Factbook
Factors Influencing Sales and Exchange Rate Volatility
Factors influencing sales of the BASF Group
Change in %
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
| Volumes | 2 | 4 | 1 | –3 | –1 | 10.6 | –7.0 | –8.4 | 1.8 | 1.5 |
| Prices | –4 | 8 | 4 | –3 | 3 | 24.8 | 11.9 | –10.0 | –5.2 | –1.7 |
| Currencies | –1 | –1 | –4 | 2 | –3 | –2.4 | 6.1 | –2.5 | –1.8 | –3.0 |
| Portfolio | –15 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | –0.1 | 0.1 | –0.2 | –0.1 | 0.3 |
| Total | –18 | 12 | 2 | –2 | 0 | 32.9 | 11.1 | –21.1 | –5.3 | –2.9 |
Factors influencing sales
In the 2025 business year, sales stood at €59,657 million, compared with €61,444 million in the previous year. Negative currency effects, mainly relating to the U.S. dollar, the Chinese renminbi and the Brazilian real, had a significant impact on sales. In a competitive market environment, prices fell in almost all segments; only the Surface Technologies and Nutrition & Care segments achieved price increases compared to the previous year. A significant increase in volumes in the Surface Technologies segment and slight volume growth in the Agricultural Solutions and Materials segments more than compensated for lower volumes in the Nutrition & Care, Industrial Solutions and Chemicals segments.
Exchange rate volatility
Our competitiveness on global markets is influenced by fluctuations in exchange rates. For BASF’s sales, opportunities and risks arise in particular when the U.S. dollar exchange rate fluctuates. On the production side, we counter exchange rate risks by producing in the respective currency zones.
Financial currency risks result from the translation of receivables, liabilities and other monetary items in accordance with IAS 21 at the closing rate into the functional currency of the respective Group company. If necessary, we hedge these risks using derivative instruments.