Guidance

Strategic export controls: licensing data

Reports and data on export control licensing compiled by the export control organisation.

From:
Export Control Joint Unit and Department for Business and Trade
Published
8 July 2021
Last updated
12 December 2024 — See all updates

Data on export licensing decisions made by His Majesty’s Government (HMG), submitted to and processed by the Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU), part of the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). Licences are used to control the export of strategic goods.

Official Statistics in Development

Statistics for the reporting periods 2008 Q1 to 2023 Q4 were published as Official Statistics. However, these statistics have been reclassified and are being published as Official Statistics in Development from the 2024 Q1 publication until further notice. For further details, please see the strategic export controls licensing statistics supporting guidance documentation.

Quarterly reports: latest period

Check the licensing statistics for the 1 April to 30 June 2024 period.

Country-level data reports are available for each quarter and year from January 2008 onwards.

Quarterly reports from January 2015 to June 2021 include statistical commentary and outputs in Excel and CSV formats. From July 2021, these formats have been replaced with Open Document Spreadsheet (ODS) formats.

Previous quarterly licensing data reports

Check the licensing data from previous quarters up to 31 March 2008.

Annual licensing data reports from 2008 to 2023

Check the export licensing data annual reports from 2008 to 2023.

Guidance on strategic export controls licensing statistics

Visit the strategic export controls: guidance collection for further information on:

  • licensing statistics revisions policy
  • statement of administrative sources
  • quality and methodology report

Custom export control licensing data reports

Users can download custom export control licensing data reports through the strategic export controls: reports and statistics webpage once registered. The tool offers a variety of filters that can be applied to allow users to download data of specific interest, such as licences which name a certain destination or licences for the shipment of goods with a certain control entry or case summary.

Strategic export controls annual report

The strategic export controls annual report also presents export control licensing data. Furthermore, the report presents similar data on issued, refused or rejected licenses, as well as revoked elicences, plus processing times. It also presents information on refusal criteria counts and information on appeals (against refusals and rejections).

UK defence and security exports statistics

UK Defence and Security Exports (UKDSE) publish UK defence and security exports statistics. Like the strategic export controls licensing statistics, these do not represent actual exports. Sales may or may not be actually made and new orders may or may not be fulfilled.

In addition to providing detail about the types of goods licensed for export, the strategic export control licensing statistics also give information on end user destinations, the value of licensed goods, and they present a picture of usage. For example, whether the goods are licensed for permanent export, are to be returned (temporary), are being incorporated and forwarded on, or if the goods are merely passing through the UK in transit to another destination (transhipments). However, the UKDSE statistics do not provide this same level of detail.

Management information release on Israel export licensing

Given the exceptional circumstances, and the significant Parliamentary and public interest, the Department for Business and Trade has published a series of ad hoc management information releases to provide more current information about Israel export licensing. The releases include:

  • the number of extant licences where Israel was included as a destination as at the date of each update
  • the number of licences currently in progress where Israel was included as a destination as at the date of each update
  • the number of licensing decisions where Israel was included as a destination between 7 October 2023 and the date of each update

These ad hoc management information releases should not be considered to be part of the strategic export controls licensing statistics as they have not been produced in the same manner. The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) publish guidance on understanding the difference between Official Statistics and published Management Information. The ad hoc management information releases provide details on the main differences between this release and the the strategic export controls licensing statistics release.

Contact ECJU.statistics@businessandtrade.gov.uk if you have any queries.

Updates to this page

Published 8 July 2021
Last updated 12 December 2024 + show all updates

  1. Updated link to latest quarterly licensing statistics (1 April to 30 June 2024).

  2. Updated section on 'Related data and statistics' to update references to management information release on Israel export licensing that was updated on 10 December 2024.

  3. Updated link to latest quarterly licensing statistics (1 October to 31 December 2023).

  4. Updated section on 'Related data and statistics' to provide a link to the management information release on Israel export licensing that was published on 11 June 2024.

  5. Updated section on 'Related data and statistics' to notify that the management information release on Israel export licensing which was initially scheduled for publication on 7 June 2024 will now be published on 11 June 2024.

  6. Added section on 'Related data and statistics'.

  7. Updated link to latest quarterly licensing statistics (1 April to 30 June 2023).

  8. Updated link to latest quarterly licensing statistics (1 January to 31 March 2023).

  9. Updated link to latest quarterly licensing statistics (1 October to 31 December 2022).

  10. Updated link to latest quarterly licensing statistics (1 July to 30 September 2022).

  11. Updated link to latest quarterly licensing statistics (1 April to 30 June 2022).

  12. Updated link to latest quarterly licensing statistics (1 January to 31 March 2022).

  13. Updated link to latest quarterly licensing statistics (1 October to 31 December 2021).

  14. Updated link to latest quarterly licensing statistics (1 July to 30 September 2021).

  15. Updated link to latest quarterly licensing statistics (1 April to 30 June 2021).

  16. Updated link to latest quarterly licensing statistics (1 January to 31 March 2021).

  17. First published.

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