Germany and Vatican City
Germany maintains diplomatic relations with the Holy See, legally distinct from Vatican City State. Dialogue addresses conflict prevention, migration, climate and multilateralism and also develops through audiences for German federal and regional officials.
Analysis reviewed: 2026-10-08 · Indicators updated: 2026-10-08Bilateral context
The institutional distinction matters: the Holy See and Vatican City are different subjects of international law, although both are headed by the pope.
What merchandise trade shows
In 2025, goods trade between Germany and Vatican City totalled 10.4 million current USD.
Documented trade sectors
Within the selected chapters, pharmaceutical products stands out in shipments from Germany to Vatican City, at 0.575 million USD in 2025.
Bilateral indicators
Blank cells: data unavailable.
| Indicator | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Goods trade | 10.42 M USD | 2025 · Comtrade |
| Goods: Germany to Vatican City | 2.87 M USD | 2025 · Comtrade |
| Goods: Vatican City to Germany | 7.55 M USD | 2025 · Comtrade |
| Services trade | ||
| Export share: Germany to Vatican City | 0.000162 % | 2025 · Comtrade |
| Export share: Vatican City to Germany | ||
| Investment stock: Germany in Vatican City | ||
| Investment stock: Vatican City in Germany |
Definitions and sources
Trade adds both directions. Shares refer to the country’s total goods exports; investment is an accumulated stock, not an annual flow. Every figure retains the currency and period of its source. BEA positions are historical-cost estimates based on the immediate counterpart, not market values or investment by ultimate owner. ‘More than’ indicates a lower bound, not an exact amount. A recorded stock does not establish new activity or authorisation to operate under sanctions.
- Goods trade
- 2025 · UN Comtrade · Goods; full calendar year; reporter DEU. Exports normally FOB and imports CIF; no addition of mirror declarations. Both directions are identified from the same customs authority.
- Goods: Germany to Vatican City
- 2025 · UN Comtrade · Goods; full calendar year; reporter DEU. Exports normally FOB and imports CIF; no addition of mirror declarations. Both directions are identified from the same customs authority.
- Goods: Vatican City to Germany
- 2025 · UN Comtrade · Goods; full calendar year; reporter DEU. Exports normally FOB and imports CIF; no addition of mirror declarations. Both directions are identified from the same customs authority.
- Export share: Germany to Vatican City
- 2025 · UN Comtrade · Exports to the partner / worldwide exports by the same reporter; same year and coverage.
Country comparison
Period and source beside each figure · est. = estimate by the stated institution.
| Indicator | Germany | Vatican City |
|---|---|---|
| Nominal GDP | 5.05 trillion USD2025 · WB | |
| GDP per capita | 60,496.44 USD2025 · WB | |
| GDP growth | 0.24 %2025 · WB | |
| Policy interest rate | 2.5 %2026-09-16 · BCE | |
| Inflation · annual average | 2.17 %Annual average · 2025 · WB | |
| Inflation · latest year-on-year figure | 3.3 %provisionalprovisionalYear-on-year · Sept. 2026 · Destatis | |
| Unemployment | 3.71 %ILO est.2025 · WB | |
| Budget balance (% of GDP) | -2.7 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | |
| Gross public debt (% of GDP) | 62.9 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | |
| Current account balance (% of GDP) | 4.51 %2025 · WB | |
| Population | 83,491,2492025 · WB | |
| Area | 357,680 km²2023 · WB | |
| Military expenditure | ||
| Military expenditure (% of GDP) |
Definitions, dates and sources
Blank cells are not zero. Average annual inflation and the latest year-on-year figure appear in separate rows: they are not the same measure. Every annual indicator retains its reference year; when the years differ, the figures are identified as not directly comparable. When a figure is unavailable from the World Bank, an annual IMF estimate is used and identified as such. The latest year-on-year figure is the latest official release verified as of 7 October 2026. This includes advance releases marked as provisional. Mexico may have a fortnightly figure before the full month is published; it is not automatically compared with a monthly figure. The publication date is retained in each source’s details; it does not replace the observation period or the annual average. Policy rates carry their own dates and represent different instruments. Spain and France share the ECB rate. Balances are positive for surpluses and negative for deficits. The IMF may use fiscal years; unemployment retains each source’s definition (ILO estimates, IMF WEO or PCBS), as stated in the details. For Palestine, debt and the fiscal balance cover central government and retain the PCBS definition; they are not presented as consolidated general government. These are economic magnitudes, not measures of relationship quality.
Area retains each source’s territorial coverage; it does not determine sovereignty or effective control. Canada uses an archived national geographic reference. Military expenditure retains the 2024 SIPRI sample distributed by the World Bank: the amount and percentage of GDP use that same definition, which differs from NATO’s. It is not an approved budget or a 2026 figure. Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Military expenditure database · Terms of use0
Indicators reviewed: 2026-10-07. Each source retains its original access date; this review does not turn all the data into 2026 observations. Figures may be revised.
- Nominal GDP
- Current USDGermany: 2025 · World Bank
- GDP per capita
- Current USD per personGermany: 2025 · World Bank
- GDP growth
- Annual real change (%)Germany: 2025 · World Bank
- Policy interest rate
- Central bank instrument (%)Germany: 2026-09-16 · ECB: deposit facility; shared euro-area rate · European Central Bank
- Inflation · annual average
- Average annual change in headline CPI (%)Germany: 2025 · Annual average change in the CPI (%) · World Bank
- Inflation · latest year-on-year figure
- Headline CPI relative to the same period of the previous year (%); monthly or fortnightly frequency statedGermany: 2026-09 · Change in headline CPI from the same month of the previous year (%) · Destatis · Published: 2026-09-30 · provisional · Provisional · National headline CPI, year-on-year, not monthly inflation or an annual average. Provisional data or an official advance release; subject to revision.
- Unemployment
- % of the labour force; definition used by the stated institutionGermany: 2025 · World Bank · ILO est.
- Budget balance
- General government (% of GDP)Germany: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.
- Gross public debt
- General government (% of GDP)Germany: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.
- Current account balance
- % of GDPGermany: 2025 · World Bank
- Population
- PeopleGermany: 2025 · World Bank
- Area
- Total area in km²; territorial coverage of the sourceGermany: 2023 · Area according to the series' coverage; does not determine sovereignty or effective control · World Bank
- Military expenditure
- Current USD per year; SIPRI series
- Military expenditure (% of GDP)
- Percentage of GDP; SIPRI definition, not NATO’s definition
Other data specific to this relationship
What they buy and sell
Documented selection, not an exhaustive list. Cells without a figure do not mean zero value; some products are identified without a verified amount.
Germany to Vatican City
Vatican City to Germany
How trade has changed
Millions of current USD · full calendar years
View chart figures
| Period | Total | Germany to Vatican City | Vatican City to Germany |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2.6 | 2.1 | 0.494 |
| 2022 | 8.2 | 7 | 1.2 |
| 2023 | 9.1 | 3.5 | 5.6 |
| 2024 | 11.3 | 4.7 | 6.6 |
| 2025 | 10.4 | 2.9 | 7.5 |
Connections between people
The foreign ministry identifies the pope and Catholic Church as interlocutors in conflict prevention and resolution, displacement and migration, environmental and climate protection and preservation of the multilateral order. The profile also records private audiences granted in recent years to the federal president, chancellor and several heads of state governments. [1]
Residents, study and travel
Blank cells: data unavailable. Each measure retains its definition and period.
| Indicator | Value | Period / source |
|---|---|---|
| Residents from Germany living in Vatican City | ||
| Residents from Vatican City living in Germany | ||
| Study and training: Germany in Vatican City | ||
| Study and training: Vatican City in Germany | ||
| Academic stays: Germany in Vatican City | ||
| Academic stays: Vatican City in Germany | ||
| Travel: Germany to Vatican City | ||
| Travel: Vatican City to Germany |
What each figure measures
Residents are counted by nationality and the coverage of the stated register, not as people born in the other country or as new arrivals in one year. PERE includes dual nationals and people born outside Spain. Study with OPT and stays carrying academic credit are different measures. Travel may include several visits by the same person; FRONTUR arrivals require an overnight stay, whereas the Canadian survey includes day visits. These figures are neither added together nor automatically compared across directions.
Mobility data added or reviewed: 2026-10-07. Reference periods may be earlier.
Underlying ties
History, institutions and long-standing issues.
Bilateral context
The institutional distinction matters: the Holy See and Vatican City are different subjects of international law, although both are headed by the pope. Vatican State arose from the 1929 Lateran Pacts; Germany maintains diplomatic relations with the Holy See. [1]
Recent developments
Recent developments and latest available data · Review: 2026-10-08
Cooperation and bilateral issues
The foreign ministry identifies the pope and Catholic Church as interlocutors in conflict prevention and resolution, displacement and migration, environmental and climate protection and preservation of the multilateral order. The profile also records private audiences granted in recent years to the federal president, chancellor and several heads of state governments. This format combines federal diplomatic dialogue with regional authority contacts without equating religious dialogue with a formal political alliance. [1]
What merchandise trade shows
In 2025, merchandise trade between the two countries (Germany and Vatican City) totalled 10.4 million current USD. Shipments from the first to the second were 2.9 million; those in the opposite direction, 7.5 million. The difference between the two flows was 4.7 million, in favour of Vatican City. This is a goods balance, not the total balance of the economic relationship: it excludes services, income and transfers. Both directions come from a single customs reporter to avoid adding mirror records. [2]
The partner's share of exports
Sales from Germany to the partner represented 0.000162% of its worldwide goods exports in 2025. The share compares the same reporter, year and coverage. It measures export concentration, not the percentage of GDP dependent on this relationship. A partner may be important in a specific sector even if its share of total goods trade is small. [2]
Five years of trade trends
The consistent series shows 2.6 million USD in 2021 and 10.4 million in 2025. The change between the two endpoints was +295.3 % in current dollars. The highest annual value in the period was recorded in 2024, at 11.3 million. The chart allows the two directions to be compared to see whether they moved together or differently. The change combines quantities, prices and exchange rates; it is not automatically attributed to a treaty, a visit or a political decision. The same reporter is retained and missing years are not interpolated. [3]
Documented trade sectors
Within the selected chapters, pharmaceutical products stands out in shipments from Germany to Vatican City, at 0.575 million USD in 2025. Within the selected chapters, machinery and mechanical appliances stands out in shipments from Vatican City to Germany, at 0.627 million USD in 2025. The table compares eight selected chapters with the same coverage as the trade total. It is not a complete list or proof that the first item in this selection is the leading product across the entire relationship. A chapter groups numerous goods: machinery and components, for example, do not describe a single business transaction. [4]
Sources and data
Periods and scope of the figures
Institutional sources and periods accompany each figure. Annual trade, investment positions, residents and visits are distinct measures. Empty cells do not mean zero. Statements of intent are not presented as project implementation or treaties in force.
- Bilateral relations — DEU-VAT
Germany's Federal Foreign Office · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- Bounded matrix; reporter, partner, year, chapter and direction identified in each record
UN Comtrade · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-08
- Trade series 2021–2025
UN Comtrade · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-08
- Bounded matrix; reporter, partner, year, chapter and direction identified in each record
UN Comtrade · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-08
Additional sources on products and human connections
- UN Comtrade
2026-10-08 · Accessed: 2026-10-08 · Bounded matrix; reporter, partner, year, chapter and direction identified in each record.