The United Kingdom imports more services and goods from the European Union than exporting them. Although this has been the case since at least 1999, after 2011 the UK-EU trade balance has been more pronounced as the present statistic lays out. When it comes to the UK’s trade with non-EU countries, the picture is decidedly different. Since 2012, the value of UK exports to non-EU countries was higher than the imports, which resulted in a trade surplus.
US biggest export market, but EU weighs heavier
As of 2023, the UK’s largest export market was outside the European Union. Yet taken as a bloc, the European Union still accounts for a large chunk of the UK’s international trade. Among these, Germany, the Netherlands, and France rank as the main export partners of the UK.
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Office for National Statistics (UK). (June 28, 2024). Trade balance of the United Kingdom (UK) with the European Union in goods and services from 1999 to 2023 (in million GBP) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 14, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/551585/united-kingdom-uk-trade-balance-with-eu/
Office for National Statistics (UK). "Trade balance of the United Kingdom (UK) with the European Union in goods and services from 1999 to 2023 (in million GBP)." Chart. June 28, 2024. Statista. Accessed December 14, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/551585/united-kingdom-uk-trade-balance-with-eu/
Office for National Statistics (UK). (2024). Trade balance of the United Kingdom (UK) with the European Union in goods and services from 1999 to 2023 (in million GBP). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 14, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/551585/united-kingdom-uk-trade-balance-with-eu/
Office for National Statistics (UK). "Trade Balance of The United Kingdom (Uk) with The European Union in Goods and Services from 1999 to 2023 (in Million Gbp)." Statista, Statista Inc., 28 Jun 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/551585/united-kingdom-uk-trade-balance-with-eu/
Office for National Statistics (UK), Trade balance of the United Kingdom (UK) with the European Union in goods and services from 1999 to 2023 (in million GBP) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/551585/united-kingdom-uk-trade-balance-with-eu/ (last visited December 14, 2024)
Trade balance of the United Kingdom (UK) with the European Union in goods and services from 1999 to 2023 (in million GBP) [Graph], Office for National Statistics (UK), June 28, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/551585/united-kingdom-uk-trade-balance-with-eu/