The United Kingdom shipped US$487.1 billion worth of products around the globe in 2018 according to the latest statistics from the International Trade Centre. That dollar amount represents a -4.7% decline since 2014 but a 10.2% year-over-year gain from 2017 to 2018.
From a continental perspective, about 55% of UK exports by value were delivered to fellow European trade partners (that percentage compares with 46.6% going to European Union members). Another 24.1% was sold to Asian importers while the United Kingdom shipped 15.3% worth to North America.
Smaller percentages went to Africa (2.3%), Oceania (1.5%) led by Australia and New Zealand then Latin America (1.3%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean.
United Kingdom’s Top Trading Partners
Top 15
Below is a list showcasing 15 of United Kingdom’s top trading partners in terms of export sales. That is, these are countries that imported the most UK shipments by dollar value during 2018. Also shown is each import country’s percentage of total UK exports.
- United States: US$65.3 billion (13.4% of total UK exports)
- Germany: $46.7 billion (9.6%)
- Netherlands: $33.1 billion (6.8%)
- France: $31.9 billion (6.5%)
- Ireland: $28.2 billion (5.8%)
- China: $27.7 billion (5.7%)
- Switzerland: $25.6 billion (5.3%)
- Belgium: $18.9 billion (3.9%)
- Italy: $14 billion (2.9%)
- Spain: $13.9 billion (2.9%)
- Turkey: $13.7 billion (2.8%)
- Hong Kong: $10.3 billion (2.1%)
- United Arab Emirates: $10.1 billion (2.1%)
- Japan: $8.4 billion (1.7%)
- South Korea: $7.8 billion (1.6%)
Approaching three-quarters (73%) of UK exports in 2018 were delivered to the above 15 trade partners.
Among the top 15 importers from the UK, year-over-year gains ranged from a minimum of +0.1% for Germany, +3.4% for Spain and +4.1% for South Korea up to +13.9% for Japan, +20.2% for Netherlands, +26.2% for Switzerland, +29.6% for China and +43% for Turkey.
For a complete listing, see the section Searchable Datalist of Countries Importing UK Exports in 2018 near the bottom of this article.
Deficits
Overall the United Kingdom incurred a -$182.6 billion trade deficit during 2018, down -8.4% from -$199.3 billion in red ink one year earlier.
As defined by Investopedia, a country whose total value of all imported goods is higher than its value of all exports is said to have a negative trade balance or deficit.
It would be unrealistic for any exporting nation to expect across-the-board positive trade balances with all its importing partners. Similarly, that export country doesn’t necessarily post a negative trade balance with each individual partner with which it exchanges exports and imports.
United Kingdom incurred the highest trade deficits with the following countries.
- Germany: -US$44.8 billion (country-specific trade deficit in 2018)
- China: -$35.7 billion
- Netherlands: -$22.1 billion
- Norway: -$20.7 billion
- Belgium: -$15.7 billion
- Italy: -$12.6 billion
- Poland: -$7.6 billion
- Spain: -$7.1 billion
- Canada: -$6.4 billion
- Russia: -$6.1 billion
Among United Kingdom’s trading partners that cause the greatest negative trade balances, UK deficits with Russia (up 73.1%), Belgium (up 9.1%) and Norway (up 7.2%) grew at the fastest pace from 2017 to 2018.
These cashflow deficiencies clearly indicate United Kingdom’s competitive disadvantages with the above countries, but also represent key opportunities for United Kingdom to develop country-specific strategies to strengthen its overall position in international trade.
Surpluses
Based on Investopedia’s definition of net importer, a country whose total value of all imported goods is lower than its value of all exports is said to have a positive trade balance or surplus.
United Kingdom earned the highest trade surpluses with the following countries.
- Switzerland: US$18.2 billion (country-specific trade surplus in 2018)
- Ireland: $9.4 billion
- United Arab Emirates: $7.9 billion
- Hong Kong: $7.8 billion
- Singapore: $5.2 billion
- South Korea: $2.6 billion
- Saudi Arabia: $2.23 billion
- Australia: $2.18 billion
- Turkey: $2.13 billion
- United States: $2.06 billion
Among United Kingdom’s trading partners that generate the greatest positive trade balances, UK surpluses with the United States (up 473.2%), Australia (up 150.2%) and Switzerland (up 119.1%) grew at the fastest pace from 2017 to 2018.
These positive cashflow streams clearly indicate United Kingdom’s competitive advantages with the above countries, but also represent key opportunities for United Kingdom to develop country-specific strategies to optimize its overall position in international trade.
Companies
Companies Servicing UK Trading Partners
Roughly 90 UK corporations rank among Forbes Global 2000. Below is a sample of the major companies headquartered in the UK that appear on the Forbes lists.
- Anglo American (diversified metals, mining)
- Associated British Foods (food processing)
- AstraZeneca (pharmaceuticals)
- BG Group (oil, gas)
- BP (oil, gas)
- British American Tobacco (tobacco)
- Diageo (beverages)
- GlaxoSmithKline (pharmaceuticals)
- Imperial Tobacco Group (tobacco)
- Rio Tinto (diversified metals, mining)
- Rolls-Royce Holdings (aerospace & defense)
- SABMiller (beverages)
According to the UK Export Directory, the following are examples of established companies that ship products from the United Kingdom to its trading partners around the globe. Shown within parenthesis is the product category that the UK-based business specializes in.
- Absolute Battery (UK) Ltd (power supplies, batteries)
- Advanced Technology Laboratories (UK) Ltd (electronics)
- Antech UK Hydraulics (hydraulic motors, other machinery)
- Diamond Offshore (UK) Ltd (drilling equipment)
- Global Communications UK Ltd (broadcast equipment, satellites)
- Gold Major Group (jewelry)
- Johnson Pump (UK) Limited (rotary lobe pumps)
- Knight Plastics Ltd (plastic injection mouldings)
- Nippon Oil Exploration UK Ltd (oil, gas)
- Trumpler UK Ltd (chemicals)
Searchable Datalist of Countries Importing UK Exports in 2018
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of any of the columns below. The right-most shows the percentage change in value for each importing country since 2017.
| Rank | Importer | 2018 UK Exports | 2017-8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | United States | $65,314,679,000 | +10.4% |
| 2. | Germany | $46,747,014,000 | +0.1% |
| 3. | Netherlands | $33,141,747,000 | +20.2% |
| 4. | France | $31,893,335,000 | +4.9% |
| 5. | Ireland | $28,189,853,000 | +12.3% |
| 6. | China | $27,701,128,000 | +29.6% |
| 7. | Switzerland | $25,595,568,000 | +26.2% |
| 8. | Belgium | $18,948,870,000 | +6.7% |
| 9. | Italy | $13,973,257,000 | +5.8% |
| 10. | Spain | $13,933,328,000 | +3.4% |
| 11. | Turkey | $13,672,464,000 | +43% |
| 12. | Hong Kong | $10,302,330,000 | +10.3% |
| 13. | United Arab Emirates | $10,102,093,000 | +4.8% |
| 14. | Japan | $8,394,472,000 | +13.9% |
| 15. | South Korea | $7,806,274,000 | +4.1% |
| 16. | Sweden | $7,386,912,000 | +8.4% |
| 17. | Canada | $7,275,889,000 | +16.8% |
| 18. | Singapore | $6,879,497,000 | +10.8% |
| 19. | Poland | $6,759,971,000 | +5.2% |
| 20. | India | $6,612,540,000 | +26% |
| 21. | Australia | $5,898,324,000 | +2.3% |
| 22. | Saudi Arabia | $4,905,730,000 | -9.3% |
| 23. | Norway | $4,533,778,000 | +17.5% |
| 24. | Denmark | $3,649,233,000 | +3.4% |
| 25. | Russia | $3,314,858,000 | -10.3% |
| 26. | Qatar | $3,080,443,000 | -1.2% |
| 27. | Czech Republic | $2,935,458,000 | +6.9% |
| 28. | South Africa | $2,774,676,000 | +1.4% |
| 29. | Austria | $2,664,786,000 | +10.3% |
| 30. | Brazil | $2,551,387,000 | +10% |
| 31. | Portugal | $2,096,876,000 | +3.4% |
| 32. | Mexico | $2,015,218,000 | +1.21% |
| 33. | Thailand | $1,989,652,000 | +23.1% |
| 34. | Hungary | $1,940,212,000 | +3.9% |
| 35. | Finland | $1,867,165,000 | +6% |
| 36. | Nigeria | $1,767,900,000 | +22.3% |
| 37. | Taiwan | $1,751,924,000 | +15.6% |
| 38. | Malaysia | $1,741,686,000 | -4.4% |
| 39. | Romania | $1,730,932,000 | +8.3% |
| 40. | Greece | $1,573,886,000 | +22.7% |
| 41. | Egypt | $1,532,767,000 | -1.7% |
| 42. | Israel | $1,458,272,000 | -5.2% |
| 43. | Oman | $1,351,162,000 | -43.3% |
| 44. | Azerbaijan | $1,294,131,000 | +349.9% |
| 45. | New Zealand | $1,203,789,000 | +7.8% |
| 46. | North Macedonia | $1,123,214,000 | +9.6% |
| 47. | Pakistan | $996,052,000 | +12.7% |
| 48. | Indonesia | $935,769,000 | -6.6% |
| 49. | Morocco | $914,381,000 | -8% |
| 50. | Malta | $852,510,000 | +29.4% |
| 51. | Vietnam | $839,421,000 | +12.5% |
| 52. | Slovakia | $818,200,000 | +5.4% |
| 53. | Chile | $778,046,000 | +0.7% |
| 54. | Philippines | $732,823,000 | +7.3% |
| 55. | Kuwait | $731,991,000 | -8.1% |
| 56. | Ukraine | $689,245,000 | +31.4% |
| 57. | Bahrain | $658,016,000 | +3.3% |
| 58. | Lithuania | $630,166,000 | -11.8% |
| 59. | Bulgaria | $585,300,000 | -0.3% |
| 60. | Colombia | $529,169,000 | -10% |
| 61. | Cyprus | $526,412,000 | +7.5% |
| 62. | Latvia | $517,037,000 | +13.3% |
| 63. | Kenya | $513,785,000 | +15.9% |
| 64. | Argentina | $491,328,000 | +9.6% |
| 65. | Gibraltar | $483,346,000 | -1.6% |
| 66. | Iraq | $473,755,000 | +12.9% |
| 67. | Ghana | $472,305,000 | -3.4% |
| 68. | Lebanon | $462,733,000 | -2.8% |
| 69. | Algeria | $450,896,000 | +4.9% |
| 70. | Slovenia | $437,132,000 | +24.4% |
| 71. | Iceland | $430,043,000 | -15.9% |
| 72. | Kazakhstan | $401,128,000 | +35.4% |
| 73. | Bangladesh | $397,856,000 | +31% |
| 74. | Sri Lanka | $391,441,000 | +62.9% |
| 75. | Ethiopia | $364,301,000 | +17.4% |
| 76. | Estonia | $359,304,000 | +10.3% |
| 77. | Jordan | $327,938,000 | -26.7% |
| 78. | Croatia | $325,778,000 | +32.9% |
| 79. | Luxembourg | $319,593,000 | -6.7% |
| 80. | Angola | $264,118,000 | -46.5% |
| 81. | Serbia | $243,777,000 | +26.5% |
| 82. | Peru | $231,304,000 | +0.5% |
| 83. | Senegal | $224,924,000 | -12.1% |
| 84. | Panama | $222,273,000 | +26.8% |
| 85. | Iran | $221,711,000 | -24% |
| 86. | Tunisia | $213,895,000 | +10.6% |
| 87. | Belarus | $212,834,000 | +29.4% |
| 88. | Trinidad/Tobago | $180,874,000 | +30% |
| 89. | Uruguay | $179,951,000 | -20.9% |
| 90. | Libya | $169,350,000 | -29.6% |
| 91. | Tanzania | $148,176,000 | +29.7% |
| 92. | Dominican Republic | $138,148,000 | +6.8% |
| 93. | Ecuador | $126,090,000 | -0.1% |
| 94. | Ivory Coast | $120,091,000 | -16.3% |
| 95. | Mauritius | $104,605,000 | -0.5% |
| 96. | Zambia | $102,266,000 | +32.4% |
| 97. | Sudan | $94,222,000 | -7.1% |
| 98. | Costa Rica | $87,905,000 | -0.9% |
| 99. | Macao | $82,782,000 | +20.1% |
| 100. | Seychelles | $82,625,000 | +169.2% |
| 101. | Georgia | $80,939,000 | -36.1% |
| 102. | Bermuda | $77,346,000 | -47.3% |
| 103. | Cambodia | $73,973,000 | +52.3% |
| 104. | Togo | $73,156,000 | +51.7% |
| 105. | Jamaica | $71,219,000 | -27% |
| 106. | Mali | $70,224,000 | +35.5% |
| 107. | Falkland Is. (Malvinas) | $69,739,000 | +19.7% |
| 108. | Bahamas | $69,596,000 | +84.4% |
| 109. | Brunei Darussalam | $64,020,000 | -22.8% |
| 110. | Zimbabwe | $60,476,000 | +58.8% |
| 111. | Cameroon | $59,879,000 | +7.4% |
| 112. | Namibia | $58,407,000 | +6.1% |
| 113. | Uganda | $53,142,000 | -6.5% |
| 114. | Moldova | $52,280,000 | -2.6% |
| 115. | Barbados | $51,787,000 | -8.4% |
| 116. | Myanmar (Burma) | $51,179,000 | +32% |
| 117. | Yemen | $49,601,000 | +6% |
| 118. | Paraguay | $49,520,000 | +15.6% |
| 119. | Botswana | $44,970,000 | +18.5% |
| 120. | Guatemala | $44,759,000 | -1.3% |
| 121. | Bolivia | $42,409,000 | +74% |
| 122. | Uzbekistan | $41,305,000 | +8.7% |
| 123. | Sierra Leone | $41,097,000 | +2.2% |
| 124. | Congo | $40,731,000 | -45.4% |
| 125. | Faroe Islands | $40,353,000 | +51% |
| 126. | Afghanistan | $39,854,000 | +47.2% |
| 127. | Guyana | $38,328,000 | -6.3% |
| 128. | Gabon | $37,803,000 | -29.4% |
| 129. | Democr. Rep. Congo | $37,597,000 | +28.2% |
| 130. | El Salvador | $37,564,000 | +35.6% |
| 131. | Gambia | $37,206,000 | +7.3% |
| 132. | Turkmenistan | $36,883,000 | -22.6% |
| 133. | Equatorial Guinea | $35,646,000 | +9.6% |
| 134. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $34,152,000 | -3% |
| 135. | Mozambique | $33,406,000 | +16.9% |
| 136. | Guinea | $28,978,000 | +2.3% |
| 137. | Venezuela | $28,044,000 | -67.4% |
| 138. | Chad | $27,815,000 | +194.6% |
| 139. | Mongolia | $25,939,000 | -23.7% |
| 140. | Saint Lucia | $25,526,000 | +0.2% |
| 141. | Benin | $25,020,000 | +9.3% |
| 142. | Albania | $23,777,000 | -1.7% |
| 143. | Antigua/Barbuda | $23,617,000 | +9.5% |
| 144. | British Virgin Islands | $23,546,000 | -21.8% |
| 145. | Burkina Faso | $22,686,000 | +75.1% |
| 146. | New Caledonia | $22,660,000 | +23.6% |
| 147. | Saint Helena | $22,646,000 | +12% |
| 148. | Maldives | $22,388,000 | +22.7% |
| 149. | Fiji | $21,689,000 | +20% |
| 150. | Aruba | $21,525,000 | -40.4% |
| 151. | Cayman Islands | $21,500,000 | -53.4% |
| 152. | Montenegro | $21,423,000 | +22% |
| 153. | Malawi | $19,853,000 | +11.5% |
| 154. | Curaçao | $18,776,000 | +38.9% |
| 155. | Armenia | $18,545,000 | +32.1% |
| 156. | Somalia | $18,522,000 | +22.2% |
| 157. | Grenada | $18,188,000 | +39.9% |
| 158. | Liberia | $18,186,000 | -3.9% |
| 159. | Rwanda | $17,529,000 | +48.7% |
| 160. | St Vincent/Grenadines | $17,439,000 | +8.8% |
| 161. | Nepal | $15,787,000 | +19.6% |
| 162. | Haiti | $15,369,000 | -27.5% |
| 163. | Honduras | $15,366,000 | +8.6% |
| 164. | Cuba | $14,935,000 | -53.3% |
| 165. | Djibouti | $14,420,000 | +6.1% |
| 166. | Syrian Arab Republic | $14,386,000 | +25.6% |
| 167. | Madagascar | $13,802,000 | -59.3% |
| 168. | Dominica | $13,502,000 | +26.4% |
| 169. | Papua New Guinea | $11,759,000 | -59.8% |
| 170. | Laos | $11,634,000 | -1.7% |
| 171. | Andorra | $10,621,000 | +5.6% |
| 172. | Suriname | $9,957,000 | -30.2% |
| 173. | Mauritania | $9,624,000 | -48.8% |
| 174. | Belize | $9,421,000 | -54.2% |
| 175. | Bonaire/St Eustatius/Saba | $8,952,000 | +248.2% |
| 176. | French Polynesia | $8,814,000 | -3.2% |
| 177. | Palestine | $8,733,000 | +20.3% |
| 178. | Nicaragua | $7,204,000 | -16.4% |
| 179. | Saint Kitts/Nevis | $7,108,000 | -24.1% |
| 180. | Turks/Caicos Islands | $6,568,000 | +71.2% |
| 181. | Central African Republic | $6,342,000 | +281.1% |
| 182. | Eritrea | $5,873,000 | +333.8% |
| 183. | Burundi | $5,536,000 | +50.9% |
| 184. | Kyrgyzstan | $5,401,000 | -33.5% |
| 185. | US Minor Outlying Is. | $5,049,000 | +6.7% |
| 186. | Niue | $4,939,000 | +180.8% |
| 187. | Eswatini | $3,667,000 | -0.1% |
| 188. | Marshall Islands | $3,531,000 | +204.9% |
| 189. | Niger | $3,334,000 | -60.7% |
| 190. | Tajikistan | $3,111,000 | +167.7% |
| 191. | Greenland | $3,022,000 | -29.6% |
| 192. | South Sudan | $2,721,000 | -12.2% |
| 193. | Montserrat | $2,246,000 | +11.7% |
| 194. | Cabo Verde | $2,143,000 | -19.9% |
| 195. | Lesotho | $1,985,000 | +60.6% |
| 196. | Vanuatu | $1,920,000 | +106.7% |
| 197. | Comoros | $1,696,000 | +9.8% |
| 198. | Bhutan | $1,627,000 | -14.6% |
| 199. | Solomon Islands | $1,597,000 | +178.7% |
| 200. | St Maarten (Dutch) | $1,500,000 | -81.3% |
| 201. | Anguilla | $1,296,000 | +80.3% |
| 202. | Guinea-Bissau | $978,000 | +5% |
| 203. | Sao Tome/Principe | $803,000 | -78.2% |
| 204. | French S./Antarctic Terr. | $574,000 | -42.3% |
| 205. | Tonga | $556,000 | -54.3% |
| 206. | Pitcairn | $533,000 | -46.9% |
| 207. | Cocos (Keeling) Islands | $389,000 | +43% |
| 208. | Kiribati | $359,000 | +74.3% |
| 209. | Timor-Leste | $355,000 | +21.6% |
| 210. | Tuvalu | $255,000 | +5,000% |
| 211. | Samoa | $239,000 | -98.6% |
| 212. | North Korea | $222,000 | -20.7% |
| 213. | Cook Islands | $185,000 | +374.4% |
| 214. | Micronesia | $110,000 | -72.1% |
| 215. | Palau | $102,000 | -37.4% |
| 216. | Northern Mariana Is. | $100,000 | -86.4% |
| 217. | Wallis/Futuna Is. | $47,000 | +56.7% |
| 218. | Nauru | $32,000 | -13.5% |
| 219. | Br. Indian Ocean Terr. | $13,000 | -70.5% |
| 220. | Christmas Island | $11,000 | -70.3% |
| 221. | St. Pierre/Miquelon | $3,000 | -40% |
| 222. | Norfolk Island | $2,000 | -60% |
See also United Kingdom’s Top 10 Imports, United Kingdom’s Top 10 Exports, UK’s Major EU Exports, United Kingdom’s Top 10 Major Export Companies and European Union’s Top 10 Exports
Research Sources:
British Exporters, Database of British Products & Verified British Exporters. Accessed on August 22, 2019
Forbes Global 2000, The World’s Largest Public Companies. Accessed on August 22, 2019
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on August 22, 2019
Investopedia, Net Importer Definition. Accessed on August 22, 2019
The World Factbook, Field Listing: Imports – Commodities, Central Intelligence Agency. Accessed on August 22, 2019