UK trade: March 2026

• The value of goods imports increased by £1.1 billion (2.1%) in March 2026 because of a rise in imports from both EU and non-EU countries.

• The value of goods exports increased by £0.6 billion (1.9%) in March 2026, with a rise in exports to the EU.

• The total goods and services trade deficit widened by £4.5 billion to a deficit of £7.0 billion in Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2026, compared with the previous quarter.

• The trade in goods deficit widened by £3.8 billion to £59.3 billion in Quarter 1 2026, while the trade in services surplus is estimated to have narrowed by around £0.7 billion to £52.3 billion.

Total imports of goods in "current prices", which are not adjusted for inflation (as explained in Section 12: Glossary), increased by £1.1 billion (2.1%) in March 2026, when compared with February 2026. This increase was because of a £0.7 billion (2.7%) rise in imports from the EU, and a £0.4 billion (1.5%) rise in imports from non-EU countries (Table 1 and Figure 1).

Total exports of goods increased by £0.6 billion (1.9%) in March 2026, because of a £0.6 billion (3.9%) rise in exports to the EU, while exports to non-EU countries were unchanged when compared with February 2026.

Imports from the EU were £2.5 billion higher than imports from non-EU countries in March 2026, while exports to the EU were similar in value to non-EU countries.

Figure 1: Imports from both EU and non-EU countries increased in March 2026

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

After removing the effect of inflation by calculating "chained volume measures" (as explained in Section 12: Glossary), total goods imports remained similar in March 2026 when compared with February 2026 (Figure 2). This was because a £0.7 billion (2.6%) rise in imports from the EU was offset by a £0.7 billion (2.8%) fall in imports from non-EU countries.

Total goods exports decreased by £0.3 billion (0.8%) in March 2026, after the effect of inflation was removed. This was because exports to non-EU countries fell by £0.1 billion (0.8%), and exports to the EU also fell by £0.1 billion (0.8%).

In March 2026, there was a notable difference between the current price estimates (CPs) and chained volume measures (CVMs) for non-EU imports and EU exports. This can be attributed to rising fuel prices for both exports and imports. Non-EU imports and EU exports of fuels increased in current prices in March 2026. However, when the effect of inflation is removed, non-EU imports and EU exports of fuels decreased in the same period.

Figure 2: Imports of goods from non-EU countries rose in value terms but fell in inflation-adjusted terms in March 2026

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

Silver, platinum and palladium bullion are components of precious metals and form part of the "material manufactures" commodity group. Trade in precious metals can be large and highly volatile, distorting underlying trends in trade in goods. We have added a "Material manufactures, excluding precious metals" series to our UK trade: goods and services publication tables dataset, and have used this series for the analysis in this section.

More detail on the allocation of precious metals is provided in Section 13: Data sources and quality.

Goods imports

Imports from the EU increased by £0.7 billion (2.7%) in March 2026 when compared with February 2026. This was because of a £0.5 billion rise in fuel imports linked to higher imports of refined oil from the Netherlands, and a £0.4 billion increase in imports of machinery and transport equipment, mainly because of higher imports of cars from Germany. The increases were partially offset by a £0.2 billion fall in chemical imports because of reduced imports of inorganic chemicals from the Netherlands and France (Figure 3).

Imports from non-EU countries rose by £0.4 billion (1.5%) in March 2026. This rise was primarily because of a £1.3 billion increase in fuel imports, partially offset by £0.3 billion falls in imports of both machinery and transport equipment, and chemicals, and a £0.2 billion fall in imports of miscellaneous manufactures.

The rise in fuel imports was linked to higher imports of gas from Norway. The fall in imports of machinery and transport equipment was linked to reduced imports of telecoms and sound equipment (capital) from Vietnam and cars from China. The decrease in imports of chemicals was linked to lower imports of inorganic chemicals from Japan and Canada.

Although the total value of fuel imported increased substantially in March 2026 in current prices, the value of imports increased by only a relatively small amount after removing the effect of inflation. This rise in value has been driven by rising oil prices and rising gas prices in the month of March.

Figure 3: Imports of fuels from EU and non-EU countries rose in March 2026

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

Notes:

1. Material manufactures presented in this chart exclude silver, platinum, and palladium bullion bars as these are components of precious metals. Trade in precious metals can be large and highly volatile, distorting underlying trends in trade in goods.
2. The monthly commodity changes may not sum to the total trade in the goods monthly change because of rounding.

Goods exports

Exports to the EU increased by £0.6 billion (3.9%) in March 2026 when compared with February 2026. This was mainly because of a £0.6 billion rise in fuel exports and a £0.2 billion rise in exports of chemicals, which was partially offset by a £0.2 billion fall in exports of machinery and transport equipment (Figure 4).

The increase in fuel exports was because of higher exports of crude oil to the Netherlands while the rise in chemical exports was because of increased exports of medicinal and pharmaceutical products to Germany. The fall in exports of machinery and transport equipment was linked to reduced exports of cars to Italy.

Exports to non-EU countries remained relatively unchanged when compared with February 2026. This was because a £0.3 billion rise in chemical exports was offset by a £0.2 billion fall in exports of material manufactures (excluding precious metals), and small falls across most other commodities. The increase in chemical exports was mainly because of higher exports of medicinal and pharmaceutical products to the United States.

Figure 4: Exports of fuels to the EU rose in March 2026

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

Notes:

1. Material manufactures presented in this chart exclude silver, platinum, and palladium bullion bars as these are components of precious metals. Trade in precious metals can be large and highly volatile, distorting underlying trends in trade in goods.
2. The monthly commodity changes may not sum to the total trade in the goods monthly change because of rounding.

Early estimates suggest that imports of services remained similar in value terms in March 2026 when compared with February 2026. Exports of services increased by £0.1 billion (0.2%) (Figure 5). There was little difference between trade in services trends in value and inflation-adjusted terms.

Monthly figures for trade in services for March 2026 are forecast from estimated Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2026 data, using time series and additional data sources. Early estimates of trade in services are revised in line with the National Accounts Revisions Policy. More detail on how our trade in services statistics are compiled is in our UK trade quality and methods guide.

On 7 April 2026, the S&P Global Services PMI reported a sharp decline in UK business confidence during the month of March. There was a marginal increase in services output. The war in Iran affected exports with new business falling at its fastest rate in nearly a year.

Figure 5: Exports and imports of services remained relatively similar in both value and inflation-adjusted terms in March 2026

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

Notes:

1. Monthly figures for trade in services for March 2026 are forecast using time series and additional data sources. Early estimates of trade in services are revised in line with the National Accounts Revisions Policy.

Total imports of goods increased by £6.1 billion (4.1%) in Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2026, compared with Quarter 4 (Oct to Dec) 2025 (Table 2). The increase was because goods imports from non-EU countries rose by £4.1 billion (5.9%) and goods imports from the EU rose by £2.0 billion (2.5%).

Total exports of goods increased by £2.3 billion (2.5%) in Quarter 1 2026. This rise was because goods exports to the EU increased by £2.7 billion (6.2%), partially offset by a £0.4 billion (0.9%) fall in goods exports to non-EU countries.

For trade in services in Quarter 1 2026, we forecast International Trade in Services (ITIS) survey figures using time series data. This forecast is combined with additional data sources, to estimate trade in services totals. Early estimates indicate that imports of services remained similar and exports of services fell by an estimated £0.7 billion (0.5%) in Quarter 1 2026, compared with Quarter 4 2025.

Imports of goods from the EU increased by £2.0 billion (2.5%) in Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2026 compared with Quarter 4 (Oct to Dec) 2025. This was because of a £2.0 billion increase in imports of machinery and transport equipment, and a £0.2 billion rise in fuel imports (Figure 6). The rise in imports of machinery and transport equipment was driven by increased imports of office machinery (capital) from Ireland.

Imports from non-EU countries increased by £4.1 billion (5.9%) in Quarter 1 2026, because of a £1.5 billion rise in imports of fuels, a £1.3 billion increase in machinery and transport equipment imports, and a £0.7 billion rise in imports of material manufactures.

The rise in imports of fuels was linked to increased gas imports from Norway and the United States. The rise in imports of machinery and transport equipment was linked to increased imports of cars from China and aircraft from the United States.

Exports to the EU increased by £2.8 billion (6.2%) in Quarter 1 2026, because of a £1.4 billion rise in exports of machinery and transport equipment, and £0.9 billion increase in fuels exports. The increase in exports of machinery and transport equipment was because of increased exports of office machinery (capital) to the Netherlands, while the increase in fuels was linked to a rise in exports of crude oil to Poland.

Exports to non-EU countries decreased by £0.4 billion (0.9%) in Quarter 1 2026 because of a £0.7 billion fall in exports of miscellaneous manufactures, and a £0.4 billion fall in exports of fuels. This was partially offset by a £0.4 billion rise in machinery and transport equipment exports. The fall in miscellaneous manufactures was linked to small falls across various commodities.

Figure 6: Exports and imports of machinery and transport equipment to EU and non-EU countries increased in Quarter 1 2026

Changes in imports and exports by goods commodity group, excluding unspecified goods, current prices, seasonally adjusted, Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2026 compared with Quarter 4 (Oct to Dec) 2025

Early estimates indicate that imports of services remained similar in Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2026 compared with Quarter 4 (Oct to Dec) 2025. The largest falls in imports were a £0.7 billion decrease in travel services, which was offset by a £0.6 billion rise in other business services (Figure 7).

Exports of services decreased by £0.7 billion (0.5%) in Quarter 1 2026, because of a £0.7 billion fall in exports of travel services, alongside small falls in other service types.

For trade in services for Quarter 1 2026, data are primarily forecast using time series data, including International Trade in Services (ITIS) survey figures to estimate trade in services totals. This estimate will be updated in the gross domestic product (GDP) quarterly national accounts using ITIS survey data returns and updated source data.

The total goods and services trade deficit, excluding precious metals, widened by £4.5 billion to £7.0 billion in Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2026, compared with Quarter 4 (Oct to Dec) 2025 (Figure 8). Imports rose by £6.1 billion and exports also increased by £1.6 billion over this period. When removing the effect of inflation, the total trade deficit, excluding precious metals, widened by £3.2 billion to £15.5 billion.

The trade in goods deficit in value terms, excluding precious metals, widened by £3.8 billion to £59.3 billion in Quarter 1 2026, compared with Quarter 4 2025. This is because goods imports increased by more than exports. The trade in services surplus is estimated to have narrowed by £0.7 billion to £52.3 billion, as exports of services fell.

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 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 4 of the Balance of Payments (BoP) Vademecum (PDF, 4.4MB) 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 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 4 of the Balance of Payments (BoP) Vademecum (PDF, 4.4MB) 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 from January 2024 for both goods and services.

HMRC data feed correction

During our routine quality assurance checks, we identified an error in trade in goods export data supplied by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The error occurred because of the new processing systems, resulting in incorrect data being delivered to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). HMRC Overseas Trade Statistics are not affected. 

This error affects data from July 2025 to December 2025, and has been corrected in this release, and in our gross domestic product (GDP) first quarterly estimates for January to March 2026 bulletin. The corrected data do not affect GDP estimates in either Quarter 3 (July to Sept) or Quarter 4 (Oct to Dec) 2025.

The corrected data reduce Quarter 3 exports by £0.6 billion and reduce Quarter 4 exports by £0.6 billion. This correction mainly impacts EU exports of fuels.

Trade in goods revisions

The largest impacts of trade in goods revisions were in Quarter 3 (July to Sept) 2025 and Quarter 4 (Oct to Dec) 2025, when the trade in goods balance saw upward revisions of £2.4 billion and £4.5 billion, respectively (Figure 9). The commodities that were the largest contributors to these revisions were:

• fuels

• machinery and transport equipment

• unspecified goods

The revisions to fuel exports were mainly because of the HMRC data feed correction. This affected exports of crude oil to EU countries.

The revisions to machinery and transport equipment exports were mainly because of the reclassification of a government services export in Quarter 4 2025, to be a trade in goods export instead. This affected exports of aircraft to non-EU countries.

The revision to unspecified goods imports is due to our methodology to smooth the non-monetary gold data received from the Bank of England. Our data smoothing methodology involves spreading the reported value for a month across adjacent months (before and after) in order to ensure individual responses are not disclosed. Revisions to Quarter 4 2025 occur because of the incorporation of data for March 2026 into our precious metals data processing. For more information on precious metals in UK trade statistics, see our UK trade quality and methods guide.

Figure 9: The largest impacts of trade in goods revisions were in Quarter 3 2025 and Quarter 4 2025

Trade in goods revisions, current prices, seasonally adjusted, quarterly, Quarter 1 2024 to Quarter 4 2025 

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 tobaccos, crude materials, animals and vegetable oils and fats, chemicals, material manufactures and miscellaneous manufactures.

Trade in services revisions

The largest impacts of trade in services revisions were in Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2025, when the trade in services balance saw a downward revision of £0.5 billion (Figure 10). The service types that were the largest contributors to these revisions were:

• other business services

• travel

• government

The revisions to other business services exports and imports were mainly the result of gross domestic product (GDP) balancing, whereby 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: January to March 2026 bulletin.

The revisions to travel services exports and imports were mainly as a result of using additional indicator data to improve our estimates. Travel services data have been forecast since Quarter 3 2024 following the International Passenger Survey (IPS) transformation. We have analysed these estimates using data from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as an indicator and have applied adjustments to bring our estimates of travel services more in line with CAA data.

The largest contributor to the revisions of government exports was the reclassification of a government services export to be a trade in goods export instead, which was in Quarter 4 2025. There were also revisions in earlier periods because of the recalculation of seasonal adjustment factors.

Figure 10: The largest impacts of trade in services revisions were in Quarter 2 2025

Trade in services revisions, current prices, seasonally adjusted, quarterly, Quarter 1 2024 to Quarter 4 2025

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, construction, insurance and pension, financial, intellectual property, telecoms, computer and information, personal cultural and recreational 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 2023 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. Non-monetary gold forms the majority of the commodity group "unspecified goods" and is the technical term for gold bullion not owned by central banks. Silver, platinum and palladium bullion form part of the "material manufactures" commodity group. This change is part of our Methods improvements for Blue Book and Pink Book 2025.

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. View our UK trade quality and methods guide 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. The survey has now fully resumed following the suspension in 2020.

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 article: 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.

Allocation of precious metals

Our headline trade statistics contain the UK's exports and imports of non-monetary gold, in line with international standards. More information can be found in our National Accounts article: A brief explanation of non-monetary gold in national accounts.

As part of our Methods improvements for Blue Book and Pink Book 2025, we have implemented improvements to the way we record trade in precious metals in this release. We have removed the double counting of some precious metals bars and included previously under-recorded non-monetary gold that is not in bar form.

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

We are continuing to review our methodology for the allocation of precious metals, to ensure that we capture all trade of non-ferrous metals where these commodities are traded as a financial asset.

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 the OSR team, we are sharing our continuous improvement and development plans to support UK trade statistics regaining accredited official 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. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) publishes more 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.