UK overseas trade in goods statistics: August 2024
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 2024:
total goods exports were £30.9bn:
- up by £1.6bn (5.5%) compared with July 2024
- down by £3.2bn (9.4%) compared with August 2023
total goods imports were £51.2bn:
- down by £2.8bn (5.2%) compared with July 2024
- up by £2.7bn (5.6%) compared with August 2023
the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £20.4bn, narrowing by £4.4bn on July 2024
EU and non-EU trade in goods
EU trade in goods
In August 2024:
EU exports were £14.3bn:
- up by £0.1bn (0.7%) compared with July 2024
- down by £0.2bn (1.4%) compared with August 2023
EU imports were £24.0bn:
- down by £3.9bn (14%) compared with July 2024
- down by £0.8bn (3.2%) compared with August 2023
for EU trade, the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £9.7bn
Non-EU trade in goods
In August 2024:
Non-EU exports were £16.5bn:
- up by £1.5bn (10%) compared with July 2024
- down by £3.0bn (15%) compared with August 2023
Non-EU imports were £27.2bn:
- up by £1.1bn (4.3%) compared with July 2024
- up by £3.5bn (15%) compared with August 2023
for non-EU trade, the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £10.7bn
Top trading partners
Top 5 trading partners by combined exports and imports value
Country |
Exports value |
Change since July 2024 (%) |
Imports |
Change since July 2024 (%) |
USA |
4.1 |
-5.7 |
4.8 |
2.1 |
Germany |
2.6 |
5.2 |
5.7 |
-13.8 |
China |
1.0 |
-16.1 |
5.5 |
4.3 |
Netherlands |
2.2 |
3.2 |
3.9 |
-5.3 |
France |
1.5 |
-15.4 |
2.8 |
-14.9 |
Exports: top 5 trading partners
Country |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
USA |
4.1 |
-5.7 |
Germany |
2.6 |
5.2 |
Netherlands |
2.2 |
3.2 |
Ireland |
1.8 |
4.5 |
Switzerland |
1.6 |
350.5 |
Imports: top 5 trading partners
Country |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
Germany |
5.7 |
-13.8 |
China |
5.5 |
4.3 |
USA |
4.8 |
2.1 |
Netherlands |
3.9 |
-5.3 |
France |
2.8 |
-14.9 |
Top traded commodities
Top 5 commodities by combined exports and imports value
Commodity |
Exports value |
Change since July 2024 (%) |
Imports |
Change since July 2024 (%) |
Mechanical appliances |
5.6 |
-5.4 |
6.1 |
1.0 |
Precious metals |
3.4 |
141.7 |
5.9 |
0.3 |
Mineral fuels |
2.4 |
-11.0 |
5.3 |
4.8 |
Motor vehicles |
2.3 |
-37.0 |
4.8 |
-23.5 |
Electronic equipment |
1.9 |
0.5 |
4.6 |
-0.1 |
Top 5 exported commodities
Commodity |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
Mechanical appliances |
5.6 |
-5.4 |
Precious metals |
3.4 |
141.7 |
Mineral fuels |
2.4 |
-11.0 |
Motor vehicles |
2.3 |
-37.0 |
Electronic equipment |
1.9 |
0.5 |
Top 5 imported commodities
Commodity |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
Mechanical appliances |
6.1 |
1.0 |
Precious metals |
5.9 |
0.3 |
Mineral fuels |
5.3 |
4.8 |
Motor vehicles |
4.8 |
-23.5 |
Electronic equipment |
4.6 |
-0.1 |
Full commentary
Visit GOV.UK for more details and analysis of August 2024 data.
Datasets
Access monthly data for combined EU and non-EU trade.
- UK overseas trade in goods August 2024: import data (XLSX, 33 KB)
- UK overseas trade in goods August 2024: export data (XLSX, 36.6 KB)
- Gold trade for August 2024 (XLSX, 51.8 KB)
- Top 20 traded goods by Chapter: August 2024 (XLSX, 28.4 KB)
- Top 20 traded goods by Standard International Trade Classification: August 2024 (XLSX, 28.4 KB)
- Top 25 trading partners: August 2024 (XLSX, 28.4 KB)
Earlier data
Find earlier overseas trade statistics.
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