UK overseas trade in goods statistics: September 2020
This section is Statistical release
Find UK overseas trade statistics data detailing international trade in goods at product and summary level.
Summary of trade trends
In September 2020:
- total goods exports were £25.9bn:
- up by £2.8bn (12%) compared with August 2020
- down by £5.1bn (16%) compared with September 2019
- total goods imports were £50.0bn:
- up by £9.4bn (23%) compared with August 2020
- down by £0.3bn (0.6%) compared with September 2019
The UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £24.1bn, up by £6.6bn on August 2020.
EU and non-EU trade in goods
EU trade in goods
In September 2020:
- EU exports were £12.6bn:
- up by £1.9bn (18%) compared with August 2020
- down by £1.9bn (13%) compared with September 2019
- EU imports were £21.5bn:
- up by £4.7bn (28%) compared with August 2020
- down by £2.1bn (8.9%) compared with September 2019
- for EU trade, the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £8.9bn
Non-EU trade in goods
In September 2020:
- Non-EU exports were £13.3bn:
- up by £0.9bn (7.2%) compared with August 2020
- down by £3.2bn (20%) compared with September 2019
- Non-EU imports were £28.5bn:
- up by £4.7bn (20%) compared with August 2020
- up by £1.8bn (6.7%) compared with September 2019
- for non-EU trade, the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £15.2bn
Top trading partners
Top 5 trading partners by combined exports and imports value
|
Country |
Exports value |
Change |
Imports value |
Change |
|
Germany |
2.6 |
5.3 |
5.8 |
33.6 |
|
USA |
3.3 |
-2.6 |
3.9 |
22.8 |
|
China |
1.2 |
0.6 |
5.9 |
32.6 |
|
Netherlands |
1.5 |
11.4 |
3.0 |
15.6 |
|
France |
1.7 |
30.5 |
2.2 |
42.7 |
Exports: top 5 trading partners
|
Country |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since August 2020 (%) |
|
USA |
3.3 |
-2.6 |
|
Germany |
2.6 |
5.3 |
|
Republic of Ireland |
1.9 |
19.5 |
|
France |
1.7 |
30.5 |
|
Netherlands |
1.5 |
11.4 |
Imports: top 5 trading partners
|
Country |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since August 2020 (%) |
|
China |
5.9 |
32.6 |
|
Germany |
5.8 |
33.6 |
|
USA |
3.9 |
22.8 |
|
Russia |
3.1 |
94.4 |
|
Netherlands |
3.0 |
15.6 |
Top traded commodities
Top 5 commodities by combined exports and imports value
|
Commodity |
Exports value |
Change |
Imports value |
Change |
|
Precious metals |
1.9 |
-5.9 |
12.0 |
19.5 |
|
Mechanical appliances |
3.8 |
13.6 |
4.5 |
17.9 |
|
Motor vehicles |
2.8 |
60.2 |
4.7 |
51.8 |
|
Electronic equipment |
1.7 |
12.1 |
3.9 |
20.2 |
|
Mineral fuels |
1.3 |
-27.0 |
2.1 |
24.2 |
Top 5 exported commodities
|
Commodity |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since August 2020 (%) |
|
Mechanical appliances |
3.8 |
13.6 |
|
Motor vehicles |
2.8 |
60.2 |
|
Precious metals |
1.9 |
-5.9 |
|
Electronic equipment |
1.7 |
12.1 |
|
Pharmaceutical products |
1.4 |
-3.5 |
Top 5 imported commodities
|
Commodity |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since August 2020 (%) |
|
Precious metals |
12.0 |
19.5 |
|
Motor vehicles |
4.7 |
51.8 |
|
Mechanical appliances |
4.5 |
17.9 |
|
Electronic equipment |
3.9 |
20.2 |
|
Mineral fuels |
2.1 |
24.2 |
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 September 2020: import data (XLSX, 27.9 KB)
- UK overseas trade in goods September 2020: export data (XLSX, 27.5 KB)
- Gold trade for September 2020 (XLSX, 33.6 KB)
- Top 20 traded goods by Chapter: September 2020 (XLSX, 609.2 KB)
- Top 25 trading partners: September 2020 (XLSX, 39 KB)
- Top 20 traded goods by Standard International Trade Classification: September 2020 (XLSX, 39.3 KB)
Earlier data
Find earlier overseas trade statistics.
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