Statistics on UK trade with the Commonwealth

This short note provides some key statistics on the UK’s trade with the Commonwealth – data are from the Office for National Statistics and International Monetary Fund.

The attached Excel spreadsheet (see under supporting documents) allows for easy access and presentation of detailed 2021 data on trade between the UK and individual Commonwealth countries and trade trends between 1999 and 2021.

In 2021:

• UK exports to the Commonwealth were worth £63 billion; British imports from the Commonwealth were £58 billion.
• The UK had a trade surplus with the Commonwealth of £4 billion – a deficit in goods was offset by a surplus in services.
• The value of UK exports to the Commonwealth increased by 8% in cash terms between 2020 and 2021, while the value of imports increased by 17%.
• The Commonwealth accounted for 9.4% of the UK’s total trade – 9.8% of UK exports and 8.9% of UK imports.  
• UK trade with the Commonwealth was heavily focused on five countries – Australia, Canada, India, Singapore and South Africa; combined these countries accounted for 73% of UK exports to the Commonwealth and 74% of UK imports from the Commonwealth.