UK overseas trade in goods statistics: September 2021
Find UK overseas trade statistics data detailing international trade in goods at product and summary level.
Summary of trade trends
In September 2021:
- total goods exports were £28.7bn:
- up by £4.6bn (19%) compared with August 2021
- up by £2.9bn (11%) compared with September 2020
- total goods imports were £45.5bn:
- up by £5.8bn (15%) compared with August 2021
- down by £4.6bn (9.2%) compared with September 2020
- the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £16.8bn, widening by £1.2bn on August 2021
EU and non-EU trade in goods
EU trade in goods
In September 2021:
- EU exports were £13.4bn:
- up by £1.7bn (15%) compared with August 2021
- up by £0.6bn (5.0%) compared with September 2020
- EU imports were £20.6bn:
- up by £3.5bn (20%) compared with August 2021
- down by £1.2bn (5.3%) compared with September 2020
- for EU trade, the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £7.2bn
Non-EU trade in goods
In September 2021:
- Non-EU exports were £15.2bn:
- up by £2.9bn (23%) compared with August 2021
- up by £2.2bn (17%) compared with September 2020
- Non-EU imports were £24.9bn:
- up by £2.3bn (10%) compared with August 2021
- down by £3.5bn (12%) compared with September 2020
- for non-EU trade, the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £9.7bn
Top trading partners
Top 5 trading partners by combined exports and imports value
Country |
Exports value |
Change |
Imports value |
Change |
China |
1.2 |
-9.5 |
6.2 |
20.8 |
Germany |
2.3 |
3.6 |
4.8 |
16.6 |
USA |
3.3 |
1.5 |
3.7 |
5.9 |
Netherlands |
2.4 |
14.0 |
3.0 |
20.1 |
Switzerland |
2.9 |
507.5 |
0.8 |
-22.2 |
Exports: top 5 trading partners
Country |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since August |
USA |
3.3 |
1.5 |
Switzerland |
2.9 |
507.5 |
Netherlands |
2.4 |
14.0 |
Germany |
2.3 |
3.6 |
Ireland |
1.8 |
14.9 |
Imports: top 5 trading partners
Country |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since August |
China |
6.2 |
20.8 |
Germany |
4.8 |
16.6 |
USA |
3.7 |
5.9 |
Netherlands |
3.0 |
20.1 |
Norway |
2.6 |
43.6 |
Top traded commodities
Top 5 commodities by combined exports and imports value
Commodity |
Exports value |
Change |
Imports value |
Change |
Mechanical appliances |
4.5 |
30.9 |
5.2 |
20.8 |
Precious metals |
4.0 |
76.1 |
4.5 |
-19.4 |
Mineral fuels |
2.3 |
9.3 |
5.0 |
43.6 |
Motor vehicles |
2.3 |
50.1 |
4.2 |
32.7 |
Electronic equipment |
1.7 |
10.7 |
4.4 |
34.5 |
Top 5 exported commodities
Commodity |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since August |
Mechanical appliances |
4.5 |
30.9 |
Precious metals |
4.0 |
76.1 |
Motor vehicles |
2.3 |
50.1 |
Mineral fuels |
2.3 |
9.3 |
Electronic equipment |
1.7 |
10.7 |
Top 5 imported commodities
Commodity |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since August |
Mechanical appliances |
5.2 |
20.8 |
Mineral fuels |
5.0 |
43.6 |
Precious metals |
4.5 |
-19.4 |
Electronic equipment |
4.4 |
34.5 |
Motor vehicles |
4.2 |
32.7 |
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 September 2021: import data (XLSX, 28.3 KB)
- UK overseas trade in goods September 2021: export data (XLSX, 28 KB)
- Gold trade for September 2021 (XLSX, 37.4 KB)
- Top 20 traded goods by Chapter: September 2021 (XLSX, 609 KB)
- Top 20 traded goods by Standard International Trade Classification: September 2021 (XLSX, 39.4 KB)
- Top 20 trading partners: September 2021 (XLSX, 38.9 KB)
Earlier data
Find earlier overseas trade statistics.
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