UK overseas trade in goods statistics: September 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 September 2023:
total goods exports were £35.2bn:
-
- up by £1.4bn (4.0%) compared with August 2023
- down by £7.1bn (17%) compared with September 2022
total goods imports were £48.6bn:
-
- up by £0.1bn (0.2%) compared with August 2023
- down by £7.3bn (13%) compared with September 2022
the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £13.4bn, narrowing by £1.3bn on August 2023
EU and non-EU trade in goods
EU trade in goods
In September 2023:
EU exports were £15.3bn:
-
- up by £1.0bn (6.9%) compared with August 2023
- down by £2.4bn (14%) compared with September 2022
EU imports were £25.5bn:
-
- up by £0.7bn (2.8%) compared with August 2023
- up by £0.9bn (3.8%) compared with September 2022
for EU trade, the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £10.1bn
Non-EU trade in goods
In September 2023:
Non-EU exports were £19.9bn:
-
- up by £0.4bn (1.9%) compared with August 2023
- down by £4.7bn (19%) compared with September 2022
Non-EU imports were £23.2bn:
-
- down by £0.6bn (2.5%) compared with August 2023
- down by £8.2bn (26%) compared with September 2022
for non-EU trade, the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £3.3bn
Top trading partners
Top 5 trading partners by combined exports and imports value
|
Country |
Exports value |
Change |
Imports value |
Change |
|
USA |
4.6 |
4.8 |
4.1 |
-0.7 |
|
Germany |
2.6 |
9.0 |
5.5 |
0.4 |
|
China |
2.4 |
-11.3 |
5.6 |
7.7 |
|
Netherlands |
2.4 |
1.2 |
4.2 |
2.3 |
|
France |
1.8 |
2.1 |
3.1 |
5.6 |
Exports: top 5 trading partners
|
Country |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
USA |
4.6 |
4.8 |
|
Germany |
2.6 |
9.0 |
|
China |
2.4 |
-11.3 |
|
Netherlands |
2.4 |
1.2 |
|
Hong Kong |
2.3 |
220.7 |
Imports: top 5 trading partners
|
Country |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
China |
5.6 |
7.7 |
|
Germany |
5.5 |
0.4 |
|
Netherlands |
4.2 |
2.3 |
|
USA |
4.1 |
-0.7 |
|
France |
3.1 |
5.6 |
Top traded commodities
Top 5 commodities by combined exports and imports value
|
Commodity |
Exports value |
Change |
Imports value |
Change |
|
Mechanical appliances |
5.6 |
3.1 |
6.1 |
3.6 |
|
Precious metals |
6.8 |
6.0 |
3.0 |
-10.5 |
|
Motor vehicles |
3.4 |
33.1 |
5.6 |
6.2 |
|
Mineral fuels |
2.5 |
-12.1 |
4.8 |
-11.3 |
|
Electronic equipment |
2.0 |
9.7 |
5.1 |
14.6 |
Top 5 exported commodities
|
Commodity |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
Precious metals |
6.8 |
6.0 |
|
Mechanical appliances |
5.6 |
3.1 |
|
Motor vehicles |
3.4 |
33.1 |
|
Mineral fuels |
2.5 |
-12.1 |
|
Electronic equipment |
2.0 |
9.7 |
Top 5 imported commodities
|
Commodity |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
Mechanical appliances |
6.1 |
3.6 |
|
Motor vehicles |
5.6 |
6.2 |
|
Electronic equipment |
5.1 |
14.6 |
|
Mineral fuels |
4.8 |
-11.3 |
|
Precious metals |
3.0 |
-10.5 |
Full commentary
Visit GOV.UK for more details and analysis of September 2023 data.
Datasets
Access monthly data for combined EU and non-EU trade.
- UK overseas trade in goods September 2023: import data (XLSX, 34.8 KB)
- UK overseas trade in goods September 2023: export data (XLSX, 34.2 KB)
- Gold trade for September 2023 (XLSX, 53.2 KB)
- Top 20 traded goods by Chapter: September 2023 (XLSX, 37.3 KB)
- Top 20 traded goods by Standard International Trade Classification: September 2023 (XLSX, 39.3 KB)
- Top 25 trading partners: September 2023 (XLSX, 37.2 KB)
Earlier data
Find earlier overseas trade statistics.
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