Quarterly summary of balance of payments accounts including the current account, capital transfers, transactions, and levels of UK external assets and liabilities.

United Kingdom Balance of Payments: Current Account data was reported at -21,141.000 GBP mn in Sep 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of -29,708.000 GBP mn for Jun 2024. United Kingdom Balance of Payments: Current Account data is updated quarterly, averaging -784.000 GBP mn from Mar 1955 (Median) to Sep 2024, with 279 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12,965.000 GBP mn in Dec 2022 and a record low of -41,940.000 GBP mn in Mar 2022. United Kingdom Balance of Payments: Current Account data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office for National Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.JB001: BPM6: Balance of Payments.

This statistic shows the predicted year on year change in balance of payments current account as percentage of GDP in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2017 to 2023. A decrease is to be expected throughout the entire period.

United Kingdom UK: BOP: Capital Account: Net data was reported at -1.747 USD bn in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of -2.171 USD bn for 2016. United Kingdom UK: BOP: Capital Account: Net data is updated yearly, averaging 90.478 USD mn from Dec 1987 (Median) to 2017, with 31 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.595 USD bn in 1996 and a record low of -3.102 USD bn in 2014. United Kingdom UK: BOP: Capital Account: Net data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.World Bank.WDI: Balance of Payments: Capital and Financial Account. Net capital account records acquisitions and disposals of nonproduced nonfinancial assets, such as land sold to embassies and sales of leases and licenses, as well as capital transfers, including government debt forgiveness. The use of the term capital account in this context is designed to be consistent with the System of National Accounts, which distinguishes between capital transactions and financial transactions. Data are in current U.S. dollars.; ; International Monetary Fund, Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files.; ; Note: Data are based on the sixth edition of the IMF's Balance of Payments Manual (BPM6) and are only available from 2005 onwards.

Quarterly transactions in trade in goods and services, primary, secondary and investment income, transactions with EU and non-EU countries and capital account.

In the fourth quarter of 2024, the United Kingdom had a trade deficit of 11.5 billion British pounds, due to a 55.4 billion pound deficit in goods trade offset by a 43.8 billion pound trade surplus in services.

United Kingdom BoP: Capital Account data was reported at -1,669.000 GBP mn in Sep 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of -608.000 GBP mn for Jun 2024. United Kingdom BoP: Capital Account data is updated quarterly, averaging -6.000 GBP mn from Mar 1955 (Median) to Sep 2024, with 279 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 497.000 GBP mn in Dec 2007 and a record low of -8,435.000 GBP mn in Sep 2017. United Kingdom BoP: Capital Account data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office for National Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.JB001: BPM6: Balance of Payments.

Graph and download economic data for Balance of Payments: Goods: Expenditure for United Kingdom (GBRB6DBTD01NCCUSAQ) from Q1 1955 to Q3 2024 about debits, debit, current account, BOP, and United Kingdom.

United Kingdom UK: BOP: Financial Account: Foreign Direct Investment: Net Inflows data was reported at 64.685 USD bn in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 265.811 USD bn for 2016. United Kingdom UK: BOP: Financial Account: Foreign Direct Investment: Net Inflows data is updated yearly, averaging 22.149 USD bn from Dec 1970 (Median) to 2017, with 48 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 265.811 USD bn in 2016 and a record low of -347.323 USD mn in 1984. United Kingdom UK: BOP: Financial Account: Foreign Direct Investment: Net Inflows data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.World Bank.WDI: Balance of Payments: Capital and Financial Account. Foreign direct investment refers to direct investment equity flows in the reporting economy. It is the sum of equity capital, reinvestment of earnings, and other capital. Direct investment is a category of cross-border investment associated with a resident in one economy having control or a significant degree of influence on the management of an enterprise that is resident in another economy. Ownership of 10 percent or more of the ordinary shares of voting stock is the criterion for determining the existence of a direct investment relationship. Data are in current U.S. dollars.; ; International Monetary Fund, Balance of Payments database, supplemented by data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and official national sources.; Sum; Note: Data starting from 2005 are based on the sixth edition of the IMF's Balance of Payments Manual (BPM6).

United Kingdom BoP: Financial Account: Direct Investment data was reported at -1,222.000 GBP mn in Sep 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of -10,665.000 GBP mn for Jun 2024. United Kingdom BoP: Financial Account: Direct Investment data is updated quarterly, averaging -1,312.000 GBP mn from Mar 1987 (Median) to Sep 2024, with 151 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 139,683.000 GBP mn in Mar 2014 and a record low of -98,541.000 GBP mn in Mar 2000. United Kingdom BoP: Financial Account: Direct Investment data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office for National Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.JB001: BPM6: Balance of Payments.

Key information about United Kingdom Current Account Balance: % of GDP

• United Kingdom Current Account deficit accounted for 2.5 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Sep 2024, compared with a 3.4 % deficit in the previous quarter.
• UK Current Account Balance: % of Nominal GDP data is updated quarterly, available from Mar 1955 to Sep 2024, with an average value of -1.0 %.
• The data reached an all-time high of 4.0 % in Mar 1981 and a record low of -6.9 % in Dec 2014.

CEIC calculates Current Account Balance as % of Nominal GDP from quarterly Current Account Balance and quarterly Nominal GDP. Office for National Statistics provides Current Account Balance in local currency and Nominal GDP in local currency.


Key information about United Kingdom Current Account Balance: % of GDP

• In the latest reports of UK, Current Account recorded a deficit of 13.1 USD bn in Mar 2023.
• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) fell by 8.6 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• UK Direct Investment Abroad fell by 7.0 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• Its Foreign Portfolio Investment increased by 2.8 USD bn in Sep 2024.
• The country's Nominal GDP was reported at 786.4 USD bn in Mar 2023.

Graph and download economic data for Current Account Balance: Total Transfers for the United Kingdom (DISCONTINUED) (BPBLTF01GBQ636N) from Q1 1960 to Q1 2014 about transfers, current account, BOP, and United Kingdom.

External balance on goods and services (formerly resource balance) equals exports of goods and services minus imports of goods and services (previously nonfactor services). Data are in current U.S. dollars.

Graph and download economic data for Balance of Payments: Other Investment: Liabilities (or Net Incurrence of Liabilities) for United Kingdom (GBRB6FAOI03NCCUQ) from Q1 1987 to Q3 2024 about financial account, BOP, liabilities, United Kingdom, investment, and financial.

Graph and download economic data for Balance of Payments: Services: Expenditure for United Kingdom (GBRB6DBSE03STSAQ) from Q1 1955 to Q3 2024 about debits, debit, current account, BOP, United Kingdom, and services.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Balance of Payments (BOPS) database is a statistical statement containing over 100,000 quarterly and annual time series data that summarise, for a specific period (typically a year or quarter), the economic transactions of an economy with the rest of the world. It covers:

• all the goods, services, factor income and current transfers an economy receives from or provides to the rest of the world
• capital transfers and changes in an economy's external financial claims and liabilities

This database was first provided by the UK Data Service in June 2004.



Main Topics:

The database covers:

• balance of payments
• economics, international and monetary economics
• international monetary system
• currencies
• monetary economics
• international economics
• foreign investment
• international, foreign and world trade
• exchange rates and foreign exchange

United Kingdom UK: BOP: Financial Account: Foreign Direct Investment: Net Outflows: % of GDP data was reported at 5.608 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.977 % for 2016. United Kingdom UK: BOP: Financial Account: Foreign Direct Investment: Net Outflows: % of GDP data is updated yearly, averaging 2.574 % from Dec 1970 (Median) to 2017, with 48 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 17.722 % in 2000 and a record low of -3.769 % in 2014. United Kingdom UK: BOP: Financial Account: Foreign Direct Investment: Net Outflows: % of GDP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.World Bank.WDI: Balance of Payments: Capital and Financial Account. Foreign direct investment refers to direct investment equity flows in an economy. It is the sum of equity capital, reinvestment of earnings, and other capital. Direct investment is a category of cross-border investment associated with a resident in one economy having control or a significant degree of influence on the management of an enterprise that is resident in another economy. Ownership of 10 percent or more of the ordinary shares of voting stock is the criterion for determining the existence of a direct investment relationship. This series shows net outflows of investment from the reporting economy to the rest of the world, and is divided by GDP.; ; International Monetary Fund, Balance of Payments database, supplemented by data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and official national sources.; Weighted average; Note: Data starting from 2005 are based on the sixth edition of the IMF's Balance of Payments Manual (BPM6).