UK overseas trade in goods statistics: May 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 May 2024:
total goods exports were £32.1bn:
- down by £0.4bn (1.2%) compared with April 2024
- down by by £5.5bn (15%) compared with May 2023
total goods imports were £50.1bn:
- down by £3.1bn (5.8%) compared with April 2024
- down by £5.6bn (10%) compared with May 2023
the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £18.1bn, narrowing by £2.7bn on April 2024
EU and non-EU trade in goods
EU trade in goods
In May 2024:
EU exports were £14.0bn:
- down by £0.8bn (5.4%) compared with April 2024
- down by £1.5bn (9.5%) compared with May 2023
EU imports were £25.5bn:
- down by £2.6bn (9.2%) compared with April 2024
- down by £2.8bn (9.8%) compared with May 2023
for EU trade, the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £11.5bn
Non-EU trade in goods
In May 2024:
Non-EU exports were £18.1bn:
- up by £0.4bn (2.3%) compared with April 2024
- down by £4.1bn (18%) compared with May 2023
Non-EU imports were £24.6bn:
- down by £0.5bn (1.9%) compared with April 2024
- down by £2.8bn (10%) compared with May 2023
for non-EU trade, the UK was a net importer, with imports exceeding exports by £6.6bn
Top trading partners
Top 5 trading partners by combined exports and imports value
|
Country |
Exports value |
Change since April 2024 (%) |
Imports value |
Change since April 2024 (%) |
|
USA |
4.6 |
2.9 |
5.0 |
-7.3 |
|
China |
4.1 |
19.5 |
5.1 |
14.2 |
|
Germany |
2.1 |
-12.5 |
5.9 |
-12.7 |
|
Netherlands |
2.5 |
2.3 |
3.7 |
-6.4 |
|
France |
1.8 |
-9.3 |
2.6 |
-18.8 |
Exports: top 5 trading partners
|
Country |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
USA |
4.6 |
2.9 |
|
China |
4.1 |
19.5 |
|
Netherlands |
2.5 |
2.3 |
|
Germany |
2.1 |
-12.5 |
|
Ireland |
1.8 |
-6.1 |
Imports: top 5 trading partners
|
Country |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
Germany |
5.9 |
-12.7 |
|
China |
5.1 |
14.2 |
|
USA |
5.0 |
-7.3 |
|
Netherlands |
3.7 |
-6.4 |
|
Belgium |
2.7 |
2.1 |
Top traded commodities
Top 5 commodities by combined exports and imports value
|
Commodity |
Exports value |
Change since April 2024 (%) |
Imports |
Change since April 2024 (%) |
|
Mechanical appliances |
5.7 |
1.6 |
6.5 |
-2.7 |
|
Motor vehicles |
3.2 |
7.0 |
5.5 |
-6.8 |
|
Precious metals |
4.3 |
16.8 |
4.3 |
-0.3 |
|
Mineral fuels |
2.4 |
-11.3 |
5.3 |
-4.7 |
|
Electronic equipment |
1.9 |
-6.7 |
4.4 |
-8.1 |
Top 5 exported commodities
|
Commodity |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
Mechanical appliances |
5.7 |
1.6 |
|
Precious metals |
4.3 |
16.8 |
|
Motor vehicles |
3.2 |
7.0 |
|
Mineral fuels |
2.4 |
-11.3 |
|
Electronic equipment |
1.9 |
-6.7 |
Top 5 imported commodities
|
Commodity |
Value (£ billion) |
Change since |
|
Mechanical appliances |
6.5 |
-2.7 |
|
Motor vehicles |
5.5 |
-6.8 |
|
Mineral fuels |
5.3 |
-4.7 |
|
Electronic equipment |
4.4 |
-8.1 |
|
Precious metals |
4.3 |
-0.3 |
Full commentary
Visit GOV.UK for more details and analysis of May 2024 data.
Datasets
Access monthly data for combined EU and non-EU trade.
- UK overseas trade in goods May 2024: import data (XLSX, 35.4 KB)
- UK overseas trade in goods May 2024: export data (XLSX, 34.8 KB)
- Gold trade for May 2024 (XLSX, 56.4 KB)
- Top 20 traded goods by Chapter: May 2024 (XLSX, 36.5 KB)
- Top 20 traded goods by Standard International Trade Classification: May 2024 (XLSX, 37.6 KB)
- Top 25 trading partners: May 2024 (XLSX, 37.4 KB)
Earlier data
Find earlier overseas trade statistics.
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