UK overseas trade in goods statistics: December 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 December 2023:
total goods exports were £29.0bn:
-
- down by £8.1bn (22%) compared with November 2023
- down by £11.6bn (29%) compared with December 2022
total goods imports were £50.3bn:
-
- down by £5.9bn (11%) compared with November 2023
- down by £7.2bn (13%) compared with December 2022
the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £21.3bn, widening by £2.1bn on November 2023
EU and non-EU trade in goods
EU trade in goods
In December 2023:
EU exports were £14.0bn:
-
- down by £2.5bn (15%) compared with November 2023
- down by £2.3bn (14%) compared with December 2022
EU imports were £25.6bn:
-
- down by £3.7bn (13%) compared with November 2023
- down by £0.9bn (3.5%) compared with December 2022
for EU trade, the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £11.6bn
Non-EU trade in goods
In December 2023:
Non-EU exports were £15.0bn:
-
- down by £5.5bn (27%) compared with November 2023
- down by £9.3bn (38%) compared with December 2022
Non-EU imports were £24.8bn:
-
- down by £2.2bn (8.2%) compared with November 2023
- down by £6.3bn (20%) compared with December 2022
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 since |
Imports |
Change |
|
USA |
4.9 |
-2.8 |
5.5 |
17.4 |
|
Germany |
2.5 |
-8.8 |
6.8 |
-7.4 |
|
Netherlands |
2.0 |
-6.8 |
3.7 |
-21.5 |
|
China |
0.9 |
-76.6 |
4.6 |
-19.6 |
|
France |
2.0 |
-1.2 |
3.3 |
-1.4 |
Exports: top 5 trading partners
|
Country |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
USA |
4.9 |
-2.8 |
|
Germany |
2.5 |
-8.8 |
|
Netherlands |
2.0 |
-6.8 |
|
France |
2.0 |
-1.2 |
|
Ireland |
1.8 |
-25.1 |
Imports: top 5 trading partners
|
Country |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
Germany |
6.8 |
-7.4 |
|
USA |
5.5 |
17.4 |
|
China |
4.6 |
-19.6 |
|
Netherlands |
3.7 |
-21.5 |
|
France |
3.3 |
-1.4 |
Top traded commodities
Top 5 commodities by combined exports and imports value
|
Commodity |
Exports value |
Change since |
Imports |
Change since November 2023 (%) |
|
Mechanical appliances |
5.8 |
-10.0 |
6.1 |
-11.6 |
|
Motor vehicles |
3.5 |
-8.8 |
5.8 |
-12.2 |
|
Mineral fuels |
2.6 |
5.8 |
5.5 |
-14.8 |
|
Precious metals |
0.8 |
-86.8 |
6.7 |
42.8 |
|
Electronic equipment |
1.9 |
-10.0 |
4.3 |
-24.4 |
Top 5 exported commodities
|
Commodity |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
Mechanical appliances |
5.8 |
-10.0 |
|
Motor vehicles |
3.5 |
-8.8 |
|
Mineral fuels |
2.6 |
5.8 |
|
Electronic equipment |
1.9 |
-10.0 |
|
Pharmaceutical products |
1.8 |
-23.2 |
Top 5 imported commodities
|
Commodity |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
Precious metals |
6.7 |
42.8 |
|
Mechanical appliances |
6.1 |
-11.6 |
|
Motor vehicles |
5.8 |
-12.2 |
|
Mineral fuels |
5.5 |
-14.8 |
|
Electronic equipment |
4.3 |
-24.4 |
Full commentary
Visit GOV.UK for more details and analysis of December 2023 data.
Datasets
Access monthly data for combined EU and non-EU trade.
- UK overseas trade in goods December 2023: import data (XLSX, 34.1 KB)
- UK overseas trade in goods December 2023: export data (XLSX, 35.6 KB)
- Gold trade for December 2023 (XLSX, 54.1 KB)
- Top 20 traded goods by Chapter: December 2023 (XLSX, 36.6 KB)
- Top 20 traded goods by Standard International Trade Classification: December 2023 (XLSX, 36.5 KB)
- Top 25 trading partners: December 2023 (XLSX, 36.3 KB)
Earlier data
Find earlier overseas trade statistics.
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