UK overseas trade in goods statistics April 2024: commentary
Published 12 June 2024
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Trade in goods summary
Data behind this bulletin is available through the UK Trade Info website, where users can build their own tables according to the countries, commodities, and ports selected.
Users must refer to the accompanying methodology notes for more information on this release.
Total exports of goods for April 2024
£32.5 billion down £1.7 billion (5%) on March 2024, but up £0.1 billion (less than 1%) on April 2023
Total imports of goods for April 2024
£53.4 billion up £2.6 billion (5%) on March 2024, and up £2.9 billion (6%) on April 2023
Source: UK overseas trade in goods statistics from HM Revenue & Customs
Note: 2023 and 2024 data is provisional
The UK was a net importer this month, with imports exceeding exports by £20.9 billion, widening the trade gap by £4.3 billion on March 2024.
Figure 1: Total UK monthly trade in goods, November 2022 to April 2024
Figure 1 shows that imports increased in April 2024, after falling to their lowest level for the last 18 months in February 2024. Exports decreased slightly in April 2024, after a small increase in March 2024. Taken together this caused the trade gap to widen in April 2024.
Source: UK overseas trade in goods statistics from HM Revenue & Customs
Download figure 1: Total UK monthly trade in goods (ODS 11.5KB)
Note: 2023 and 2024 data is provisional
EU and non-EU trade in goods
Exports to the EU accounted for 46% of the total value of exports.
Imports from the EU accounted for 53% of the total value of imports.
Table 1: Total UK trade in goods with EU and non-EU, April 2024 (£ billion)
| Flow | EU | Non-EU | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exports | 14.8 | 17.7 | 32.5 |
| Imports | 28.1 | 25.3 | 53.4 |
Source: UK overseas trade in goods statistics from HM Revenue & Customs
Download table 1: Total UK trade in goods with EU and non-EU (ODS 10.2KB)
Note: 2023 and 2024 data is provisional
EU exports for April 2024 were £14.8 billion. This was a decrease of £0.5 billion (4%) on March 2024, and a decrease of £0.3 billion (2%) compared with April 2023.
Non-EU exports for April 2024 were £17.7 billion. This was a decrease of £1.1 billion (6%) on March 2024, but an increase of £0.4 billion (2%) compared with April 2023.
EU imports for April 2024 were £28.1 billion. This was an increase of £1.4 billion (5%) on March 2024, and an increase of £3.1 billion (12%) compared with April 2023.
Non-EU imports for April 2024 were £25.3 billion. This was an increase of £1.2 billion (5%) on March 2024, but a decrease of £0.2 billion (1%) compared with April 2023.
Figure 2: Total UK monthly trade in goods with EU and non-EU, November 2022 to April 2024
Figure 2 shows that EU exports remained relatively steady over the period from November 2022 to April 2024. Non-EU exports continued to decrease in April 2024, after increasing in January 2024. In April 2024, EU imports continued to increase gradually since January 2024, and have remained above non-EU imports since May 2023. Non-EU imports experienced the third consecutive increase in April 2024, exceeding January 2024 values.
Source: UK overseas trade in goods statistics from HM Revenue & Customs
Download figure 2: Total UK monthly trade in goods with EU and non-EU (ODS 11.9KB)
Note: 2023 and 2024 data is provisional
Exports: Country analysis
You can explore more UK export country data in the interactive data tables.
Switzerland (ranked eighth) experienced the largest value decrease on March 2024, down 53%.
China experienced the largest value increase on April 2023, up to 2.5 times the value.
Table 2: UK exports of goods to the top 5 countries, comparison with March 2024 and April 2023 (£ million)
| Main partner country | April 2024 value | March 2024 value | April 2023 value |
|---|---|---|---|
| USA | 4,488 | 4,760 | 5,032 |
| China | 3,455 | 3,283 | 1,337 |
| Netherlands | 2,482 | 2,446 | 2,565 |
| Germany | 2,455 | 2,637 | 2,751 |
| Ireland | 1,949 | 1,960 | 2,153 |
Source: UK overseas trade in goods statistics from HM Revenue & Customs
Download table 2: UK exports of goods to the top 5 countries, total value (ODS 10.1KB)
Note: 2023 and 2024 data is provisional
USA remained the largest export partner country by value. China was the second largest export partner, up from 7 in April 2023. Germany fell to fourth place, from second place in April 2023. The increase in exports to China on April 2023 was driven by Precious metals and Mineral fuels.
Figure 3: Historical export values for the top 3 export partner countries in April 2024
Figure 3 shows that USA was the top export partner for the last 18months, accounting for 14% of the UK’s total exports in April 2024. The peaks for China in November 2022 and April 2024 were linked to fluctuations in exports of Precious metals. Movements in non-monetary gold, an important component of Precious metals, can be large and highly volatile, distorting underlying trends in trade figures. Exports to the Netherlands increased in the last 2 months, following a steady decline over this period.
Source: UK overseas trade in goods statistics from HM Revenue & Customs
Download figure 3: Historical export values for the top 3 export partner countries (ODS 11.5KB)
Note: 2023 and 2024 data is provisional
Exports: Commodity analysis
You can explore more UK export commodity data in the interactive data tables.
Precious metals experienced the largest value decrease on March 2024, down 24%.
Aircraft (ranked eighth) experienced the largest value increase on April 2023, up 41%.
Table 3: UK exports of goods of the top 5 commodities, comparison with March 2024 and April 2023 (£ million)
| Commodity | April 2024 value | March 2024 value | April 2023 value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical appliances | 5,638 | 5,860 | 5,519 |
| Precious metals | 3,718 | 4,880 | 3,511 |
| Motor vehicles | 2,986 | 3,424 | 3,033 |
| Mineral fuels | 2,707 | 2,609 | 2,988 |
| Electronic equipment | 1,994 | 1,982 | 1,794 |
Source: UK overseas trade in goods statistics from HM Revenue & Customs
Download table 3: UK exports of goods of the top 5 commodities, total value (ODS 9.87KB)
Note: 2023 and 2024 data is provisional
Mechanical appliances remained the top export chapter, accounting for 17% of the UK’s total exports in April 2024. Exports of Precious metals remained in second place, despite experiencing the largest value decrease on March 2024, down 24%. Motor vehicles remained in third place, despite experiencing the second largest value decrease on March 2024, down 13%.
Figure 4: Historical export values for the top 3 export chapters in April 2024
Figure 4 shows that exports of Mechanical appliances and Motor vehicles remained relatively stable, while exports of Precious metals fluctuated month on month. Precious metals fell for the third successive month in April 2024, remaining in second place.
Source: UK overseas trade in goods statistics from HM Revenue & Customs
Download figure 4: Historical export values for the top 3 export chapters (ODS 11.5KB)
Note: 2023 and 2024 data is provisional
Imports: Country analysis
You can create and explore more UK import country data in the interactive data tables.
India (ranked fourteenth) had the largest value increase on March 2024, up 69%.
Germany had the largest value increase on April 2023, up 23%.
Table 4: UK imports of goods from the top 5 countries, change on March 2024 and April 2023 (£ million)
| Main partner country | April 2024 value | March 2024 value | April 2023 value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 6,758 | 6,506 | 5,477 |
| USA | 5,374 | 5,192 | 5,937 |
| China | 4,437 | 5,103 | 4,714 |
| Netherlands | 3,993 | 4,000 | 4,114 |
| France | 3,186 | 2,943 | 3,312 |
Source: UK overseas trade in goods statistics from HM Revenue & Customs
Download table 4: UK imports of goods from the top 5 countries, total value (ODS 9.47KB)
Note: 2023 and 2024 data is provisional
Germany remained the UK’s largest import partner in April 2024, accounting for 13% of total UK imports in April 2024. The increase in imports from India on March 2024 was driven by Mineral fuels and Mechanical appliances. The increase in imports from Germany on April 2023 was driven by Precious metals, Motor vehicles, and Mechanical appliances.
Figure 5: Historical import values for the top 3 import partner countries in April 2024
Figure 5 shows that imports from Germany increased for the second consecutive month to the highest level since December 2023 and has remained the largest import partner since October 2023. Imports from the USA also increased for the second consecutive month, to remain in second place. Imports from China decreased between March 2024 and April 2024, returning to values similar to January 2024.
Source: UK overseas trade in goods statistics from HM Revenue & Customs
Download figure 5: Historical import values for the top 3 import partner countries (ODS 11.1KB)
Note: 2023 and 2024 data is provisional
Imports: Commodity analysis
You can explore more UK import commodity data in the interactive data tables.
Mineral fuels had the largest value increase on March 2024, up 18%.
Motor vehicles had the largest value increase on April 2023, up 9%.
Table 5: UK imports of goods of the top 5 commodities, comparison with March 2024 and April 2023 (£ million)
| Commodity | April 2024 value | March 2024 value | April 2023 value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical appliances | 6,687 | 6,116 | 6,236 |
| Motor vehicles | 5,894 | 6,516 | 5,427 |
| Mineral fuels | 5,471 | 4,848 | 6,637 |
| Electronic equipment | 4,738 | 4,517 | 4,405 |
| Precious metals | 4,270 | 4,335 | 4,057 |
Source: UK overseas trade in goods statistics from HM Revenue & Customs
Download table 5: UK imports of goods of the top 5 commodities, total value (ODS 9.88KB)
Note: 2023 and 2024 data is provisional
Mechanical appliances rose to first place in April 2024 from second place in March 2024, accounting for 13% of the UK’s total imports in April 2024. Imports of Motor vehicles dropped to second place from first place in March 2024. The increase in imports of Motor vehicles on April 2023 was driven by Spain, Germany and Belgium. The increase in imports of Mineral fuels on March 2024 was driven by Norway, India, Belgium and USA.
Figure 6: Historical import values for the top 3 import chapters in April 2024
Figure 6 shows that import values of Mechanical appliances took first place in April 2024 having risen since March 2024 following very consistent levels since December 2023. Imports of Motor vehicles decreased in value, falling to second place in April 2024, after two consecutive monthly increases. Imports of Mineral fuels rose in April 2024 following two consecutive monthly decreases.
Source: UK overseas trade in goods statistics from HM Revenue & Customs
Download figure 6: Historical import values for the top 3 import chapters (ODS 11.2KB)
Note: 2023 and 2024 data is provisional
Focus
Table 6: Exports of Motor vehicles, comparison between April 2024 and March 2024 (£ million)
| Country | Export value April 2024 | Export value March 2024 | Change in value | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 242 | 336 | -94 | -28 |
| Italy | 118 | 185 | -67 | -36 |
Source: UK overseas trade in goods statistics from HM Revenue & Customs
Download table 6: Detailed April 2024 Motor vehicles export data (ODS 9.66KB)
Note: 2023 and 2024 data is provisional
Exports of Motor vehicles showed the second largest value decrease of all commodities on March 2024, a £438 million (13%) decrease. Exports of Motor vehicles to China decreased by £94 million (28%) between March 2024 and April 2024, and exports of Motor vehicles to Italy decreased by £67 million (36%) over this period.
Table 7: Imports from Germany, comparison between April 2024 and April 2023 (£ million)
| Commodity | Import value April 2024 | Import value April 2023 | Change in value | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Precious metals | 688 | 279 | 409 | 146 |
| Motor vehicles | 2,048 | 1,781 | 268 | 15 |
| Mechanical appliances | 1,062 | 861 | 201 | 23 |
Source: UK overseas trade in goods statistics from HM Revenue & Customs
Download table 7: Detailed April 2024 Germany import data (ODS 9.91KB)
Note: 2023 and 2024 data is provisional
Imports from Germany showed the largest value increase of all partner countries on April 2023, a £1,281 million (23%) increase. Between April 2023 and April 2024, imports of Precious metals from Germany increased by £409 million (to 2.5 times the value), imports of Motor vehicles increased by £268 million (15%), and imports of Mechanical appliances increased by £201 million (23%).