UK overseas trade in goods statistics: May 2022
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 2022:
- total goods exports were £36.4bn:
- up by £6.0bn (20%) compared with April 2022
- up by £9.3bn (34%) compared with May 2021
- total goods imports were £53.6bn:
- up by £1.2bn (2.3%) compared with April 2022
- up by £13.7bn (34%) compared with May 2021
- the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £17.2bn, narrowing by £4.8bn on April 2022
EU and non-EU trade in goods
EU trade in goods
In May 2022:
- EU exports were £16.8bn:
- up by £0.8bn (5.3%) compared with April 2022
- up by £3.4bn (25%) compared with May 2021
- EU imports were £27.6bn:
- up by £2.0bn (8.0%) compared with April 2022
- up by £10.3bn (59%) compared with May 2021
- for EU trade, the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £10.8bn
Non-EU trade in goods
In May 2022:
- Non-EU exports were £19.5bn:
- up by £5.1bn (36%) compared with April 2022
- up by £5.9bn (43%) compared with May 2021
- Non-EU imports were £26.0bn:
- down by £0.8bn (3.1%) compared with April 2022
- up by £3.4bn (15%) compared with May 2021
- for non-EU trade, the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £6.4bn
Top trading partners
Top 5 trading partners by combined exports and imports value
|
Country |
Exports value |
Change since |
Imports value |
Change since April |
|
USA |
4.6 |
11.8 |
4.6 |
-16.3 |
|
Germany |
3.0 |
7.4 |
6.0 |
-4.8 |
|
Netherlands |
3.2 |
4.2 |
4.6 |
12.0 |
|
China |
1.3 |
35.9 |
4.4 |
14.9 |
|
France |
2.3 |
27.2 |
2.9 |
12.0 |
Exports: top 5 trading partners
|
Country |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
USA |
4.6 |
11.8 |
|
Netherlands |
3.2 |
4.2 |
|
Germany |
3.0 |
7.4 |
|
France |
2.3 |
27.2 |
|
Ireland |
2.2 |
-1.1 |
Imports: top 5 trading partners
|
Country |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
Germany |
6.0 |
-4.8 |
|
USA |
4.6 |
-16.3 |
|
Netherlands |
4.6 |
12.0 |
|
China |
4.4 |
14.9 |
|
France |
2.9 |
12.0 |
Top traded commodities
Top 5 commodities by combined exports and imports value
|
Commodity |
Exports value |
Change since |
Imports value |
Change since April 2022 (%) |
|
Mineral fuels |
4.3 |
17.2 |
7.7 |
-17.1 |
|
Mechanical appliances |
5.0 |
7.5 |
6.0 |
9.7 |
|
Precious metals |
6.8 |
121.0 |
3.2 |
0.2 |
|
Motor vehicles |
2.5 |
6.4 |
4.9 |
-3.6 |
|
Electronic equipment |
1.8 |
0.5 |
4.2 |
2.1 |
Top 5 exported commodities
|
Commodity |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
Precious metals |
6.8 |
121.0 |
|
Mechanical appliances |
5.0 |
7.5 |
|
Mineral fuels |
4.3 |
17.2 |
|
Motor vehicles |
2.5 |
6.4 |
|
Pharmaceutical products |
1.9 |
33.2 |
Top 5 imported commodities
|
Commodity |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
Mineral fuels |
7.7 |
-17.1 |
|
Mechanical appliances |
6.0 |
9.7 |
|
Motor vehicles |
4.9 |
-3.6 |
|
Electronic equipment |
4.2 |
2.1 |
|
Precious metals |
3.2 |
0.2 |
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 May 2022: import data (XLSX, 29 KB)
- UK overseas trade in goods May 2022: export data (XLSX, 28.1 KB)
- Gold trade for May 2022 (XLSX, 45.3 KB)
- Top 20 traded goods by Chapter: May 2022 (XLSX, 608.6 KB)
- Top 20 traded goods by Standard International Trade Classification: May 2022 (XLSX, 39.3 KB)
- Top 20 trading partners: May 2022 (XLSX, 39 KB)
Earlier data
Find earlier overseas trade statistics.
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