UK overseas trade in goods statistics: August 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 August 2023:
- total goods exports were £33.5bn:
- down by £0.9bn (2.7%) compared with July 2023
- down by £5.1bn (13%) compared with August 2022
- total goods imports were £48.5bn:
- down by £4.0bn (7.7%) compared with July 2023
- down by £7.3bn (13%) compared with August 2022
- the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £15.0bn, narrowing by £3.1bn on July 2023
EU and non-EU trade in goods
EU trade in goods
In August 2023:
- EU exports were £14.0bn:
- down by £1.1bn (7.0%) compared with July 2023
- down by £3.0bn (18%) compared with August 2022
- EU imports were £24.7bn:
- down by £2.5bn (9.2%) compared with July 2023
- down by £0.3bn (1.1%) compared with August 2022
- for EU trade, the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £10.7bn
Non-EU trade in goods
In August 2023:
- Non-EU exports were £19.5bn:
- up by £0.1bn (0.6%) compared with July 2023
- down by £2.1bn (9.6%) compared with August 2022
- Non-EU imports were £23.8bn:
- down by £1.5bn (6.1%) compared with July 2023
- down by £7.0bn (23%) compared with August 2022
for non-EU trade, the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £4.3bn
Top trading partners
Top 5 trading partners by combined exports and imports value
|
Country |
Exports value |
Change |
Imports value |
Change |
|
USA |
4.4 |
-8.7 |
4.2 |
-0.8 |
|
China |
2.7 |
-15.3 |
5.2 |
9.0 |
|
Germany |
2.3 |
-9.9 |
5.5 |
-15.7 |
|
Netherlands |
2.3 |
-16.7 |
4.1 |
1.7 |
|
France |
1.8 |
-12.0 |
2.9 |
-9.2 |
Exports: top 5 trading partners
|
Country |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
USA |
4.4 |
-8.7 |
|
China |
2.7 |
-15.3 |
|
Ireland |
2.3 |
7.3 |
|
Switzerland |
2.3 |
-0.4 |
|
Germany |
2.3 |
-9.9 |
Imports: top 5 trading partners
|
Country |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
Germany |
5.5 |
-15.7 |
|
China |
5.2 |
9.0 |
|
USA |
4.2 |
-0.8 |
|
Netherlands |
4.1 |
1.7 |
|
France |
2.9 |
-9.2 |
Top traded commodities
Top 5 commodities by combined exports and imports value
|
Commodity |
Exports value |
Change |
Imports value |
Change |
|
Mechanical appliances |
5.4 |
-8.5 |
5.9 |
-7.2 |
|
Precious metals |
6.4 |
29.3 |
3.4 |
-44.9 |
|
Mineral fuels |
2.5 |
-2.5 |
5.4 |
17.6 |
|
Motor vehicles |
2.5 |
-28.8 |
5.3 |
-12.1 |
|
Electronic equipment |
1.8 |
-4.4 |
4.4 |
-3.9 |
Top 5 exported commodities
|
Commodity |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
Precious metals |
6.4 |
29.3 |
|
Mechanical appliances |
5.4 |
-8.5 |
|
Mineral fuels |
2.5 |
-2.5 |
|
Motor vehicles |
2.5 |
-28.8 |
|
Electronic equipment |
1.8 |
-4.4 |
Top 5 imported commodities
|
Commodity |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
Mechanical appliances |
5.9 |
-7.2 |
|
Mineral fuels |
5.4 |
17.6 |
|
Motor vehicles |
5.3 |
-12.1 |
|
Electronic equipment |
4.4 |
-3.9 |
|
Precious metals |
3.4 |
-44.9 |
Full commentary
Visit GOV.UK for more details and analysis of August 2023 data.
Datasets
Access monthly data for combined EU and non-EU trade.
- UK overseas trade in goods August 2023: import data (XLSX, 35.4 KB)
- UK overseas trade in goods August 2023: export data (XLSX, 38.2 KB)
- Gold trade for August 2023 (XLSX, 55.2 KB)
- Top 20 traded goods by Chapter: August 2023 (XLSX, 36.6 KB)
- Top 20 traded goods by Standard International Trade Classification: August 2023 (XLSX, 38.8 KB)
- Top 25 trading partners: August 2023 (XLSX, 37.3 KB)
Earlier data
Find earlier overseas trade statistics.
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