UK trade: August 2026

• The value of goods imports fell by £1.3 billion (2.3%) in August 2026, with a fall in imports from non-EU countries partially offset by a rise in imports from the EU.

• The value of goods exports fell by £1.1 billion (3.1%) in August 2026, with a fall in exports to the EU partially offset by a rise in exports to non-EU countries.

• The total goods and services trade deficit widened by £1.4 billion to £8.0 billion in the three months to August 2026, compared with the three months to May 2026.

• The trade in goods deficit widened by £2.5 billion to £59.1 billion in the three months to August 2026, while the trade in services surplus is estimated to have widened by £1.1 billion to £51.1 billion.

Total imports of goods in "current prices" decreased by £1.3 billion (2.3%) in August 2026, when compared with July 2026. This decrease was because of a £1.7 billion (6.3%) fall in imports from non-EU countries. This decline was partially offset by a £0.5 billion (1.6%) rise in imports from the EU (Table 1 and Figure 1). Total imports of goods in "current prices" are not adjusted for inflation, as explained in Section 10: Glossary.

Total exports of goods decreased by £1.1 billion (3.1%) in August 2026. This decrease was because of a £1.2 billion (7.3%) fall in exports to the EU, which was partially offset by a £0.2 billion (0.9%) increase in exports to non-EU countries.

Imports from the EU were £3.0 billion higher than from non-EU countries in August 2026, while exports to the EU were £2.8 billion lower than exports to non-EU countries.

Figure 1: Imports from non-EU countries fell in August 2026

EU and non-EU goods imports and exports, excluding precious metals, current prices, seasonally adjusted, August 2023 to August 2026

After removing the effect of inflation by calculating chained volume measures (as explained in Section 10: Glossary), total goods imports decreased by £1.3 billion (2.5%) in August 2026 (Figure 2). This was because of a £1.8 billion (6.7%) fall in imports from non-EU countries, partially offset by a £0.4 billion (1.6%) rise in imports from the EU.

Total goods exports decreased by £0.9 billion (2.8%) in August 2026, after the effect of inflation was removed. This was because exports to the EU fell by £1.1 billion (7.1%), partially offset by a £0.2 billion (1.0%) increase in exports to non-EU countries.

Figure 2: Imports from non-EU countries fell in both value and inflation-adjusted terms in August 2026

Imports and exports of goods, excluding precious metals, current prices and chained volume measures, seasonally adjusted, EU and non-EU, August 2023 to August 2026

Goods imports

Imports from the EU increased by £0.5 billion (1.6%) in August 2026, when compared with July 2026. This was because of a rise of £0.3 billion in imports of machinery and transport equipment and rises of £0.2 billion in chemical and fuel imports (Figure 3). These rises were partially offset by small falls in most other commodities. The rise in machinery and transport equipment was because of higher imports of aircraft from Germany. The increase in chemical imports was because of higher imports of medicinal and pharmaceutical products from Germany. The rise in fuel imports was linked to increased imports of refined oil from the Netherlands.

Imports from non-EU countries decreased by £1.7 billion (6.3%) in August 2026. This was primarily because of a £1.2 billion fall in imports of machinery and transport equipment, following a record increase in the previous month. There was also a £0.2 billion fall in imports of miscellaneous manufactures, and smaller decreases across most other commodities. The fall in imports of machinery and transport equipment was because of lower imports of aircraft from the United States and ships from China. The fall in miscellaneous manufactures was linked to lower imports of furniture (consumer) from China.

Figure 3: Imports of machinery and transport equipment from non-EU countries fell in August 2026

Changes in EU and non-EU goods imports by commodity group, excluding unspecified goods, current prices, seasonally adjusted, August 2026 compared with July 2026

Notes:

1. Figures may not sum because of rounding.

Goods exports

Exports to the EU decreased by £1.2 billion (7.3%) in August 2026, when compared with July 2026 (Figure 4). This was because of a £0.5 billion fall in exports of machinery and transport equipment, as well as £0.3 billion falls in exports of material manufactures and fuels. There was also a £0.2 billion fall in chemical exports. The decrease in exports of machinery and transport equipment was because of lower exports of aircraft to the Netherlands. The fall in exports of material manufactures was linked to reduced exports of non-ferrous metals to Germany and miscellaneous manufactures to Poland, while the decrease in fuels was because of lower exports of crude oil to Germany, Poland and Italy.

Exports to non-EU countries increased by £0.2 billion (0.9%) in August 2026. This was because of a £0.3 billion rise in chemical exports, which was partially offset by small falls in exports of material manufactures and fuels. The rise in chemical exports was linked to higher exports of inorganic chemicals to the United States. The decrease in material manufactures was because of reduced exports of non-ferrous metals to the United States, while the fall in fuels was linked to lower exports of refined oil to Canada and Nigeria.

Figure 4: Exports of machinery and transport equipment to the EU fell in August 2026

Changes in EU and non-EU goods exports by commodity group, excluding unspecified goods, current prices, seasonally adjusted, August 2026 compared with July 2026

Notes:

1. Figures may not sum because of rounding.

Early estimates suggest that imports of services increased by £0.1 billion (0.2%) in value terms in August 2026, when compared with July 2026. Exports of services are estimated to have increased by £0.2 billion (0.4%) (Figure 5). There was little difference between trade in services trends in both value and inflation-adjusted terms.

Monthly figures for trade in services for August 2026 are estimated from Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2026 data, using time series and additional data sources. Early estimates of trade in services are revised in line with our National Accounts Revisions Policy. More detail on how our trade in services statistics are compiled is in our UK trade quality and methods guide.

According to the S&P Global UK Services Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) for August 2026 (132KB), there was a modest improvement in operating conditions, with higher levels of business activity reported. However, higher fuel prices and transportation bills led to overall input cost inflation. Additionally, the conflict in the Middle East and softening demand in Europe were both cited as having an impact on exports.

Figure 5: Exports of services rose in both value and inflation-adjusted terms in August 2026

Imports and exports of services, current prices and chained volume measures, seasonally adjusted, August 2023 to August 2026

Notes:

1. Monthly figures for trade in services for August 2026 are estimated from Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2026 data, using time series and additional data sources. Early estimates of trade in services are revised in line with our National Accounts Revisions Policy.

Total imports of goods increased by £1.9 billion (1.2%) in the three months to August 2026, compared with the three months to May 2026 (Table 2). The increase was because goods imported from non-EU countries rose by £2.2 billion (2.9%), partially offset by a £0.3 billion (0.4%) fall in goods imported from the EU.

Total exports of goods decreased by £0.5 billion (0.5%) in the three months to August 2026. This fall was because goods exports to the EU decreased by £1.8 billion (3.5%), partially offset by a £1.3 billion (2.3%) rise in exports to non-EU countries.

Trade in services figures in the three months to August 2026 are estimated from Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2026 data.

Early estimates indicate that imports of services increased by around £0.8 billion (0.9%) in the three months to August 2026, compared with the three months to May 2026, while exports of services rose by an estimated £1.9 billion (1.4%).

The total goods and services trade deficit, excluding precious metals, widened by £1.4 billion to £8.0 billion in the three months to August 2026, compared with the three months to May 2026 (Figure 6). Imports rose by £2.7 billion, and exports rose by £1.3 billion over this period. When removing the effect of inflation, the total trade deficit, excluding precious metals, widened by £0.3 billion to £8.1 billion.

The trade in goods deficit in value terms, excluding precious metals, widened by £2.5 billion to £59.1 billion in the three months to August 2026, compared with the three months to May 2026. This is because goods imports increased while exports fell. The trade in services surplus was estimated to have widened by £1.1 billion to £51.1 billion, as exports of services increased by more than imports.

Explore the 2025 trade in goods data using our interactive tools. Our data break down UK trade in goods with 236 countries, by 122 commodities.

Use our map to get a better understanding of what goods the UK traded with a country. Select a country by hovering over it (desktop only) or use the drop-down menu.

Notes:

1. For more information about our methods and how we compile these statistics, see our Trade in goods, country-by-commodity experimental data: 2011 to 2016 article. Users should note that the data published alongside this release are official statistics and are no longer in development.

2. These data are our best estimate of these bilateral UK trade flows. Users should note that alternative estimates are available, in some cases, through the statistical agencies for bilateral countries or through central databases, such as United Nations (UN) Comtrade.

3. This interactive map denotes country boundaries in accordance with statistical classifications set out in Appendix A4 of the Balance of Payments (BoP) Vademecum (PDF, 1.6MB) and do not represent the UK policy on disputed territories.

You can also explore the 2025 trade in goods data by commodity, such as car exports to the EU, and UK tea or coffee imports.

Select a commodity from the drop-down menu or select the levels with your digit or cursor to explore the data.

Notes:

1. For more information about our methods and how we compile these statistics, see our Trade in goods, country-by-commodity experimental data: 2011 to 2016 article. Users should note that the data published alongside this release are official statistics and are no longer in development.
2. These data are our best estimate of these bilateral UK trade flows. Users should note that alternative estimates are available, in some cases, through the statistical agencies for bilateral countries or through central databases, such as United Nations (UN) Comtrade.
3. These interactive charts denote country boundaries in accordance with statistical classifications set out within Appendix A4 of the Balance of Payments (BoP) Vademecum (PDF, 1.6MB) and does not represent the UK policy on disputed territories.

In accordance with our National Accounts Revisions Policy, the data in this release have been revised back to January 1997 when compared with trade figures in our previous UK trade: July 2026 bulletin, published on 11 September 2026.

Improvements to the allocation of precious metals

As a result of improvements to the allocation of precious metals, we have reallocated silver, platinum and palladium bullion from the "material manufactures" commodity group to the "unspecified goods" commodity group.

To improve clarity for our users, we are now providing lower-level breakdowns of the "unspecified goods" commodity group in our Trade in goods: country-by-commodity exports dataset and our Trade in goods: country-by-commodity imports dataset. These breakdowns are:

• "9PM Precious metals"
• "9PMG Precious metals gold"
• "9PMO Precious metals other"
• "9UG Miscellaneous unspecified goods"

"9PMG Precious metals gold" includes non-monetary gold, which is the technical term for gold bullion not owned by central banks. "9PMO Precious metals other" includes silver, platinum and palladium bullion. "9UG Miscellaneous unspecified goods" includes a range of commodities, such as parcel post and coins.

Trade in goods revisions

The trade in goods data in this release have been revised back to January 1997, in line with the latest annual and quarterly data included in our GDP quarterly national accounts, UK: April to June 2026 release and our Balance of payments, UK: April to June 2026 release.

The largest impacts of revisions to trade in goods were in Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2026, when the trade in goods balance saw upward revisions of £5.2 billion (Figure 7). The commodities that contributed most to these revisions were:

• chemicals
• fuels
• material manufactures
• unspecified goods
• machinery and transport equipment

We have received updated 2024 data for our measurements of globalisation and multi-national enterprises (MNEs) in the national accounts. This replaces the imputed data previously used for 2024 estimates and consequently led to updates to our 2025 and 2026 imputed data. Globalisation data are an important component of chemicals, following our previous Blue Book 2025: Globalisation article. Globalisation data also impact other products, including machinery and transport equipment.

The revision to exports and imports of fuels was mainly because of revised merchanting data. We replaced initial estimates with actual data responses from the International Trade in Services (ITIS) survey. The merchanting revisions to fuels in Quarter 2 2026 are particularly large because of substantial increases in crude oil prices during that period. Merchanting data represent the purchases and sales of goods that are purchased for the direct purpose of resale, which also remain outside of the UK. Updates to seasonal adjustment across the entire timeseries contributed to revisions back to January 1997.

The revisions to material manufactures and unspecified goods are because of the reallocation of some precious metals (silver bullion, platinum bullion, and palladium bullion) from material manufactures to unspecified goods, following user feedback.

Additionally, as part of our methods changes for Blue Book 2025, we implemented improvements to the way we record trade in precious metals in October 2025. We removed double counting of some precious metals bars and included previously under-recorded non-monetary gold that is not in bar form.

We continued to monitor trends and make improvements to our methods for recording trade in precious metals and in Spring 2026, we identified and removed further double counting for periods across 2024 and 2025. This double counting occurred as we use data from the Bank of England to capture non-monetary gold and other precious metals, some of which was also included within data received from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for material manufactures. In this release, we have now removed this additional double counting across our full time series, resulting in revisions to 2023 and earlier, in line with our National Accounts Revisions policy.

More information on revision methodology, data inclusions and exclusions, and precious metals in UK trade statistics are available in our UK trade quality and methods guide.

Figure 7: The largest impact of trade in goods revisions in Quarter 2 2026 was from fuel exports

Trade in goods revisions, current prices, seasonally adjusted, quarterly, Quarter 1 2024 to Quarter 2 2026

Notes:

1. Q1 refers to Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar), Q2 refers to Quarter 2 (Apr to June), Q3 refers to Quarter 3 (July to Sept) and Q4 refers to Quarter 4 (Oct to Dec). 

2. "All other commodities" includes food and live animals, beverages and tobacco, crude materials, animal and vegetable oils and fats, and miscellaneous manufactures.

Trade in services revisions

The trade in services data in this release are revised back to January 1997, in line with the latest annual and quarterly data included in GDP quarterly national accounts, UK: April to June 2026 release and our Balance of payments, UK: April to June 2026 release.

These updated data include the incorporation of new and revised survey and administrative data for the years 2022 to 2024, as part of our open period balancing exercise. For the first time, data for 2024 are subject to the supply and use tables framework, which looks at the supply of goods and services and how they are used in the economy.

The largest data impact for trade in services are the result of data from the 2024 annual ITIS survey being incorporated for the first time. The quarterly ITIS survey data for 2024, 2025, and 2026 are all now benchmarked to the annual 2024 data.

The largest impacts of trade in services revisions were in Quarter 4 (Oct to Dec) 2024, when the trade in services balance saw a downward revision of £0.6 billion (Figure 8). The service types that contributed most to these revisions were:

• other business services

• intellectual property services

• financial services

Revisions to other business services exports and imports were also because of updated gross domestic product (GDP) balancing in Quarter 2 2026. This means the output, income and expenditure estimates of GDP are aligned (balanced) to produce our headline measure of GDP. More detail on GDP balancing can be found in our GDP quarterly national accounts, UK: April to June 2026 bulletin.

Revisions to Quarter 2 2026 are also because of updated data becoming available from a range of surveys, as updated survey data are now available to replace forecast initial estimates with actual data responses.

Figure 8: The largest impact of trade in services revisions in Quarter 4 2024 was from financial services exports

Trade in services revisions, current prices, seasonally adjusted, quarterly, Quarter 1 2024 to Quarter 2 2026

Notes:

1. Q1 refers to Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar), Q2 refers to Quarter 2 (Apr to June), Q3 refers to Quarter 3 (July to Sept) and Q4 refers to Quarter 4 (Oct to Dec).

2. "All other service types" includes manufacturing and maintenance, transport, travel, construction, insurance and pension, telecoms, computer and information, personal, cultural and recreational, and government services.

Chained volume measures

Chained volume measures (CVMs) are a "real" measure in that they have had the effect of inflation removed to measure the change in volume between consecutive periods, fixing the prices of goods and services in one period (known as the base year, which is 2024 for trade).

Current price measures

Current price estimates (CPs) measure the actual price paid for goods or services and are not adjusted for inflation. Unless otherwise stated, all current price data are provided in £ million and are seasonally adjusted.

Inflation

Inflation is the change in the average price level of goods and services over a period of time.

Implied deflators

An implied deflator (IDEF) shows the implied change in average prices for the respective components of the trade balance, for example, the IDEF for imports will show the average price movement for imports.

Precious metals and non-monetary gold

Precious metals include non-monetary gold, silver bullion, platinum bullion and palladium bullion. These are part of the commodity group "unspecified goods". Non-monetary gold forms the majority of this group and is the technical term for gold bullion not owned by central banks.

Trade balance

The trade balance is the difference between exports and imports or exports minus imports. When the value of exports is greater than the value of imports, the trade balance is in surplus. When the value of imports is greater than the value of exports, the trade balance is in deficit. The balance is sometimes referred to as "net exports".

A full Glossary of economic terms is available.

The UK leaving the EU and the subsequent transition period, along with the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, supply chain disruption and global recession, have caused higher levels of volatility in trade statistics in recent years. The monthly analysis shows short-term trade movements, but it is important to note that monthly data can be erratic and therefore may not be indicative of longer-term trends.

Data collection changes

Since the UK left the EU on 31 January 2020, the arrangements for how the UK trades with the EU changed.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) implemented some data collection changes following Brexit, which affected statistics on UK trade in goods with the EU. We have made adjustments to our estimates of goods imports from the EU in 2021 and 2022 to account for these changes, however, a structural break remains in the full time series for goods imports from, and exports to, the EU from January 2021.

We therefore advise caution when interpreting and drawing conclusions from these statistics. Our Impact of trade in goods data collection changes on UK trade statistics: summary of adjustments and the structural break from 2021 article provides more detail.

Data sources

Data from HMRC make up over 90% of trade in goods value and are the main source for this release. Data from the quarterly International Trade in Services (ITIS) survey make up over 50% of trade in services data. Data from the International Passenger Survey (IPS) are the main source for travel services, historically making up around 8% of total imports. More information is available in our UK trade quality and methods guide. 

From September 2025 until early 2027, ITIS data will be processed once each quarter. During this period, the data will be based on a robust survey response rate of between approximately 60% and 70%. This will enable more focus on improving processing systems and ensuring methods and quality in the future. This means that ITIS-based trade in services estimates at first quarterly estimate will be forecast until early 2027.

The IPS is being transformed as part of our Improving our travel and tourism statistics project, and travel estimates have been forecast since Quarter 3 (July to Sept) 2024. Estimates will be forecast during the period of the travel and tourism transformation.

Unless otherwise specified, data within this bulletin are in current prices and have not been adjusted to remove the effects of inflation. In line with international standards, our headline trade statistics contain the UK's exports and imports of non-monetary gold. More information can be found in our National Accounts articles: A brief explanation of non-monetary gold in national accounts.

Method

Trade is measured through both exports and imports of goods and services. Data are supplied by over 30 sources, including several administrative sources, with HMRC being the largest for trade in goods.

Our UK trade figures are produced using country of dispatch, which records imports as coming from the country dispatching the shipments. However, trade figures can also be produced using country of origin, as is used by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). Users should be aware of the different accounting methods used and the resulting differences across trade figures.

Monthly trade in services data are taken from quarterly trade in services data and are split across the months within that quarter through estimation. In months where we have a full quarter's data, we revise previous estimates of monthly values within that quarter.

View more detailed information about the methods used to produce UK trade statistics in our UK trade quality and methods guide.

Consultation on Office for Nationals Statistics release times

We are reviewing the release times for our market sensitive economic statistics, such as UK trade. This review will consider whether the current arrangements continue to best serve the public good, support user needs, and align with the principles set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics.

We are running a consultation to gather evidence on the impact of different release times. The consultation asks how you use market sensitive economic statistics, your views on potential release time options, and any other variables we should consider. Please note that this consultation will be closing on Friday 30 October 2026.

Strengths and limitations

National Statistics designation status

The UK Statistics Authority suspended the National Statistics designation of UK trade (PDF, 72.9KB) on 14 November 2014. We have responded to all of the specific requirements of the Office for Statistics Regulation's (OSR's) reassessment of UK trade.

As part of our engagement with OSR, we are sharing our continuous improvement and development plans to support UK trade statistics regaining accredited official statistics status. Our UK trade development plan update: October 2026 article sets out these improvements as well as ongoing and future development work.

Email us at trade@ons.gov.uk to give feedback on our new trade statistics, developments and future plans.

Trade asymmetries

Asymmetries can be caused by a range of conceptual and measurement variations between the estimation practices of different countries. Statistical agencies are likely to have different source data, estimation methods, and methodological, geographical and definitional differences. HMRC has published further information on UK trade asymmetries. We publish analysis on trade in services asymmetries in our Asymmetries in trade data articles.

More quality and methodology information on strengths, limitations, appropriate uses, and how the data were created is available in our UK trade quality and methods guide.