UK overseas trade in goods statistics: April 2023
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 April 2023:
- total goods exports were £32.0bn:
- down by £5.7bn (15%) compared with March 2023
- up by £1.5bn (5.0%) compared with April 2022
- total goods imports were £50.3bn:
- down by £7.5bn (13%) compared with March 2023
- down by £2.7bn (5.2%) compared with April 2022
- the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £18.3bn, narrowing by £1.8bn on March 2023
EU and non-EU trade in goods
EU trade in goods
In April 2023:
- EU exports were £15.0bn:
- down by £2.3bn (13%) compared with March 2023
- down by £1.1bn (7.0%) compared with April 2022
- EU imports were £24.9bn:
- down by £5.8bn (19%) compared with March 2023
- down by £0.7bn (2.8%) compared with April 2022
- for EU trade, the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £9.9bn
Non-EU trade in goods
In April 2023:
- Non-EU exports were £17.0bn:
- down by £3.5bn (17%) compared with March 2023
- up by £2.6bn (18%) compared with April 2022
- Non-EU imports were £25.5bn:
- down by £1.7bn (6.3%) compared with March 2023
- down by £2.0bn (7.3%) compared with April 2022
for non-EU trade, the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £8.4bn
Top trading partners
Top 5 trading partners by combined exports and imports value
|
Country |
Exports value |
Change since |
Imports value |
Change since |
|
USA |
5.0 |
6.7 |
5.9 |
-1.8 |
|
Germany |
2.8 |
-9.0 |
5.5 |
-23.0 |
|
Netherlands |
2.6 |
-16.7 |
4.1 |
-19.9 |
|
China |
1.3 |
-35.9 |
4.7 |
7.6 |
|
France |
1.9 |
-11.2 |
3.3 |
-6.7 |
Exports: top 5 trading partners
|
Country |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
USA |
5.0 |
6.7 |
|
Germany |
2.8 |
-9.0 |
|
Netherlands |
2.6 |
-16.7 |
|
Ireland |
2.1 |
-6.1 |
|
France |
1.9 |
-11.2 |
Imports: top 5 trading partners
|
Country |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
USA |
5.9 |
-1.8 |
|
Germany |
5.5 |
-23.0 |
|
China |
4.7 |
7.6 |
|
Netherlands |
4.1 |
-19.9 |
|
France |
3.3 |
-6.7 |
Top traded commodities
Top 5 commodities by combined exports and imports value
|
Commodity |
Exports value |
Change since March |
Imports value |
Change since March 2023 (%) |
|
Mechanical appliances |
5.5 |
-14.8 |
6.2 |
-16.4 |
|
Mineral fuels |
2.9 |
-9.2 |
6.6 |
-8.4 |
|
Motor vehicles |
3.0 |
-11.5 |
5.4 |
-17.8 |
|
Precious metals |
3.5 |
-39.0 |
4.1 |
6.0 |
|
Electronic equipment |
1.8 |
-15.4 |
4.4 |
-16.4 |
Top 5 exported commodities
|
Commodity |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
Mechanical appliances |
5.5 |
-14.8 |
|
Precious metals |
3.5 |
-39.0 |
|
Motor vehicles |
3.0 |
-11.5 |
|
Mineral fuels |
2.9 |
-9.2 |
|
Pharmaceutical products |
1.8 |
-6.7 |
Top 5 imported commodities
|
Commodity |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
Mineral fuels |
6.6 |
-8.4 |
|
Mechanical appliances |
6.2 |
-16.4 |
|
Motor vehicles |
5.4 |
-17.8 |
|
Electronic equipment |
4.4 |
-16.4 |
|
Precious metals |
4.1 |
6.0 |
Full commentary
Visit GOV.UK for more details and analysis of April 2023 data.
Datasets
Access monthly data for combined EU and non-EU trade.
- UK overseas trade in goods April 2023: import data (XLSX, 29 KB)
- UK overseas trade in goods April 2023: export data (XLSX, 28.6 KB)
- Gold trade for April 2023 (XLSX, 45.8 KB)
- Top 20 traded goods by Chapter: April 2023 (XLSX, 610.2 KB)
- Top 20 traded goods by Standard International Trade Classification: April 2023 (XLSX, 38.5 KB)
- Top 25 trading partners: April 2023 (XLSX, 37.7 KB)
Earlier data
Find earlier overseas trade statistics.
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