Statistical commentary

Coverage: UK

Frequency: Quarterly

Date of publication: 12 December 2024

Statistical Contact: ECJU.statistics@businessandtrade.gov.uk

Website: Strategic export controls licensing statistics

The strategic export controls licensing statistics provide data on decisions made on licence applications to the Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) of the Department for Business and Trade (DBT).  These statistics are currently Official Statistics in Development as decided by the Department’s Chief Statistician and Chief Analyst.

Headline results

Latest quarter

• In 2024 Q2 (between 1 April and 30 June 2024), there were a total of 2,823 licensing decisions for standard individual export licences (SIELs). This was down 379 (12%) from 3,202 in the previous quarter (2024 Q1).

• Of these standard licensing decisions, 2,713 (96.1%) were issued, 110 (3.9%) were refused, and none were revoked.

• In 2024 Q2, 64% of SIELs were processed to a first outcome within 20 working days. This was up from 58% in the previous quarter. 89% of SIELs were processed to a first outcome within 60 working days, up from 84% in the previous quarter.

Note: These figures do not include data on licence applications closed in LITE during these periods. Take care when comparing figures with previous reporting periods – see Background notes for details.

Latest full calendar year

• In the 2023 calendar year, there were a total of 12,032 licensing decisions for standard individual export licences (SIELs). This was down 1,684 (12.3%) from 13,716 in the previous calendar year (2022).

• Of these standard licensing decisions in 2023, 11,343 (94.3%) were issued, 687 (5.7%) were refused, and 2 were revoked.

• In the 2023 calendar year, 52% of SIELs were processed to a first outcome within 20 working days. This was down from 62% in the previous year. 87% of SIELs were processed to a first outcome within 60 working days, down from 89% in the previous year.

Note: These SIEL licence type figures do not include data on licence applications closed in LITE during these periods. Comparing figures with previous reporting periods should be done with care – see Background notes for further details.

Introduction

This commentary accompanies the latest strategic export controls licensing statistics, published on the DBT strategic export controls statistics web page on 12 December 2024.

These statistics provide data about decisions made on export and trade control licence applications to the Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) of the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). The ECJU is the regulatory body that controls exports of military goods and dual-use goods (civilian goods that can be used for military purposes) from the UK.

ECJU’s issued licences give permission for certain strategic exports to be made from the UK to another destination, and for overseas trade in strategic goods.

These statistics are used within ECJU to inform policy and operational decision-making. They are also regularly used by the press, non-government organisations, and academics to evaluate strategic export control policies – see Background notes for further details.

Period

These statistics cover licensing decisions made in each quarter from 2008 Q1 to 2024 Q2. Statistics are provided at both a quarterly and annual level.

Annual level statistics are published for the first time alongside the Q4 statistics for that year. For instance, the latest annual level statistics (2023) were first published in the 2023 Q4 publication.

The data in this release is sourced from SPIRE and LITE and is accurate as of 15 October 2024.

System Transition

Licence applications are submitted to and processed by ECJU online. Historically, a purpose-built digital licensing system called SPIRE has been used. However, ECJU is currently developing and rolling out a new digital licensing system, known as LITE, which will eventually replace SPIRE. During the transition period, ECJU is handling applications on both SPIRE and LITE.

These statistics have included data from LITE since 2021 Q3, the period in which the first licensing decision was made in LITE. This transition has impacted the timeliness and comprehensiveness of the publication:

• From the 2021 Q3 publication onwards, there have been some delays in publishing these statistics due to the transition from SPIRE to LITE. To minimise the ongoing impact of these delays, the data for the 2024 Q1 and 2024 Q2 release were published simultaneously.

• From the 2023 Q1 publication onwards, there have been some limitations in the LITE data we have published. Impacted statistics have been caveated in each affected publication appropriately.

Please see Background notes for further details.

Official Statistics in Development

From the 2024 Q1 publication until further notice, these statistics have been reclassified and published as Official Statistics in Development – see Background notes for further details.

1. Commentary on licence types

Standard individual export licences (SIELs) are by far the most common licence type issued. The number of OIELs issued is much smaller than the number of SIELs issued. However, the quantity of goods for exportation is generally not limited on OIELs.

Notable historic trends in volumes of licence types have been highlighted in the commentary for previous publications.

Latest quarter

• In 2024 Q2, 2,713 SIELs were issued, 85 OIELs were issued, 35 SITCLs were issued, and 1 OITCL was issued. There were 383 OGEL registrations.

• For context, on average, the number of SIELs issued each quarter since 2008 Q1 has been 3,118. This is much higher than for open individual export licences (OIELs) (74), standard individual trade control licences (SITCLs) (40), and open individual trade control licences (OITCLs) (6). Registrations to use open general export licences (OGELs) have averaged 360 each quarter since 2008 Q1.

Latest full calendar year

• In 2023, 11,343 SIELs were issued, 289 OIELs were issued, 109 SITCLs were issued, and 5 OITCLs were issued. There were 1,850 OGEL registrations.

• For context, on average, the number of SIELs issued each year since 2008 has been 12,504. This is higher than for open individual export licences (OIELs) (294), standard individual trade control licences (SITCLs) (161), and open individual trade control licences (OITCLs) (25). Registrations to use open general export licences (OGELs) have averaged 1,435 each year since 2008.

2. Commentary on licensing decisions

Chart 1 shows that the numbers of SIELs and SITCLs refused, and OIELs and OITCLs rejected, tend to be much lower than the numbers issued.

Chart 1: Number of licences refused/rejected by licence type

Notable historic trends in refusals have been highlighted in the commentary for previous publications.

Latest quarter

• In 2024 Q2, there were a total of 2,823 licensing decisions for standard individual export licences (SIELs). Of these, 2,713 (96.1%) were issued, 110 (3.9%) were refused, and none were revoked.

• For context, the number of SIELs refused in each quarter between 2008 Q1 and 2023 Q4 has averaged 74. More recent periods have seen higher numbers of refusals, with each quarter since 2022 Q3 surpassing 100 total refusals (see Chart 1).

Latest full calendar year

• In the 2023 calendar year, there were a total of 12,032 licensing decisions for standard individual export licences (SIELs). Of these, 11,343 (94.3%) were issued, 687 (5.7%) were refused, and 2 were revoked.

• For context, the number of SIELs refused in each year between 2008 and 2023 has averaged 285. More recent periods have seen higher numbers of refusals, with both 2022 and 2023 surpassing 400 total refusals.

3. Commentary on value of licences

Within this section, SIEL licence type figures for the 2024 (Q1) reporting period onwards do not include data on licensing decisions made in LITE during these periods. Comparing figures with previous reporting periods should be done with care – see Background notes for further details.

Chart 2 shows how the value of goods issued for exportation under SIELs can vary a lot from quarter to quarter. A handful of high-value licences often explain peaks in the data. The goods included on the licence are valued by the exporter during the application process. This means that the actual exports may not be of such a high value.

• Note 1: The actual number and value of transactions made under the licences is likely to be less than the total made available under the licences issued. This is because some licences will not be used to make all of the exports authorised, and others will not be used at all.

• Note 2: Unlike SIELs for permanent export, a temporary SIEL may permit the export of goods to multiple destinations. These goods must be returned to the UK within 12 months. For example, an item might be exported to an exhibition in one country, then moved to another exhibition in a second country, and so on, before returning to the UK. The total value of temporary goods is calculated as the sum of temporary goods licensed to each destination. This means the same goods can be counted multiple times.

Chart 2: Value of goods issued for exportation under SIEL licences

• Notable historic trends in licence values have been highlighted in the commentary for previous publications.

Latest quarter

• In 2024 Q2, the total value of all SIELs issued was £22.3 billion, down from £50.3 billion in 2024 Q1.

• 33 high-value licences for China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, South Korea, and Taiwan accounted for over 90% of the total value of all SIELs issued in 2024 Q2. These licences, valued at £20.4 billion, were for information security equipment and software. These licences were all for a single exporter. Through conversations with this exporter, we have come to understand that the values included on these high-value licences were speculative. The actual exports under these licences will not be of such a high value. This behaviour skews statistics presented on the value of licences. These statistics should be treated with care. We have been engaging with the exporter to minimise the impact of this in future reporting periods.

• 54 high-value licences for China, India, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United States accounted for 93% of the total value of all SIELs issued in 2024 Q1. These licences, valued at £46.9 billion, were for information security equipment and software. These licences were all for a single exporter. Through conversations with this exporter, we have come to understand that the values included on these high-value licences were speculative. The actual exports under these licences will not be of such a high value. This behaviour skews statistics presented on the value of licences. These statistics should be treated with care. We have been engaging with the exporter to minimise the impact of this in future reporting periods.

Latest full calendar year

• In 2023, the total value of all SIELs issued was £70.3 billion, up from £16.5 billion in 2022.

4. Commentary on goods categories

Within this section, SIEL licence type figures for the 2024 (Q1) reporting period onwards do not include data on licensing decisions made in LITE during these periods. Comparing figures with previous reporting periods should be done with care – see Background notes for further details.

Control entries are the codes assigned to each good on the consolidated list of goods that require export authorisation (herein ‘consolidated list’). For example, all control entries beginning ‘ML’ (such as ML1, ML8 etc) are for military goods. The process of assigning control entries to goods is called Rating.

In some cases, goods can be made subject to control even if they do not appear on the consolidated list. Goods that the exporter has been told, knows, or suspects are intended for ‘Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD) purposes’ are given the rating ‘END’.

The following goods are given the rating ‘MEND’:

• goods that the exporter has been told are, or may be intended, in their entirety or in part, for use by a relevant entity (such as military forces, para-military forces, police forces, security services, or intelligence services of a country that is embargoed or under an arms embargo)
• goods that the exporter has been told or knows are, or may be, intended for use as components in, or production or test equipment for, military equipment in an embargoed destination, or may be used as parts of military goods illegally obtained from the UK

Both ‘END’ and ‘MEND’ ratings are sometimes referred to as ‘catch-all’ ratings.

The list of items subject to export control can be found on the UK strategic export control lists page.

Control entries provide in-depth descriptions for the classification of licensable goods. Table 1 and Table 2 provide summary descriptions of control entries based on the consolidated list. High-ranking control entries have been combined where they cover similar goods (specified in square brackets in Tables 1 and 2). Licence counts are an indication of export volumes and may not represent goods quantity.

Military goods licensed

Table 1: Top-5 military goods licensed on permanent standard SIELs in 2023, by number of licences

Top-5 military use	Number of licences
Aircraft, components and related equipment [ML10]	835
Firearms [ML1]	651
Bombs, missiles and related equipment and components [ML4]	427
Vehicles and components [ML6]	420
Military Technology [ML22]	392

Source: Table H, Strategic export controls licensing statistics

Non-military goods licensed

Table 2: Top-5 non-military goods licensed on permanent standard SIELs in 2023, by number of licences

Top-5 non-military use	Number of licences
Equipment and software with “information security” capability [5A002, 5D002]	1,214
Non-Military Firearms (Firearms Regulation Annex I) [FR AI]	863
Imaging cameras [6A003]	390
Human and animal pathogens and “toxins” [1C351]	324
Chemical manufacturing facilities, equipment and components [2B350]	299

Source: Table H, Strategic export controls licensing statistics

5. Commentary on end-user destinations

Within this section, SIEL licence type figures for the 2024 (Q1) reporting period onwards do not include data on licensing decisions made in LITE during these periods. Comparing figures with previous reporting periods should be done with care – see Background notes for further details.

End-user destinations by number of licences

• In 2023, the United States of America had the highest number of licences issued for the exportation of strategic goods under permanent standard SIELs, with 1,041 licences. The next highest end users were China (807 licences) and India (587 licences).

Map 1: Number of licences issued per end-user destination in 2023

Chart 3: Top 10 end-user destinations licensed, 2023

End-user destinations by value

• In 2023, China had the highest value of licences issued for the exportation of strategic goods under permanent standard SIELs, with £25.6 billion worth of goods. The next highest end users by value were South Korea (£13.1 billion) and India (£8.4 billion). The goods included on the licence are valued by the exporter during the application process, meaning the actual exports may not match this value.

Map 2: Value of licences issued per end-user destination in 2023

Chart 4: Top 10 end-user destinations licensed by value, 2023

6. Commentary on performance data

SIEL licence type figures for the 2023 (Q1) reporting period onwards do not include data on licence applications closed in LITE. Comparing figures with previous periods should be done with care – see Background notes for more details.

ECJU’s target is to process 70% of SIEL cases within 20 working days and 99% within 60 working days. ECJU also aims to process 60% of OIEL applications within 60 working days.

Latest quarter

• In 2024 Q2, 64% of SIEL applications were processed within 20 working days, up from 58% in Q1. By 60 working days, 89% of SIELs were completed, up from 84% in Q1. 40% of OIEL applications were completed by 60 working days, up from 33% in Q1.

• Factors impacting ECJU’s ability to meet processing targets included the ongoing transition from SPIRE to LITE.

Table 3: Processing statistics for SIEL applications closed during 2024 Q2

Types of licences	Number of applications completed in 20 working days	% applications completed in 20 working days	Number of applications completed in 60 working days	% applications completed in 60 working days	Median processing time (days)
Total SIELs	1,821	64	2,535	89	15
Permanent	1,579	64	2,192	88	15
Temporary	99	75	128	97	12
Transhipment	4	100	4	100	1
Incorporation	135	61	202	92	16
For items covered by the Torture Regulation (Permanent or Temporary)	4	40	9	90	24

Source: Table B, strategic export controls licensing statistics

Table 3 includes data for applications stopped or withdrawn before closure, as well as those processed but not requiring a licence.

Latest full calendar year

• In 2023, 52% of SIEL applications were completed within 20 working days, down from 62% in 2022. By 60 working days, 87% of SIELs were completed, down from 89% in 2022. 39% of OIEL applications were completed by 60 working days, up from 26% in 2022.

• Factors affecting ECJU’s processing targets in 2023 included the transition to LITE and increased workload from the Military End Use Control refresh in May 2022.

Glossary

Licence types

• Standard individual export licences (SIELs) are for an individual exporter and generally allow shipments of specified items to a specified recipient up to the quantity specified by the licence. There are 5 main subtypes: permanent standard, temporary standard, incorporation, transhipment, and SIELs for goods covered by the Torture Regulation.

• Open individual export licences (OIELs) are for an individual exporter and cover multiple shipments of specified items to specific destinations/recipients. Licences for permanent export are usually valid for up to 5 years, but OIELs for goods to EU Member States or Dealer-to-Dealer OIELs are valid for 3 years.

• Open individual trade control licence (OITCL) covers involvement in the trade of specific goods between source and destination countries/recipients. OITCLs are usually valid for 5 years.

• Standard individual trade control licence (SITCL) covers involvement in trading a set quantity of goods between specific countries. SITCLs are typically valid for 2 years.

• Open general export licences (OGELs) are pre-published licences allowing the export of certain goods to certain destinations. The quantity of goods is not usually limited.

SIELs

• Permanent standard SIELs are for items that are for permanent export to a destination.

• Temporary standard SIELs are for exports that are temporary, such as for demonstrations or trials, typically valid for one year.

• Incorporation SIELs are for goods that are incorporated into other products or systems. There are two end-user types: the person/organisation incorporating the goods and the ultimate end user, who uses the final product.

• Transhipment SIELs are for goods transhipped through the UK from one country to another. Conditions must be met for this type of licence.

• SIELs for goods covered by the torture regulation concern trade in equipment that could be used for torture or capital punishment. These are non-military goods but are reported separately from other non-military goods.

OIELs

• Open individual export licences (OIELs) cover multiple shipments of specified items to specified destinations. They are generally valid for 3-5 years, depending on the type. Some subtypes include:

  • Dealer-to-dealer OIELs allow Northern Ireland firearms dealers to export to EU firearms dealers.
  • Cryptographic OIELs authorise the export of cryptography hardware/software and technology.
  • Media OIELs allow the export of protection gear for aid workers and journalists.
  • Continental shelf OIELs allow the export of goods to the UK continental shelf for offshore installations.

Global project licences

• Global project licences (GPLs) are a type of export licence introduced by framework agreement partners (UK, France, Italy, Sweden, Spain, and Germany) to streamline licensing military goods and technologies for collaborative defence projects. Each partner state issues its own GPLs for transfers of specified goods and technology related to the project. GPLs operate similarly to UK OIELs. In the UK, GPL applications are assessed against the strategic export licensing criteria.

Background notes

System Transition

Licence applications are submitted and processed through ECJU online. Previously, a digital licensing system called SPIRE was used. ECJU is now developing and rolling out a new system, LITE, which will replace SPIRE. During this transition, ECJU is processing applications in both SPIRE and LITE.

These statistics include data from LITE since Q3 2021, when the first licensing decision was made. This transition has impacted the timeliness and comprehensiveness of the publication.

Timeliness

Since Q3 2021, there have been delays in publishing statistics due to the system transition. For further details, see the quality and methodology information guidance.

Comprehensiveness

From Q1 2023 onwards, LITE data has had limitations in extraction and accuracy. Affected statistics are appropriately caveated in each publication:

• 2008 Q1 to 2021 Q2: Licensing decisions were made solely in SPIRE, ensuring comprehensive statistics.
• 2021 Q3 to 2022 Q4: Data was sourced from both SPIRE and LITE, maintaining comprehensiveness.
• 2023 Q1 to 2023 Q4: Data from both SPIRE and LITE had limitations in how it was published, particularly for SIELs broken down by processing times.
• 2024 Q1 onwards: Further limitations exist with the LITE data, with figures only broken down by licence outcome or sub-type.

Impacted statistics are caveated accordingly. For further details, see the statement of administrative sources guidance and quality and methodology information guidance.

Official Statistics in Development

Statistics for 2008 Q1 to 2023 Q4 were previously published as Official Statistics. They have been reclassified as Official Statistics in Development from Q1 2024. This reclassification reflects limitations in extracting comprehensive data from LITE and the impact of increased LITE usage.

The reclassification follows established procedures by the Office for Statistics Regulation. For more details, see the statement of administrative sources guidance and quality and methodology information guidance.

Uses of the data

• These strategic export controls licensing statistics inform government policy and operational decisions. They are also used in the Annual Report on the UK’s export control policy and practice, published by DBT in collaboration with the FCDO and MOD. See the United Kingdom strategic export controls annual report.

• The Business and Trade Committee (BTC), formerly the Committee on Arms Export Controls (CAEC), uses these statistics to examine the government’s expenditure, administration, and policy on strategic exports.

• Non-government organisations like Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) and Amnesty International use these statistics to monitor strategic exports. Academic and research institutions, such as the Export Control Advisory Committee (ECAC) and the Export Group for Aerospace, Defence and Dual-Use (EGADD), also use these statistics.

Related guidance

• The Strategic export controls: licensing statistics revisions policy explains how we correct errors and show amendments in these statistics.

• The Strategic export control statistics: statement of administrative sources outlines the administrative sources used to compile these statistics.

• The Strategic export controls quality and methodology report explains how ECJU collects, processes, and quality checks data.

Further information

• The most recent data tables are available on DBT’s strategic export controls statistics website.

• Footnotes provide context for specific licences. Country footnotes, found in the data table, give country-specific information on how licence applications were assessed. Case and goods footnotes, found in the country pivot report, detail how licensing decisions were made for specific goods and their intended use.

• A small number of specialised licences are not included in this commentary due to processing methods. Data for these licences can be found in the ‘other standard licences’ data table in each quarterly report.