According to preliminary data from the Federal Statistical Office, Thuringia's export volume in value terms fell by 1.1 percent to 18.2 billion EUR in the reporting period 2025, contrary to the national trend. Thuringian imports, on the other hand, rose by 2.0 percent to 17.9 billion EUR. A positive foreign trade balance was again recorded, although it shrank to around 280 million EUR. The total trade volume increased by 0.4 percent to 36.1 billion EUR. The growing importance of foreign markets for Thuringian industry is underscored by the record export ratio of 38.0 percent (for manufacturing companies with 50 or more employees).
In a more detailed analysis of developments, interesting trade shifts are evident for the Free State: The strongest export increases were recorded in the markets of Taiwan, Egypt, and China. The export business with Ukraine, the USA, and Brazil suffered the greatest losses. In the import sector, the strongest increases in Thuringian deliveries were recorded from the United Kingdom, Vietnam, and the Netherlands.
Even though the US tariff policy presumably led to the described Thuringian export decline to the USA of 6.1 percent, the United States remain the most important Thuringian sales market with an export volume of 2.1 billion EUR and an export share of 11.4 percent, followed by Poland and China.
