Germany: Total reserves in months of imports

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Germany's total reserves in months of imports rose 42.7% on 2024 (from 2.18 to 3.11).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.6% and a typical year strayed about 16.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 65.8% in 2009 and the biggest yearly fall was 29.1% in 1988. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.12 a year. A straight line explains 54% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2025, Germany had the 79th highest value of the 112 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Germany in the 2025 ranking

• France — 76th of 112: 3.42
• Armenia — 77th of 112: 3.32
• Suriname — 78th of 112: 3.29
• Belarus — 80th of 112: 3.03
• Georgia — 81st of 112: 3.02
• Antigua and Barbuda — 82nd of 112: 3

What this measures

Reserve assets are external assets, including monetary gold, that are readily available to and controlled by monetary authorities for meeting balance of payments financing needs, for intervention in exchange markets to affect the currency exchange rate, and for other related purposes (such as maintaining confidence in the currency and the economy, and serving as a basis for foreign borrowing). Reserve assets must be denominated and settled in foreign currency. This item is expressed in terms of the number of months of imports of goods and services they could pay for [X/(Imports/12)].

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 55 values

Total reserves in months of imports in nearby economies

• Albania — 7.21 (2025)
• Armenia — 3.32 (2025)
• Austria — 1.8 (2025)
• Azerbaijan — 4.95 (2025)
• Belarus — 3.03 (2025)
• Belgium — 1.03 (2025)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 6.47 (2024)
• Bulgaria — 7.16 (2025)
• Croatia — 0.79 (2025)
• Cyprus — 0.53 (2025)
• Czechia

More economic policy & debt data for Germany

• Total reserves, including gold (current US$) — US$572.2 billion (2025)
• Total reserves, excluding gold (current US$) — US$101.73 billion (2025)
• GDP (current US$) — US$5.05 trillion (2025)
• GDP (current LCU) — 4.47 trillion (2025)
• GDP (constant 2015 US$) — US$3.69 trillion (2025)
• GDP (constant LCU) — 3.61 trillion (2025)
• GDP per capita (current US$) — US$60,496 (2025)
• GDP per capita (current LCU) — 53,538 (2025)
• GDP per capita (constant 2015 US$) — US$44,147 (2025)
• GDP per capita (constant LCU) — 43,232 (2025)
• GNI (current US$)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is Germany's total reserves in months of imports?

3.11 in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is down 40.9% from 5.26 in 1971 (0.97% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 7.05 in 1973 and the lowest 1.04 in 2008.

How does Germany rank?

79th highest of 112 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in total reserves in months of imports unusual for Germany?

In 2025, Germany's total reserves in months of imports rose 42.7% on 2024 (from 2.18 to 3.11). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.6% and a typical year strayed about 16.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Where does this data come from?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator FI.RES.TOTL.MO, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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