UK overseas trade in goods statistics: May 2021
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 May 2021:
- total goods exports were £27.6bn:
- down by £0.5bn (1.6%) compared with April 2021
- up by £6.1bn (28%) compared with May 2020
- total goods imports were £39.5bn:
- down by £0.6bn (1.5%) compared with April 2021
- up by £10.1bn (34%) compared with May 2020
- the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £11.9bn, widening by £1.0bn on April 2021
EU and non-EU trade in goods
EU trade in goods
In May 2021:
- EU exports were £14.0bn:
- up by £0.8bn (6.4%) compared with April 2021
- up by £4.5bn (47%) compared with May 2020
- EU imports were £17.0bn:
- down by £0.2bn (0.9%) compared with April 2021
- up by £3.7bn (28%) compared with May 2020
- for EU trade, the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £3.0bn
Non-EU trade in goods
In May 2021:
- Non-EU exports were £13.6bn:
- down by £1.3bn (8.7%) compared with April 2021
- up by £1.6bn (13%) compared with May 2020
- Non-EU imports were £22.6bn:
- up by £0.7bn (3.4%) compared with April 2021
- up by £6.5bn (40%) compared with May 2020
- for non-EU trade, the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £8.9bn
Top trading partners
Top 5 trading partners by combined exports and imports value
|
Country |
Exports value |
Change |
Imports value |
Change |
|
USA |
3.7 |
-1.4 |
3.7 |
2.7 |
|
Germany |
2.8 |
6.8 |
4.4 |
-1.0 |
|
China |
1.4 |
5.7 |
4.5 |
-4.4 |
|
Netherlands |
2.1 |
16.1 |
2.3 |
6.9 |
|
France |
1.7 |
12.5 |
1.6 |
-4.1 |
Exports: top 5 trading partners
|
Country |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
USA |
3.7 |
-1.4 |
|
Germany |
2.8 |
6.8 |
|
Netherlands |
2.1 |
16.1 |
|
France |
1.7 |
12.5 |
|
Republic of Ireland |
1.6 |
-1.6 |
Imports: top 5 trading partners
|
Country |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
China |
4.5 |
-4.4 |
|
Germany |
4.4 |
-1.0 |
|
USA |
3.7 |
2.7 |
|
Netherlands |
2.3 |
6.9 |
|
Belgium |
1.7 |
-5.4 |
Top traded commodities
Top 5 commodities by combined exports and imports value
|
Commodity |
Exports value |
Change |
Imports value |
Change |
|
Precious metals |
3.2 |
-31.0 |
6.1 |
28.9 |
|
Mechanical appliances |
4.3 |
11.3 |
4.5 |
-7.7 |
|
Motor vehicles |
2.3 |
-13.6 |
3.6 |
0.1 |
|
Electronic equipment |
1.7 |
8.2 |
3.1 |
-13.9 |
|
Mineral fuels |
1.6 |
11.6 |
2.9 |
1.7 |
Top 5 exported commodities
|
Commodity |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
Mechanical appliances |
4.3 |
11.3 |
|
Precious metals |
3.2 |
-31.0 |
|
Motor vehicles |
2.3 |
-13.6 |
|
Pharmaceutical products |
1.8 |
22.2 |
|
Electronic equipment |
1.7 |
8.2 |
Top 5 imported commodities
|
Commodity |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
Precious metals |
6.1 |
28.9 |
|
Mechanical appliances |
4.5 |
-7.7 |
|
Motor vehicles |
3.6 |
0.1 |
|
Electronic equipment |
3.1 |
-13.9 |
|
Mineral fuels |
2.9 |
1.7 |
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 May 2021: import data (XLSX, 28.4 KB)
- UK overseas trade in goods May 2021: export data (XLSX, 27.7 KB)
- Gold trade for May 2021 (XLSX, 37.1 KB)
- Top 20 traded goods by Chapter: May 2021 (XLSX, 608.9 KB)
- Top 20 traded goods by Standard International Trade Classification: May 2021 (XLSX, 39.3 KB)
- Top 20 trading partners: May 2021 (XLSX, 39 KB)
Earlier data
Find earlier overseas trade statistics.
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