UK overseas trade in goods statistics: August 2021
Find UK overseas trade statistics data detailing international trade in goods at product and summary level.
Summary of trade trends
In August 2021:
- total goods exports were £24.0bn:
- down by £2.9bn (11%) compared with July 2021
- up by £1.1bn (4.9%) compared with August 2020
- total goods imports were £39.6bn:
- down by £2.6bn (6.3%) compared with July 2021
- down by £1.1bn (2.6%) compared with August 2020
- the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £15.7bn, widening by £0.2bn on July 2021
EU and non-EU trade in goods
EU trade in goods
In August 2021:
- EU exports were £11.6bn:
- down by £1.5bn (11%) compared with July 2021
- up by £0.9bn (7.9%) compared with August 2020
- EU imports were £17.0bn:
- down by £2.0bn (11%) compared with July 2021
- up by £0.1bn (0.9%) compared with August 2020
- for EU trade, the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £5.4bn
Non-EU trade in goods
In August 2021:
- Non-EU exports were £12.4bn:
- down by £1.4bn (9.9%) compared with July 2021
- up by £0.3bn (2.3%) compared with August 2020
- Non-EU imports were £22.6bn:
- down by £0.6bn (2.6%) compared with July 2021
- down by £1.2bn (5.1%) compared with August 2020
- for non-EU trade, the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £10.2bn
Top trading partners
Top 5 trading partners by combined exports and imports value
Country |
Exports value |
Change |
Imports value |
Change |
USA |
3.2 |
-14.4 |
3.5 |
1.2 |
China |
1.3 |
7.4 |
5.1 |
6.5 |
Germany |
2.2 |
-8.4 |
4.1 |
-11.9 |
Netherlands |
2.0 |
-2.6 |
2.4 |
-6.9 |
France |
1.4 |
-20.8 |
1.8 |
2.0 |
Exports: top 5 trading partners
Country |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since July |
USA |
3.2 |
-14.4 |
Germany |
2.2 |
-8.4 |
Netherlands |
2.0 |
-2.6 |
Ireland |
1.6 |
-7.2 |
France |
1.4 |
-20.8 |
Imports: top 5 trading partners
Country |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since July |
China |
5.1 |
6.5 |
Germany |
4.1 |
-11.9 |
USA |
3.5 |
1.2 |
Netherlands |
2.4 |
-6.9 |
Belgium |
1.9 |
-4.4 |
Top traded commodities
Top 5 commodities by combined exports and imports value
Commodity |
Exports value |
Change since July |
Imports value |
Change |
Precious metals |
2.2 |
20.5 |
5.5 |
8.9 |
Mechanical appliances |
3.4 |
-25.3 |
4.3 |
-9.9 |
Mineral fuels |
2.0 |
-6.1 |
3.5 |
-15.0 |
Electronic equipment |
1.5 |
-5.8 |
3.3 |
-9.9 |
Motor vehicles |
1.6 |
-32.8 |
3.2 |
-12.5 |
Top 5 exported commodities
Commodity |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since July |
Mechanical appliances |
3.4 |
-25.3 |
Precious metals |
2.2 |
20.5 |
Mineral fuels |
2.0 |
-6.1 |
Pharmaceutical products |
1.6 |
1.3 |
Motor vehicles |
1.6 |
-32.8 |
Top 5 imported commodities
Commodity |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since July |
Precious metals |
5.5 |
8.9 |
Mechanical appliances |
4.3 |
-9.9 |
Mineral fuels |
3.5 |
-15.0 |
Electronic equipment |
3.3 |
-9.9 |
Motor vehicles |
3.2 |
-12.5 |
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 August 2021: import data (XLSX, 28.4 KB)
- UK overseas trade in goods August 2021: export data (XLSX, 28.1 KB)
- Gold trade for August 2021 (XLSX, 37.1 KB)
- Top 20 traded goods by Chapter: August 2021 (XLSX, 609.3 KB)
- Top 20 traded goods by Standard International Trade Classification: August 2021 (XLSX, 39.3 KB)
- Top 20 trading partners: August 2021 (XLSX, 38.9 KB)
Earlier data
Find earlier overseas trade statistics.
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