UK trade: June 2022

• Total imports of goods, excluding precious metals, decreased by £0.6 billion (1.1%) in June 2022 because of a £1.1 billion (4.1%) fall in imports from EU countries, while imports from non-EU countries increased by £0.6 billion (2.1%).

• Total exports of goods, excluding precious metals, fell by £2.7 billion (8.0%) in June 2022, driven by a £2.0 billion (11.9%) decrease in exports to non-EU countries, while exports to EU countries decreased by £0.7 billion (3.9%).

• The large fall in exports to non-EU countries in June 2022 was primarily driven by lower exports of miscellaneous manufactures and chemicals, which both decreased by £0.7 billion.

• The total trade in goods and services deficit, excluding precious metals, widened by £2.0 billion to £27.9 billion in Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2022 compared with the previous quarter; this is the largest quarterly deficit in current prices since records began in January 1997.

• The trade in goods deficit, excluding precious metals, widened by £1.5 billion to £62.6 billion in Quarter 2 2022 compared with Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2022, as imports of goods increased by £12.2 billion (8.3%), and exports increased by £10.7 billion (12.4%).

• Early estimates suggest that the trade in services surplus narrowed by £0.5 billion in Quarter 2 2022 compared with Quarter 1 2022, reducing to £34.7 billion.

• Removing the effect of inflation, the total trade deficit excluding precious metals narrowed by £2.4 billion to £22.6 billion in Quarter 2 2022.

EU imports

In January 2022, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) implemented a data collection change affecting data on imports from the EU to Great Britain (GB). As a result, our EU to GB import statistics from January 2022 are not directly comparable with previous months.

HMRC has investigated the scale of the transition from the Intrastat survey to customs declarations data to assess whether the change represents a time series break between 2022 and previous years. Our recent article discusses the outcome of these investigations, concluding that there is a discontinuity of around 6% by value between the two compilation methods.

We are considering possible options to adjust for this discontinuity; until then, we continue to advise caution when interpreting monthly trade statistics and will keep users informed of any further changes in data collection.

EU exports

HMRC plan to carry out a new investigation to assess the impact on GB exports to the EU when the compilation method changed at the beginning of 2021. The aim is to give further insight into the data collection changes.

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 the past two years. Comparing 2022 with equivalent 2018 data provides comparisons of recent UK trade estimates with our most recent "stable" period. We also compare 2022 levels with 2021. The monthly analysis shows short-term trade movements, but it is important to note that monthly data are erratic and therefore movements should be treated with caution. The relationship between trade and UK gross domestic product (GDP) is discussed in our GDP first quarterly estimate, UK: April to June 2022 release.

Unless otherwise specified, data within this bulletin are in current prices and have not been adjusted to remove the effects of inflation. Official estimates of price inflation have risen strongly in recent months, and we will continue to monitor the impact of price changes on UK imports and exports. Chained volume measures data, which have had the effect of inflation removed, can be found in our UK trade publication tables and UK trade time series.

Monthly trends in goods

Total imports of goods decreased by £0.6 billion (1.1%) in June 2022 because of lower imports from EU countries. Total exports of goods decreased by £2.7 billion (8.0%) in June 2022, with decreases in exports to both EU and non-EU countries (Table 1 and Figure 1).

Imports from EU countries and non-EU countries were at similar levels in June 2022. Imports from non-EU countries were higher than imports from the EU for all of 2021, linked to the large increases in the imports of fuels in the last months of 2021. Exports to non-EU countries were £1.1 billion lower than exports to EU countries in June 2022.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine began on 24 February 2022 and, in response, the UK Government imposed a range of economic sanctions on Russia from late February and early March 2022. Exports to Russia increased slightly in June 2022 but remain low, while imports from Russia continued to fall in June, reaching their lowest levels since records began in January 1997. Imports of fuels, a historically important commodity for trade with Russia, reached £0.0 billion in June 2022. We will continue to monitor the trade impact of the conflict and resulting sanctions in future releases. Our article Trends in UK imports and exports of fuels discusses the effect of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on fuels trade.

Notes:

1. Caution should be taken when interpreting these data as HM Revenue and Customs changed the collection methods for EU trade from January 2022. Our article, Impact of trade in goods data collection changes on UK trade statistics: 2021 to 2022 provides more detail.

Figure 1: Imports and exports of goods have both decreased in June 2022

EU and non-EU goods imports and exports, excluding precious metals, June 2019 to June 2022

Notes:

1. Caution should be taken when interpreting these data as HM Revenue and Customs changed the collection methods for EU trade from January 2022. Our article, Impact of trade in goods data collection changes on UK trade statistics: 2021 to 2022 provides more detail.

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Quarterly trends in goods

Total imports of goods increased by £12.2 billion (8.3%) in Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2022, compared with Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2022. Imports from both EU and non-EU countries increased during this time. Exports of goods over the same period increased by £10.7 billion (12.4%) because of increasing exports to both EU and non-EU countries (Table 2).

Notes:

1. Caution should be taken when interpreting these data as HM Revenue and Customs changed the collection methods for EU trade from January 2022. Our article, Impact of trade in goods data collection changes on UK trade statistics: 2021 to 2022 provides more detail.

Imports

Imports of fuels from the EU increased by £0.4 billion in June 2022, while imports of all other commodities decreased (Figure 2). The largest falls in imports from the EU in June were £0.6 billion for chemicals and £0.2 billion for food and live animals. The fall in chemicals imports was because of reduced medicinal and pharmaceutical products imports from Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.

Imports of fuels from non-EU countries increased by £0.5 billion in June 2022, driven by increased imports of oil from the US and gas from Norway. All other commodities remained at similar levels to May.

Figure 2: Imports of goods from EU countries decreased in June 2022, driven by reduced chemical imports

EU and non-EU goods imports by commodity, June 2020 to June 2022

Notes:

1. Caution should be taken when interpreting these data as HM Revenue and Customs changed the collection methods for EU trade from January 2022. Our article, Impact of trade in goods data collection changes on UK trade statistics: 2021 to 2022 provides more detail.

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Exports

Exports of chemicals and miscellaneous manufactures to the EU increased by £0.3 billion and £0.2 billion, respectively, in June 2022. The rise in chemical exports was driven by increased exports of organic chemicals to Ireland and medicinal and pharmaceutical products to Germany and Belgium. Increases in exports of miscellaneous manufactures were because of increased exports of other manufactures to the Netherlands. These increases were offset by decreased exports of machinery and transport equipment and fuels, which both fell by £0.5 billion (Figure 3). These falls were driven by decreased exports of ships and aircraft to France and oil to the Netherlands and France.

Exports to non-EU countries fell across all commodities in June 2022, with the largest declines being decreases of £0.7 billion for miscellaneous manufactures and chemicals. The falls in exports of miscellaneous manufactures were driven in part by reduced jewellery exports to Qatar and Switzerland, while the fall in chemicals exports was driven by decreases across multiple sub-commodities and countries.

Figure 3: Exports of goods decreased in June 2022, driven by falling exports of chemicals and miscellaneous manufactures

EU and non-EU goods exports by commodity, June 2020 to June 2022

Notes:

1. Caution should be taken when interpreting these data as HM Revenue and Customs changed the collection methods for EU trade from January 2022. Our article, Impact of trade in goods data collection changes on UK trade statistics: 2021 to 2022 provides more detail.

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Total imports of goods increased by £12.2 billion (8.3%) in Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2022 when compared with Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2022, driven by increases in imports from both EU and non-EU countries. Total exports of goods increased by £10.7 billion (12.4%) over the same period because of increasing exports to both EU and non-EU countries.

Increases in imports of several commodities from the EU occurred in Quarter 2 2022, with machinery and transport equipment being the largest at £3.4 billion. Imports of mechanical machinery from Germany, electrical machinery from the Netherlands, and ships and aircraft from Italy were the main drivers of this growth. Increasing imports from non-EU countries in Quarter 2 2022 were driven by a £3.2 billion increase in imports of fuels, which is linked to the increasing price of oil during this period (Figure 4).

Exports to EU countries increased in June 2022, driven by rising exports of fuels of £2.7 billion and machinery and transport equipment of £2.0 billion. The rise in machinery and transport equipment exports was in turn driven by increasing exports of ships and aircraft to France and Germany and mechanical machinery to France. For fuels, the UK re-exported a high volume of gas to continental Europe via pipelines to the Netherlands and Belgium in Quarter 2 2022, as European countries replenished stocks of gas ahead of the winter. The increase in exports to non-EU countries in Quarter 2 2022 was driven by £1.6 billion increases in material manufactures, predominately non-ferrous metals to Canada and India, and £1.4 billion increases in machinery and transport equipment. This was offset by a small reduction of £0.6 billion in the exports of fuels, driven by reduced crude oil exports to China.

Figure 4: Imports of machinery and transport equipment from EU countries increased in Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2022 when compared with Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2022

Changes in imports and exports by goods commodity group, excluding unspecified goods, Quarter 2 2022 compared with Quarter 1 2022

Notes:

1. Caution should be taken when interpreting these data as HM Revenue and Customs changed the collection methods for EU trade from January 2022. Our article, Impact of trade in goods data collection changes on UK trade statistics: 2021 to 2022 provides more detail.

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The UK’s total trade deficit for goods and services, excluding precious metals, widened by £2.0 billion to £27.9 billion in Quarter 2 2022, which is the largest on record. Total imports increased by £14.3 billion to £206.6 billion, and total exports increased by £12.3 billion to £178.6 billion (Figure 5). The total trade deficit, excluding precious metals, was 4.5% of nominal gross domestic product (GDP) in Quarter 2 2022, as discussed in our GDP first quarterly estimate, UK: April to June 2022 release.

Removing the effect of inflation, the total trade deficit, excluding precious metals, narrowed by £2.4 billion to £22.6 billion in Quarter 2 2022. Imports increased by £1.2 billion to £176.4 billion, and exports increased by £3.6 billion to £153.9 billion in chained volume terms.

The trade in goods deficit, excluding precious metals, widened by £1.5 billion to £62.6 billion in Quarter 2 2022, driven by a £12.2 billion increase in goods imports.

Early estimates suggest the trade in services surplus narrowed by £0.5 billion to £34.7 billion in Quarter 2 2022, driven by a £2.1 billion increase in services imports. Imports increased to £47.3 billion, while exports of services increased to £82.0 billion in Quarter 2 2022.

Imports of goods in June 2022 were £13.5 billion (34.0%) higher than June 2021 levels, while exports increased by £4.7 billion (17.9%) over the same period (Table 3). As 2021 data were strongly affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the end of the EU exit transition period, we have also compared them with 2018 trade data. Compared with May 2018, imports increased by £12.4 billion (30.4%), while exports rose by £1.3 billion (4.4%).

Total imports and exports of goods increased in Quarter 2 2022, compared with the same period in 2021. Exports increased by £9.6 billion (11.0%) when compared with the same period in 2018, while imports increased by £38.4 billion (31.7%).

Note:

1. Caution should be taken when interpreting these data as HM Revenue and Customs changed the collection methods for EU trade from January 2022. Our article, Impact of trade in goods data collection changes on UK trade statistics: 2021 to 2022 provides more detail.

Explore the 2021 trade in goods data using our interactive tools. Our data break down UK trade in goods with 234 countries by 125 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 or using the drop-down menu.

Notes:

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

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 UN Comtrade.

3. This interactive map denotes country boundaries in accordance with statistical classifications set out within Appendix 4 of the Balance of Payments (BoP) Vademecum (PDF, 1.1MB) and do not represent the UK policy on disputed territories.

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You can also explore the 2021 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 click through the levels to explore the data.

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Notes:

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

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

3. These interactive charts denote country boundaries in accordance with statistical classifications set out within Appendix 4 of the Balance of Payments (BoP) Vademecum (PDF, 1.1MB) and does not represent the UK policy on disputed territories.

In accordance with the National Accounts Revisions Policy, the data in this release have been revised from April 2022 to June 2022 for both goods and services.

HM Revenue and Customs unscheduled correction

Following the publication of UK trade: April 2021, an error was identified in the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) overseas trade data used to compile the Office for National Statistics' (ONS) UK trade statistics.

Revisions for the period January 2020 to February 2021 were published in our UK trade: May 2021 bulletin on 9 July 2021, taking place outside of the usual National Accounts revisions period in order to ensure the ONS trade figures reflected the most up-to-date position. Revisions for pre-2020 will be incorporated in the annual Blue Book publication in October 2022.

We have published an article providing users with an indicative estimate of the likely scale and impact of these corrections on the ONS trade statistics before their publication in the August 2022 UK trade statistics, which are due to be published in October 2022.

Chained volume measures (CVMs)

CVM estimates 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 (the base year).

Current price measures (CPs)

These estimates 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 (IDEFs)

An 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 precious metals, silver, platinum and palladium, and it forms part of the commodity group "unspecified goods". Non-monetary gold comprises 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.

Making our published spreadsheets accessible

Over the coming months, all Office for National Statistics (ONS) datasets will be reviewed to ensure they meet the accessibility standards outlined in the Government Statistical Service (GSS) guidance on releasing statistics in spreadsheets. This is to ensure that all GSS outputs meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, a legal requirement set out in The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

We welcome any feedback on these changes. Share your feedback by emailing the statistical contact provided on this page.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) data impact

Because of the challenges of data collection during the coronavirus pandemic, we have experienced challenges around the level of survey and data returns for this trade release.

Data sources

Data from the quarterly International Trade in Services (ITIS) Survey make up over 50% of trade in services data. View our UK trade QMI for more detail.

Data from the International Passenger Survey (IPS) are the main source for travel services, historically making up around 8% of total imports. Following suspension of the survey in 2020, the survey has now largely resumed, with a very small number of ports yet to have resumed interviewing. IPS data are being used with a small adjustment to account for the reduction in sample size, and we continue to quality assure our estimates using complimentary data sources. However, we advise continued caution when using these data until the IPS is fully operational. View our UK trade QMI for more detail.

Data from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) make up over 90% of trade in goods value and are the main source. We have worked closely with HMRC to prepare for the change in collection of customs data, which occurred at the end of the EU exit transition period. View further information in our article Impact of EU exit on the collection and compilation of UK trade statistics.

In line with international standards, our headline trade statistics contain the UK's exports and imports of non-monetary gold. View more information about the ONS's recording of non-monetary gold. Unless otherwise specified, data within this bulletin are in current prices. This means they have not been adjusted to remove the effects of inflation.

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.

View more detailed information about the methods used to produce UK trade statistics on our UK trade methodology web pages.

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 now responded to all of the specific requirements of the reassessment of UK trade and, as part of our engagement with the Office for Statistics Regulation team, we are sharing our continuous improvement and development plans to support UK trade statistics regaining National Statistics status. We welcome feedback on our new trade statistics, developments and future plans by email to trade@ons.gov.uk.

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. More information on trade in goods asymmetries is published by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), while analysis on trade in services asymmetries is published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

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