UK chemical exports
Chemicals are the second largest export commodity in the UK, with Europe a major trading partner. In 2020, the value of chemicals exported by the UK to Germany and Ireland was 7.5 and 4.7 billion U.S. dollars, respectively. That same year, the United States imported almost 12 billion U.S. dollars worth of chemical products from the UK. Over the past decade the value of chemicals exported worldwide by the UK have fluctuated, peaking at 72.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2011. By 2020, this figure had dropped to 59.2 billion U.S. dollars.UK chemical companies
As of 2020, there were more than 3,700 companies in the chemical industry. One of the leading chemical companies in the UK is Johnson Matthey, a multinational which operates in a number of markets such as pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. As of October 2022, the company had a net income of 113 million British pounds. Another leading company is Croda International, which was the leading chemical company based on market capitalization as of October 2022.Whilst chemical manufacturing can be found in all regions of the United Kingdom, the industry is most prevalent in the north of the country. The main chemical sites are in Scotland, Teeside, and the Humber, with the largest located in the North West of England.
