UK overseas trade in goods statistics: May 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 May 2023:
- total goods exports were £37.4bn:
- up by £5.3bn (16%) compared with April 2023
- up by £1.0bn (2.8%) compared with May 2022
- total goods imports were £55.7bn:
- up by £5.3bn (11%) compared with April 2023
- up by £1.5bn (2.8%) compared with May 2022
- the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £18.3bn, widening by less than £0.1bn on April 2023
EU and non-EU trade in goods
EU trade in goods
In May 2023:
- EU exports were £15.3bn:
- up by £0.3bn (1.7%) compared with April 2023
- down by £1.7bn (9.9%) compared with May 2022
- EU imports were £28.3bn:
- up by £3.3bn (13%) compared with April 2023
- up by £0.7bn (2.5%) compared with May 2022
- for EU trade, the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £12.9bn
Non-EU trade in goods
In May 2023:
- Non-EU exports were £22.1bn:
- up by £5.0bn (30%) compared with April 2023
- up by £2.7bn (14%) compared with May 2022
- Non-EU imports were £27.5bn:
- up by £2.0bn (7.9%) compared with April 2023
- up by £0.8bn (3.1%) compared with May 2022
- for non-EU trade, the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £5.4bn
Top trading partners
Top 5 trading partners by combined exports and imports value
|
Country |
Exports value |
Change since April |
Imports value |
Change since |
|
USA |
5.2 |
3.9 |
5.8 |
-1.6 |
|
Germany |
2.7 |
-2.7 |
6.6 |
21.1 |
|
China |
2.2 |
62.0 |
5.1 |
8.8 |
|
Netherlands |
2.6 |
3.2 |
4.2 |
1.1 |
|
Switzerland |
5.5 |
200.7 |
0.8 |
-3.2 |
Exports: top 5 trading partners
|
Country |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
Switzerland |
5.5 |
200.7 |
|
USA |
5.2 |
3.9 |
|
Germany |
2.7 |
-2.7 |
|
Netherlands |
2.6 |
3.2 |
|
Ireland |
2.2 |
4.8 |
Imports: top 5 trading partners
|
Country |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
Germany |
6.6 |
21.1 |
|
USA |
5.8 |
-1.6 |
|
China |
5.1 |
8.8 |
|
Netherlands |
4.2 |
1.1 |
|
France |
3.7 |
12.4 |
Top traded commodities
Top 5 commodities by combined exports and imports value
|
Commodity |
Exports value |
Change since April |
Imports value |
Change since |
|
Precious |
7.8 |
123.4 |
5.1 |
25.3 |
|
Mechanical |
5.6 |
2.2 |
7.0 |
11.8 |
|
Motor Vehicles |
3.6 |
20.1 |
6.5 |
19.9 |
|
Mineral fuels |
2.7 |
-10.9 |
5.5 |
-16.2 |
|
Electronic equipment |
1.8 |
0.7 |
4.9 |
10.4 |
Top 5 exported commodities
|
Commodity |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
Precious metals |
7.8 |
123.4 |
|
Mechanical appliances |
5.6 |
2.2 |
|
Motor vehicles |
3.6 |
20.1 |
|
Mineral fuels |
2.7 |
-10.9 |
|
Pharmaceutical products |
1.8 |
0.7 |
Top 5 imported commodities
|
Commodity |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
Mechanical appliances |
7.0 |
11.8 |
|
Motor vehicles |
6.5 |
19.9 |
|
Mineral fuels |
5.5 |
-16.2 |
|
Precious metals |
5.1 |
25.3 |
|
Electronic equipment |
4.9 |
10.4 |
Full commentary
Visit GOV.UK for more details and analysis of May 2023 data.
Datasets
Access monthly data for combined EU and non-EU trade.
- UK overseas trade in goods May 2023: import data (XLSX, 34.9 KB)
- UK overseas trade in goods May 2023: export data (XLSX, 34.2 KB)
- Gold trade for May 2023 (XLSX, 53.3 KB)
- Top 20 traded goods by Chapter: May 2023 (XLSX, 610.3 KB)
- Top 20 traded goods by Standard International Trade Classification: May 2023 (XLSX, 39 KB)
- Top 25 trading partners: May 2023 (XLSX, 38.2 KB)
Earlier data
Find earlier overseas trade statistics.
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