As of the third quarter of 2025, the value of goods exported to the European Union from the United Kingdom was just under 45.1 billion British pounds, compared with around 81.2 billion pounds of goods imported, resulting in a negative goods trade balance with the EU of 36.1 billion pounds.

EU UK: Trade Balance: swda data was reported at -13,404.400 EUR mn in May 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of -13,219.400 EUR mn for Apr 2018. EU UK: Trade Balance: swda data is updated monthly, averaging -9,686.400 EUR mn from Jan 1999 (Median) to May 2018, with 233 observations. The data reached an all-time high of -89.000 EUR mn in May 2013 and a record low of -21,584.900 EUR mn in Sep 2016. EU UK: Trade Balance: swda data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Eurostat. The data is categorized under Global Database’s UK – Table UK.Eurostat: Trade Balance: Seasonally and Working Day Adjusted.

This statistics displays the trade balance (exports minus imports) of the United Kingdom with countries outside the European Union annually from 1999 to 2023. UK exports to non-EU countries were higher than imports in 2023, with the trade balance measuring approximately at ** billion British pounds.

EU UK: Trade Balance data was reported at -11,411.400 EUR mn in May 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of -13,005.300 EUR mn for Apr 2018. EU UK: Trade Balance data is updated monthly, averaging -9,799.500 EUR mn from Jan 1999 (Median) to May 2018, with 233 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,630.000 EUR mn in May 2013 and a record low of -23,833.700 EUR mn in Sep 2016. EU UK: Trade Balance data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Eurostat. The data is categorized under Global Database’s UK – Table UK.Eurostat: Trade Balance.

Goods Trade Balance Non-EU in the United Kingdom increased to -6820 GBP Million in September from -6950 GBP Million in August of 2025. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for the United Kingdom Goods Trade Balance Non-EU.

In 2023, the United Kingdom had a total trade deficit of about 15 billion British pounds. A further breakdown of the UK's trade balance as displayed here indicates that the UK had a trade surplus with its trade in goods and services with countries outside the EU, whereas from its goods and services trade with the EU27 countries, the UK had a deficit of over 94.62 billion.

EU UK: Trade Balance: swda: Intermediate Goods data was reported at -5,288.600 EUR mn in May 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of -4,985.900 EUR mn for Apr 2018. EU UK: Trade Balance: swda: Intermediate Goods data is updated monthly, averaging -2,966.000 EUR mn from Jan 1999 (Median) to May 2018, with 233 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 7,288.800 EUR mn in May 2013 and a record low of -14,785.500 EUR mn in Sep 2012. EU UK: Trade Balance: swda: Intermediate Goods data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Eurostat. The data is categorized under Global Database’s UK – Table UK.Eurostat: Trade Balance: Seasonally and Working Day Adjusted.

Since the first quarter of 2016, the total trade deficit of the UK has widened, most notably in the first half of 2022. As of the second quarter of 202 the UK's trade balance reached 19 billion British pounds.

  UK’s EU and non-EU trade   UK runs a trade deficit with the EU, but this is not the case regarding trade with countries outside the European Union. Since 2012, the value of UK goods exported to non-EU countries has persistenly been greater than imports made from these countries, resulting in a healthy trade surplus.

  International UK trade after Brexit   Following the Brexit referendum of 2016,the UK government has sought to renew a number of trade agreements that come automatically with EU membership, such as Free Trade Agreements (FTA) and Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA).

In 2022, the value of goods and services the United Kingdom (UK) imported from the EU amounted to 305.7 billion British pounds. Since the UK's exit from the European Union, trade between the two entities fluctuated.

Clothing and beverages from the EU

As displayed in this statistic, the United Kingdom imported goods and services from the EU on an ever-increasing level since 1999. The EU is a key trade partner for the UK, particularly for food products. Capital products such as machinery and chemicals are also among the leading commodities traded betweenthe UK and the EU.

UK-EU trade balance

As it stands, the trade balance between the UK and the EU is defined by a deficit: the UK imports more goods and services than it exports to the EU. In the case of a hard Brexit where the UK leaves the EU with no deal terms, the UK will have to abide by the external tariff imposed by the EU.

EU UK: Trade Balance: swda: Capital Goods data was reported at -2,227.700 EUR mn in May 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of -2,322.300 EUR mn for Apr 2018. EU UK: Trade Balance: swda: Capital Goods data is updated monthly, averaging -1,775.300 EUR mn from Jan 1999 (Median) to May 2018, with 233 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3,889.400 EUR mn in Apr 2006 and a record low of -4,559.800 EUR mn in Sep 2016. EU UK: Trade Balance: swda: Capital Goods data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Eurostat. The data is categorized under Global Database’s UK – Table UK.Eurostat: Trade Balance: Seasonally and Working Day Adjusted.

The United States is the European Union's biggest trading partner as of 2023, with the total value of trade between the EU and the North American country exceeding ****billion dollars. China was the EU's second-largest trading partner, however, in contrast to the substantial trade surplus that the EU has with the United States, the EU has a large trade deficit with China. In 2022, the EU imported *** billion euros worth of goods from China than it exported to the East Asian country. Other prominent trade partners included the UK, Switzerland, and Turkey.

The 'Goods Trade Balance Non-EU' in the UK measures the difference between exports and imports of goods with countries outside the European Union.-2025-03-28

EU UK: Trade Balance: swda: Consumption Goods (CG) data was reported at -4,720.100 EUR mn in May 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of -4,828.200 EUR mn for Apr 2018. EU UK: Trade Balance: swda: Consumption Goods (CG) data is updated monthly, averaging -3,651.100 EUR mn from Jan 1999 (Median) to May 2018, with 233 observations. The data reached an all-time high of -1,339.000 EUR mn in Jan 1999 and a record low of -5,955.900 EUR mn in Jul 2015. EU UK: Trade Balance: swda: Consumption Goods (CG) data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Eurostat. The data is categorized under Global Database’s UK – Table UK.Eurostat: Trade Balance: Seasonally and Working Day Adjusted.

Key information about EU's Trade Balance

• EU's Trade Balance recorded a surplus of 18.3 USD bn in Sep 2025, compared with a surplus of 8.5 USD bn in the previous month
• EU's Trade Balance data is updated monthly, available from Jan 2002 to Sep 2025, with an averaged value of 20.0 USD bn
• The data reached an all-time high of 30.8 USD bn in Dec 2020 and a record low of -57.9 USD bn in Aug 2022

• In the latest reports, EU's Total Exports reached 259.9 USD bn in Sep 2025, an increase of 0.9% YoY (year-on-year)
• Total Imports recorded 241.6 USD bn in Sep 2025, an increase of 0.9% YoY (year-on-year)

In 2022, United Kingdom's goods trade with EU27 countries resulted in a trade deficit with most of the countries in the union. UK had the largest deficit with Germany, with the balance standing at about -26.4 billion British pounds. Republic of Ireland was the leading country with which the UK had a surplus.

International trade is one of the most pressing topics on the UK’s Brexit checklist. With no definitive EU deal in immediate sight, it is not just the UK-EU trade that is at stake, but also the continuity of a number of trade agreements with third countries that take effect automatically with EU membership. It is fair to say that this uncertainty surrounding the UK’s international trade will not help the fluctuations experienced in the UK’s goods export as displayed in this statistic.

UK exports in and outside the EU

Since 2008, the UK ships more goods to non-EU countries than EU27. Nevertheless, even with its shrinking share in UK exports, the EU market accounts for the largest proportion of UK trade. This becomes more apparent when we look at the UK’s export trade partners as individual countries.

Trade balance swings

The UK is among the top exporting economies in the world, yet the country’s trade balance seems to be widening. In the first quarter of 2019, the UK’s trade deficit was the largest since 2016. This was down to increasing import activity, as export of trade goods still continued to improve over this period of time.

In the third quarter of 2025, the value of exports from the United Kingdom amounted to approximately 234 billion British pounds, while imports to the country amounted to around 238 billion pounds, resulting in a trade deficit of around 4.5 billion pounds in this quarter. During this time period, the value of UK exports was highest in the fourth quarter of 2022, with the value of imports peaking in the first quarter of 2025. The UK's main trade partners Despite the UK leaving the EU in 2020 following the Brexit referendum of 2016, Europe remains the main destination for UK exports, with almost half of UK exports heading there in 2023. During the same year, just over 60 percent of imports came from European countries, compared with around 17.9 percent from countries in Asia, and 11.8 percent from the Americas. In terms of individual countries, the United States was the UK's leading export partner for both goods and services from the UK, while Germany was the main source of UK goods imports, and the U.S. for service imports. It is as yet unclear how the return of Donald Trump to the White House will impact UK/US trade relations, should the President follow through with threats made on the campaign trail to increase trade tariffs. Brexit rethink under Starmer? Although generally more pro-European than the previous government, the new Labour government, led by Keir Starmer, does not plan to rejoin the European Union, or the Single Market. Public opinion, while gradually turning against Brexit recently, has not coalesced around a particular trading relationship. In late 2023, a survey indicated that while 31 percent of British adults wanted to rejoin the EU, a further 30 percent wanted to simply improve relations with the EU, instead of rejoining. Just 11 percent of respondents wanted to join the single market but not the EU, while 10 percent were happy with the relationship as it was. At the start of 2025, after several months in office, the new government has not signalled any major change in direction regarding on this, but has broadly signalled it wants a better relationship with the EU.

EU UK: Trade Balance: Intermediate Goods data was reported at -4,468.300 EUR mn in May 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of -5,063.200 EUR mn for Apr 2018. EU UK: Trade Balance: Intermediate Goods data is updated monthly, averaging -2,878.600 EUR mn from Jan 1999 (Median) to May 2018, with 233 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 8,151.200 EUR mn in May 2013 and a record low of -14,599.200 EUR mn in Sep 2012. EU UK: Trade Balance: Intermediate Goods data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Eurostat. The data is categorized under Global Database’s UK – Table UK.Eurostat: Trade Balance.

Experimental dataset providing a breakdown of UK trade in services by industry, country and service type on a balance of payments basis. Data are subject to disclosure control.