A. Commercial exchanges in 2019
Greek-German trade exchanges
- German exports to Greece 6,164 million euros
- Greek exports to Germany 2,294 million euros
Greece-Bavaria trade exchanges
- Exports of Bavaria to Greece 620.2 million euros
- Greek exports to Bavaria 487.2 million euros
The main products that Bavaria imported from Greece in 2019 are the following:
Product Amount in million euros
Aluminum products 82.8
Electrical equipment 61.6
Fruits and nuts 51.9
Dairy products 43.2
Pharmaceutical products 41.7
Vegetables 21.9
Processed fruits and vegetables 18.5
Printing products 18
Plastic products 14.1
Clothes 13.1
Steel products 12.2
Olive oil 10.4
The main products imported from Bavaria, in 2019, concern:
Product Amount in million euros
Cars 140.2
Mechanical equipment 94.9
Dairy products 72.3
Electrical equipment 41.5
Plastic products 31.5
Optical products/photographic eq. 26
Meat products 22.6
B. Investments
Germany ranks first as a country of origin of foreign direct investment to Greece with a share of 23% of the total invested capital reserve.
According to the data of the Hellenic-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AHK) in the period 2007-2018 the net direct German investments amounted to 6.33 billion euros.
In 2018, 162 companies of German interests were active in Greece, with approximately 29,000 employees and an annual turnover of 8.67 billion euros.
Among the most important German companies that do business in Greece are Deutsche Telekom, Fraport AG, Siemens, Allianz. Lidl, Kraft Foods, Bayer, SAP, Knauf, Böhringer-Ingelheim, Bosch-Siemens, Miele, Beiersdorf, Henkel, Osram, Schenker, Nokia-Siemens-Networks.
C. Tourism
Germany consistently ranks first as the country of origin of foreign visitors to Greece, with a share of 11.8% of inbound tourism, followed by the United Kingdom (10.3%), Italy (4.6%) and France (4.5). %).
In 2019, 4,026,300 German tourists visited Greece, who spent a total of 42.6 million overnight stays (9.7 per person – 18.8% of all travelers). Revenues from German visitors amounted to 2.96 billion euros.
Greece, with a share of 4.1% of the German market, holds the fifth position as a country of choice for German tourists, after Spain (12.7%), Italy (8.7%), Turkey (6.3 %) and Austria (4.7%).
D. Greek Diaspora
The Greek community in Germany plays a key role in promoting mutually beneficial cooperation between Greek and German companies.
According to the German statistical data of the foreign population of the German statistical service, 363,000 Greek expatriates live and work in Germany, of which 76,000 in Bavaria.
The number of Greek students in Germany rose to 7,600 last year.
In the last decade and especially during the period of economic crisis in Greece, a large number of young people, mainly scientists and professionals, immigrated to Germany in search of better employment conditions.
A large number of Greek expatriates are employed in the wider catering sector, while a growing percentage of scientists and researchers work in high-tech companies and research institutes, as well as as self-employed professionals.