BERLIN, March 11 (Reuters) - German industrial output fell unexpectedly in January, marking a weak start to the year for the engine room of Europe’s largest economy, which is suffering from trade friction and Brexit angst after narrowly avoiding recession last year.

Industrial output was down 0.8 percent, compared to a forecast 0.5 percent increase, data from the Statistics Office showed.

Seasonally adjusted exports were flat month-on-month - compared to a forecast 0.5 percent contraction - while imports rose 1.5 percent. That meant the trade surplus narrowed to 18.5 billion euros. (Reporting by Michael Nienaber Editing by Michelle Martin)