 6 | 6.1% | $2.1 billion | 2024 |
| Sugar | 6 | 2.9% | $1.3 billion | 2024 |
| Uranium | 6 | <0.1% | $37,859 | 2024 |
| Fishmeal | 7 | 3.1% | $293.1 million | 2024 |
| Hazelnuts | 7 | 1.5% | $35.1 million | 2024 |
| Cinnamon | 8 | 1.5% | $12.7 million | 2024 |
| Ginger | 8 | 1.6% | $21.1 million | 2024 |
| Jute | 8 | 0.7% | $1.5 million | 2024 |
| Plantains | 8 | 3.3% | $36.6 million | 2024 |
| Platinum | 8 | 3.6% | $526.8 million | 2024 |
| Tea | 8 | 3% | $230.9 million | 2024 |
| Cardamom | 9 | 1.2% | $15.3 million | 2024 |
| Cloves | 9 | 0.6% | $4.1 million | 2024 |
| Gold | 9 | 2.8% | $16.4 billion | 2024 |
| Tobacco | 9 | 3% | $416.8 million | 2024 |
| Wheat | 9 | 3.1% | $1.8 billion | 2024 |
| Linseed | 10 | 1.1% | $13.1 million | 2024 |
| Pepper | 10 | 2.3% | $139.9 million | 2024 |
| Pineapples | 10 | 1% | $28.2 million | 2024 |
Top-ten importer of
- Almonds: #1, 9% of world imports, $467 million (2024)
- Apples: #1, 7.3% of world imports, $588.6 million (2024)
- Cheese: #1, 13% of world imports, $6 billion (2024)
- Eggs: #1, 14% of world imports, $811.1 million (2024)
- Hazelnuts: #1, 24% of world imports, $547.4 million (2024)
- Oranges: #1, 8.5% of world imports, $467.5 million (2024)
- Bananas: #2, 6.4% of world imports, $1 billion (2024)
- Canola: #2, 19% of world imports, $2.5 billion (2024)
- Chicken: #2, 6.7% of world imports, $2.4 billion (2024)
- Coffee: #2, 13% of world imports, $4.4 billion (2024)
- Honey: #2, 11% of world imports, $253.1 million (2024)
- Oats: #2, 14% of world imports, $157.9 million (2024)
- Palladium: #2, 14% of world imports, $1.8 billion (2024)
- Pistachios: #2, 9.7% of world imports, $332.1 million (2024)
- Quinoa: #2, 6.7% of world imports, $19.9 million (2024)
- Tomatoes: #2, 14% of world imports, $1.7 billion (2024)
- Aluminum: #3, 7.3% of world imports, $5.8 billion (2024)
- Cocoa: #3, 9.4% of world imports, $1.8 billion (2024)
- Grapes: #3, 7.4% of world imports, $973.5 million (2024)
- Graphite: #3, 9.4% of world imports, $50.5 million (2024)
- Linseed: #3, 8.9% of world imports, $111 million (2024)
- Orange juice: #3, 8.6% of world imports, $159.3 million (2024)
- Pepper: #3, 4.7% of world imports, $284.4 million (2024)
- Plywood: #3, 6.4% of world imports, $1.1 billion (2024)
- Vanilla: #3, 8.3% of world imports, $38.1 million (2024)
- Nickel: #4, 6.7% of world imports, $963.4 million (2024)
- Palm kernel oil: #4, 11% of world imports, $124.4 million (2024)
- Peanuts: #4, 5.2% of world imports, $242.7 million (2024)
- Potatoes: #4, 5.3% of world imports, $382 million (2024)
- Zinc: #4, 6.5% of world imports, $949.8 million (2024)
- Barley: #5, 3.9% of world imports, $362.5 million (2024)
- Bauxite: #5, 1.2% of world imports, $140.4 million (2024)
- Coconut oil: #5, 6.5% of world imports, $515.7 million (2024)
- Lamb: #5, 4.6% of world imports, $412.8 million (2024)
- Lead: #5, 5.8% of world imports, $502.8 million (2024)
- Logs: #5, 3.7% of world imports, $475.1 million (2024)
- Olive oil: #5, 4.7% of world imports, $764.5 million (2024)
- Steel: #5, 4% of world imports, $2.8 billion (2024)
- Wool: #5, 1.7% of world imports, $47.9 million (2024)
- Cinnamon: #6, 2.6% of world imports, $22.1 million (2024)
- Copper: #6, 2.4% of world imports, $2.5 billion (2024)
- Natural gas: #6, 5.5% of world imports, $26.1 billion (2024)
- Sawnwood: #6, 3.3% of world imports, $1.3 billion (2024)
- Sesame seed: #6, 3.9% of world imports, $311 million (2024)
- Tobacco: #6, 4.1% of world imports, $572.9 million (2024)
- Avocados: #7, 3.2% of world imports, $302.8 million (2024)
- Crude oil: #7, 2.8% of world imports, $36.8 billion (2024)
- Dates: #7, 4.5% of world imports, $109.9 million (2024)
- Ginger: #7, 4.6% of world imports, $60.1 million (2024)
- Iron ore: #7, 1.1% of world imports, $1.7 billion (2024)
- Lithium: #7, 1.4% of world imports, $52.1 million (2024)
- Mangoes: #7, 3.3% of world imports, $139.4 million (2024)
- Platinum: #7, 7.4% of world imports, $1.1 billion (2024)
- Pork: #7, 4.8% of world imports, $1.8 billion (2024)
- Tin: #7, 6.3% of world imports, $402.6 million (2024)
- Cardamom: #8, 2.9% of world imports, $35.9 million (2024)
- Natural rubber: #8, 3.2% of world imports, $537.5 million (2024)
- Rare earths: #8, 3.5% of world imports, $39.4 million (2024)
- Soybeans: #8, 2.1% of world imports, $1.7 billion (2024)
- Cobalt: #9, 1.6% of world imports, $77.5 million (2024)
- Fishmeal: #9, 2.5% of world imports, $237.1 million (2024)
- Milk: #9, 2.9% of world imports, $632.7 million (2024)
- Sunflower oil: #9, 2.9% of world imports, $535.1 million (2024)
- Tea: #9, 3.1% of world imports, $235.5 million (2024)
- Cashews: #10, 0.1% of world imports, $3.2 million (2024)
- Cassava: #10, 2% of world imports, $67.6 million (2024)
- Coal: #10, 2.2% of world imports, $4 billion (2024)
- Salmon: #10, 4.2% of world imports, $667.7 million (2024)
- Silver: #10, 3.2% of world imports, $1.1 billion (2024)
Sources: FAOSTAT (crops and livestock), USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries (minerals), Energy Institute Statistical Review (energy) for production; CEPII BACI for trade. Ranks count only the commodities on this site.
Downloads and citation
This country's rankings as JSON. Cite as: Commodity Origins, "What does Germany produce and export?", https://commodityorigins.com/countries/DEU/ (CC BY 4.0).
Data updated 6 September 2026.