UK overseas trade in goods statistics: October 2020
This section is National Statistics
Find UK overseas trade statistics data detailing international trade in goods at product and summary level.
Summary of trade trends
In October 2020:
- total goods exports were £28.7bn:
- up by £2.7bn (10%) compared with September 2020
- down by £5.8bn (17%) compared with October 2019
- total goods imports were £49.5bn:
- down by £0.3bn (0.6%) compared with September 2020
- down by £3.9bn (7.3%) compared with October 2019
The UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £20.9bn, down by £3.0bn on September 2020.
EU and non-EU trade in goods
EU trade in goods
In October 2020:
- EU exports were £14.0bn:
- up by £1.3bn (11%) compared with September 2020
- down by £1.8bn (11%) compared with October 2019
- EU imports were £22.3bn:
- up by £0.9bn (4.2%) compared with September 2020
- down by £3.4bn (13%) compared with October 2019
- for EU trade, the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £8.4bn
Non-EU trade in goods
In October 2020:
- Non-EU exports were £14.7bn:
- up by £1.4bn (10%) compared with September 2020
- down by £4.0bn (22%) compared with October 2019
- Non-EU imports were £27.2bn:
- down by £1.2bn (4.2%) compared with September 2020
- down by £0.5bn (1.8%) compared with October 2019
- for non-EU trade, the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £12.5bn
Top trading partners
Top 5 trading partners by combined exports and imports value
Country |
Exports value |
Change since September 2020 (%) |
Imports value |
Change |
|
Germany |
3.1 |
20.2 |
5.7 |
-0.6 |
|
USA |
4.0 |
21.8 |
3.9 |
1.4 |
|
China |
1.3 |
6.8 |
6.6 |
12.0 |
|
Netherlands |
1.6 |
0.5 |
3.2 |
9.0 |
|
France |
1.8 |
6.7 |
2.3 |
5.0 |
Exports: top 5 trading partners
|
Country |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since September 2020 (%) |
|
USA |
4.0 |
21.8 |
|
Germany |
3.1 |
20.2 |
|
Republic of Ireland |
2.4 |
25.8 |
|
France |
1.8 |
6.7 |
|
Netherlands |
1.6 |
0.5 |
Imports: top 5 trading partners
|
Country |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since September 2020 (%) |
|
China |
6.6 |
12.0 |
|
Germany |
5.7 |
-0.6 |
|
USA |
3.9 |
1.4 |
|
Netherlands |
3.2 |
9.0 |
|
France |
2.3 |
5.0 |
Top traded commodities
Top 5 commodities by combined exports and imports value
|
Commodity |
Exports value |
Change since September 2020 (%) |
Imports value |
Change since September 2020 (%) |
|
Precious metals |
2.5 |
29.2 |
9.2 |
-23.5 |
|
Mechanical appliances |
4.2 |
10.7 |
4.8 |
5.5 |
|
Motor vehicles |
3.4 |
19.4 |
5.0 |
6.2 |
|
Electronic equipment |
1.8 |
8.2 |
4.1 |
5.5 |
|
Pharmaceutical products |
1.8 |
25.0 |
1.9 |
20.5 |
Top 5 exported commodities
|
Commodity |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since September 2020 (%) |
|
Mechanical appliances |
4.2 |
10.7 |
|
Motor vehicles |
3.4 |
19.4 |
|
Precious metals |
2.5 |
29.2 |
|
Electronic equipment |
1.8 |
8.2 |
|
Pharmaceutical products |
1.8 |
25.0 |
Top 5 imported commodities
|
Commodity |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since September 2020 (%) |
|
Precious metals |
9.2 |
-23.5 |
|
Motor vehicles |
5.0 |
6.2 |
|
Mechanical appliances |
4.8 |
5.5 |
|
Electronic equipment |
4.1 |
5.5 |
|
Mineral fuels |
2.2 |
8.2 |
Full commentary
Download the commentary for more details and analysis of this data.
Datasets
Access monthly data for combined EU and non-EU trade.
- UK overseas trade in goods October 2020: import data (XLSX, 28.6 KB)
- UK overseas trade in goods October 2020: export data (XLSX, 27.7 KB)
- Gold trade for October 2020 (XLSX, 36.1 KB)
- Top 20 traded goods by Chapter: October 2020 (XLSX, 608.8 KB)
- Top 20 traded goods by Standard International Trade Classification: October 2020 (XLSX, 39.5 KB)
- Top 25 trading partners: October 2020 (XLSX, 39 KB)
Earlier data
Find earlier overseas trade statistics.
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