Trade in goods and services: Economic indicators
The UK exports and imports billions of pounds worth of goods and services. Find the latest data on UK trade and the current account.
Documents to download
-
The establishment of free ports in the UK (219KB PDF)
- Free ports are generally understood to be designated areas inside a country geographically, but outside of that country’s established customs area, allowing manufacturing, warehousing and trade outside of the host country’s standard tariffs and export/import procedures.
- There are estimated to be 3,500 free ports in the world, employing 66 million people.
- There are no free ports in the UK, though there is one on the Isle of Man.
- Seven free ports operated in the UK at various points between 1984 and 2012; the remaining five closed in 2012.
Documents to download
-
The establishment of free ports in the UK (219KB PDF)
Related posts
-
-
The UK economy: A dashboard
This interactive dashboard shows data on economic growth, inflation, trade, employment, government borrowing and debt across the UK.
-
Debate on impact of the 2016 EU membership referendum on the UK
There will be a Westminster Hall debate on 2 September 2026 on the impact of the 2016 EU membership referendum on the UK. Pete Wishart MP (SNP) will lead the debate.
