UK overseas trade in goods statistics: February 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 February 2023:
- total goods exports were £34.0bn:
- up by £3.2bn (10%) compared with January 2023
- up by £4.4bn (15%) compared with February 2022
- total goods imports were £52.7bn:
- down by £1.9bn (3.5%) compared with January 2023
- up by £2.6bn (5.2%) compared with February 2022
- the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £18.7bn, narrowing by £5.1bn on January 2023
EU and non-EU trade in goods
EU trade in goods
In February 2023:
- EU exports were £15.5bn:
- down by £0.2bn (1.4%) compared with January 2023
- up by £0.4bn (2.8%) compared with February 2022
- EU imports were £26.4bn:
- up by £1.8bn (7.4%) compared with January 2023
- up by £2.8bn (12%) compared with February 2022
- for EU trade, the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £10.9bn
Non-EU trade in goods
In February 2023:
- Non-EU exports were £18.4bn:
- up by £3.4bn (23%) compared with January 2023
- up by £3.9bn (27%) compared with February 2022
- Non-EU imports were £26.3bn:
- down by £3.7bn (12%) compared with January 2023
- down by £0.2bn (0.6%) compared with February 2022
- for non-EU trade, the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £7.9bn
Top trading partners
Top 5 trading partners by combined exports and imports value
|
Country |
Exports value |
Change since |
Imports value |
Change since |
|
USA |
4.5 |
9.7 |
5.4 |
-33.3 |
|
Germany |
3.0 |
12.5 |
6.2 |
15.8 |
|
Netherlands |
2.5 |
-15.9 |
4.4 |
9.2 |
|
China |
1.6 |
16.4 |
5.1 |
-9.0 |
|
France |
1.9 |
-13.6 |
3.2 |
1.7 |
Exports: top 5 trading partners
|
Country |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since January 2023 (%) |
|
USA |
4.5 |
9.7 |
|
Germany |
3.0 |
12.5 |
|
Switzerland |
2.9 |
179.4 |
|
Netherlands |
2.5 |
-15.9 |
|
Ireland |
2.4 |
5.9 |
Imports: top 5 trading partners
|
Country |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since January 2023 (%) |
|
Germany |
6.2 |
15.8 |
|
USA |
5.4 |
-33.3 |
|
China |
5.1 |
-9.0 |
|
Netherlands |
4.4 |
9.2 |
|
France |
3.2 |
1.7 |
Top traded commodities
Top 5 commodities by combined exports and imports value
|
Commodity |
Exports value |
Change since |
Imports value |
Change since |
|
Mechanical appliances |
5.4 |
5.9 |
6.3 |
1.5 |
|
Mineral fuels |
2.8 |
-28.4 |
7.6 |
-24.2 |
|
Precious metals |
5.5 |
100.1 |
4.2 |
51.2 |
|
Motor vehicles |
3.3 |
16.3 |
6.1 |
25.5 |
|
Electronic equipment |
1.8 |
5.2 |
4.7 |
-10.7 |
Top 5 exported commodities
|
Commodity |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since January |
|
Precious metals |
5.5 |
100.1 |
|
Mechanical appliances |
5.4 |
5.9 |
|
Motor vehicles |
3.3 |
16.3 |
|
Mineral fuels |
2.8 |
-28.4 |
|
Pharmaceutical products |
1.8 |
0.1 |
Top 5 imported commodities
|
Commodity |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since January |
|
Mineral fuels |
7.6 |
-24.2 |
|
Mechanical appliances |
6.3 |
1.5 |
|
Motor vehicles |
6.1 |
25.5 |
|
Electronic equipment |
4.7 |
-10.7 |
|
Precious metals |
4.2 |
51.2 |
Full commentary
Visit GOV.UK for more details and analysis of February 2023 data.
Datasets
Access monthly data for combined EU and non-EU trade.
- UK overseas trade in goods February 2023: import data (XLSX, 28.5 KB)
- UK overseas trade in goods February 2023: export data (XLSX, 28.3 KB)
- Gold trade for February 2023 (XLSX, 46.8 KB)
- Top 20 traded goods by Chapter: February 2023 (XLSX, 611.3 KB)
- Top 20 traded goods by Standard International Trade Classification: February 2023 (XLSX, 39.3 KB)
- Top 25 trading partners: February 2023 (XLSX, 38.9 KB)
Earlier data
Find earlier overseas trade statistics.
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