UK overseas trade in goods statistics: December 2022
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 December 2022:
- total goods exports were £40.1bn:
- down by £1.9bn (4.5%) compared with November 2022
- up by £5.5bn (16%) compared with December 2021
- total goods imports were £57.5bn:
- down by £1.4bn (2.4%) compared with November 2022
- up by £10.3bn (22%) compared with December 2021
the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £17.4bn, widening by £0.5bn on November 2022.
EU and non-EU trade in goods
EU trade in goods
In December 2022:
- EU exports were £16.1bn:
- down by £1.4bn (8.2%) compared with November 2022
- up by £1.0bn (6.9%) compared with December 2021
- EU imports were £26.5bn:
- down by £2.0bn (7.0%) compared with November 2022
- up by £7.5bn (40%) compared with December 2021
- for EU trade, the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £10.4bn
Non-EU trade in goods
In December 2022:
- Non-EU exports were £24.0bn:
- down by £0.4bn (1.8%) compared with November 2022
- up by £4.5bn (23%) compared with December 2021
- Non-EU imports were £31.0bn:
- up by £0.6bn (2.0%) compared with November 2022
- up by £2.8bn (9.9%) compared with December 2021
- for non-EU trade, the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £7.1bn
Top trading partners
Top 5 trading partners by combined exports and imports value
Country |
Exports value |
Change since |
Imports value |
Change |
USA |
4.7 |
-12.7 |
7.0 |
3.1 |
Germany |
2.6 |
-10.9 |
5.8 |
-4.9 |
China |
2.8 |
-35.1 |
5.4 |
-20.6 |
Netherlands |
2.8 |
-19.9 |
4.7 |
-7.2 |
Hong Kong |
5.4 |
195.7 |
0.4 |
-33.5 |
Exports: top 5 trading partners
Country |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
Hong Kong |
5.4 |
195.7 |
USA |
4.7 |
-12.7 |
China |
2.8 |
-35.1 |
Netherlands |
2.8 |
-19.9 |
Ireland |
2.7 |
8.5 |
Imports: top 5 trading partners
Country |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
USA |
7.0 |
3.1 |
Germany |
5.8 |
-4.9 |
China |
5.4 |
-20.6 |
Norway |
5.4 |
106.3 |
Netherlands |
4.7 |
-7.2 |
Top traded commodities
Top 5 commodities by combined exports and imports value
Commodity |
Exports value |
Change since |
Imports value |
Change since November 2022 (%) |
Mineral fuels |
3.7 |
-7.4 |
12.5 |
58.7 |
Precious metals |
9.8 |
8.8 |
3.3 |
-15.8 |
Mechanical appliances |
5.6 |
-2.3 |
6.3 |
-11.0 |
Motor vehicles |
3.5 |
-2.6 |
5.6 |
6.8 |
Electronic equipment |
2.0 |
-5.6 |
5.2 |
-11.2 |
Top 5 exported commodities
Commodity |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
Precious metals |
9.8 |
8.8 |
Mechanical appliances |
5.6 |
-2.3 |
Mineral fuels |
3.7 |
-7.4 |
Motor vehicles |
3.5 |
-2.6 |
Pharmaceutical products |
2.0 |
-9.4 |
Top 5 imported commodities
Commodity |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
Mineral fuels |
12.5 |
58.7 |
Mechanical appliances |
6.3 |
-11.0 |
Motor vehicles |
5.6 |
6.8 |
Electronic equipment |
5.2 |
-11.2 |
Precious metals |
3.3 |
-15.8 |
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 December 2022: import data (XLSX, 28.5 KB)
- UK overseas trade in goods December 2022: export data (XLSX, 28.4 KB)
- Gold trade for December 2022 (XLSX, 46.3 KB)
- Top 20 traded goods by Chapter: December 2022 (XLSX, 611.3 KB)
- Top 20 traded goods by Standard International Trade Classification: December 2022 (XLSX, 39.2 KB)
- Top 25 trading partners: December 2022 (XLSX, 38.8 KB)
Earlier data
Find earlier overseas trade statistics.
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