Political relations between Germany and the Marshall Islands are friendly. Diplomatic contacts are maintained by the German Embassy in Manila.

From 1885 to 1914, the Marshall Islands were under German colonial administration, from 1906 as part of German New Guinea.

Germany supports the Marshall Islands via its contributions to the EU’s Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) (until 2021: European Development Fund (EDF). The Marshall Islands also play a role in Germany’s close cooperation on climate change with the countries in the South Pacific, particularly within the framework of regional programmes run by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH – which has had an office there since 2017 – and the International Climate Initiative (ICI) of the Federal Governnment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. The flagship programme is a bilateral project to promote low-emission shipping. As the world’s third-largest ship registry and a major flag state in international high seas shipping, the Marshall Islands play a key role in the International Maritime Organization debate on emissions reduction.

The Marshall Islands are a member of the Group of Friends on Climate and Security in the United Nations.

Bilateral trade relations are characterised by a trade surplus: in 2023, German imports from the Marshall Islands amounted to €106.5 million and German exports to the Marshall Islands were around € 323.2 million (DESTATIS).