In 2025, Germany exported goods worth 961.6 million euros to Iran, marking a 24.5 percent decrease compared to the previous year, according to data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). Conversely, Germany imported goods from Iran in 2025 totaling 234.5 million euros, which represented a modest increase of 1.7 percent year-on-year.
Looking back, the figure for 2025 shows a substantial decline in exports compared to the preceding year, a fall of 64.3 percent. Meanwhile, imports decreased by 46.8 percent. These figures contrast sharply with the period of 2018, when German exports to Iran reached 2.7 billion euros, and imports from Iran amounted to 440.8 million euros. This significant historical data point is attributed to the implementation of comprehensive US sanctions against Iran at the end of 2018, which impacted global trade with the country.
In terms of trade partner rankings, Iran ranked 72nd in 2025 for exports, positioned between Cyprus and Oman. This was a decline from its rank of 68 the previous year. In 2018, before the US sanctions, Iran held a much higher ranking, at number 51 among Germany’s top export destinations. For imports, Iran secured the 99th spot in the ranking of Germany’s most important trading partners in 2025 (compared to 97th in 2024). In 2018, its import ranking position was 80.
The primary export source from Germany to Iran in 2025 was machinery, valued at 248.4 million euros, which saw a 33.6 percent drop from the previous year. Other key exports included pharmaceutical products, worth 228.7 million euros (an 8.9 percent decrease), and chemical products, valued at 141.8 million euros (a 22.8 percent decrease).
The main commodities imported into Germany from Iran in 2025 were foodstuffs, accounting for 153.9 million euros-nearly two-thirds (65.6 percent) of the total Iranian imports. Pistachios without shells were the most significant item in this category, valued at 78.0 million euros. Following these were pharmaceutical products at 23.8 million euros, and textiles at 17.4 million euros, including items like woven wool or fine animal hair carpets worth 12.6 million euros.
Overall, Germany recorded an export surplus in trade with Iran in 2025. Goods exported from Germany to Iran exceeded imports by 727.1 million euros. This surplus was notably smaller than in 2024, when it reached 1.0 billion euros, and significantly lower than the 2.3 billion euros recorded in 2018.
Examining the first two months of 2026 (January to February), exports to Iran amounted to 102.3 million euros, which represented a 48.5 percent decrease compared to the same period the previous year. For imports from Iran during those first two months, the value was 37.0 million euros, an increase of 1.9 percent over the previous year’s period.
Statisticians also noted the involvement of businesses in the bilateral trade. In 2024, 2,556 companies were involved in trade between Germany and Iran-a substantial drop of 61.4 percent compared to the 6,630 companies that traded with Iran in 2018. Specifically, the number of companies importing goods from Iran fell from 1,719 in 2018 to 1,152 in 2024 (about a third decrease), while the number of companies exporting to Iran declined from 5,352 in 2018 to 1,504 in 2024.