Trade in goods and services: Economic indicators

Economic indicators are quick-read summaries of the latest data focusing on different aspects of the UK economy. The full suite of indicators can be found on the main Economic Indicators page.

In 2025, the UK’s exports of goods and services totalled £910 billion and imports totalled £929 billion. All figures on this page now exclude precious metals unless stated otherwise. The EU accounted for 41% of UK exports of goods and services and 49% of imports in 2025 (including precious metals).

The UK generally imports more than it exports meaning that it runs a trade deficit. A deficit of £213 billion on trade in goods was partly offset by a surplus of £195 billion on trade in services in 2025. The overall trade deficit was £18 billion in 2025.

The UK had a trade deficit with the EU of £96 billion in 2025 and a trade surplus of £57 billion with non-EU countries (including precious metals).

The trade deficit with all countries reached £8.0 billion in the three months to August 2026 compared with a deficit of £6.6 billion in the previous three months.

The current account, which includes investment income and transfers as well as trade, had a deficit of £70 billion in 2025, compared with £81 billion in 2024. The current account deficit was 2.3% of GDP in 2025 compared with 2.8% in 2024.

The current account deficit decreased to £11.3 billion in Q2 2026 (1.4% of GDP), compared with £14.3 billion in Q1 2026 (1.8% of GDP).

Next updates

This page is updated when new data is published. The next source updates will be:

• ONS, UK Trade, 12 November 2026

• ONS, UK Balance of Payments, 22 December 2026