(PTI): Germany’s economy has received another blow as new data show the country’s merchandise exports fell 18.4% in 2009, the sharpest decline in decades.

Germany’s federal statistics office, Destatis, said on Monday that the country’s exports in 2009 tumbled 18.4% and imports dropped 17.2% below the respective 2008 levels, recording the biggest decline in foreign trade since 1950.

“According to information from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, Chinese exports amounted to $1,201.7 billion, while German exports totaled $1,121.3 billion” last year, the Destatis office said in a statement.

“This was the highest decline recorded in foreign trade in relation to both imports and exports since 1950,” the statement added.

Europe’s largest economy also reported that its exports were 3.4 percent higher in December compared to December 2008 — the first year-on-year gain since October 2008 and a key indication that a recovery is underway.

The German body announced that the country’s total exports were $1.1 trillion dollars in 2008.

The new figures also show that China overtook Germany last year as the world’s largest exporter.