UK trade: May 2026

• The value of goods imports increased by £0.5 billion (0.8%) in May 2026; a rise in imports from non-EU countries was partially offset by a fall in imports from the EU.

• The value of goods exports rose by £1.5 billion (4.5%) in May 2026, with increases in exports to both EU and non-EU countries.

• The total goods and services trade deficit widened by £4.4 billion to £9.1 billion in the three months to May 2026, compared with the three months to February 2026.

• The trade in goods deficit widened by £3.1 billion to £60.9 billion in the three months to May 2026, while the trade in services surplus is estimated to have narrowed by £1.3 billion to £51.8 billion.

Total imports of goods in "current prices" increased by £0.5 billion (0.8%) in May 2026, when compared with April 2026. This increase was because of a £0.8 billion (3.2%) rise in imports from non-EU countries, which was partially offset by a £0.4 billion (1.2%) fall 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 increased by £1.5 billion (4.5%) in May 2026. This increase was primarily because of a £1.2 billion (7.3%) rise in exports to non-EU countries, and a £0.3 billion (1.8%) increase in exports to the EU.

Imports from the EU were £2.8 billion higher than from non-EU countries in May 2026, while exports to the EU were £1.0 billion lower than exports to non-EU countries.

Figure 1: Exports to both EU and non-EU countries rose in May 2026

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

After removing the effect of inflation by calculating chained volume measures (as explained in Section 10: Glossary), total goods imports increased by £0.7 billion (1.4%) in May 2026 (Figure 2). This was because of a £0.8 billion (3.3%) rise in imports from non-EU countries, partially offset by a £0.1 billion (0.4%) fall in imports from the EU.

Total goods exports increased by £1.6 billion (5.2%) in May 2026, after the effect of inflation was removed. This was because exports to non-EU countries rose by £1.2 billion (7.7%), and exports to the EU rose by £0.4 billion (2.6%).

Figure 2: Imports from and exports to non-EU countries rose in both value and inflation-adjusted terms in May 2026

Imports and exports of goods, excluding precious metals, current prices and chained volume measures, seasonally adjusted, EU and non-EU, May 2023 to May 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, and have used this series for the analysis in this section.

More detail on the allocation of precious metals is provided in Section 11: Data sources and quality.

Goods imports

Imports from the EU decreased by £0.4 billion (1.2%) in May 2026, when compared with April 2026. This was because of £0.2 billion falls in imports of both machinery and transport equipment, and fuels (Figure 3). The fall in imports of machinery and transport equipment was because of lower imports of cars from Germany. The decrease in fuel imports was mainly because of reduced imports of refined oil from the Netherlands.

Imports from non-EU countries rose by £0.8 billion (3.2%) in May 2026, because of a £0.6 billion rise in fuel imports and a £0.2 billion increase in chemical imports. The rise in fuel imports was because of higher imports of crude oil from Nigeria and Norway and refined oil from the United States and Nigeria. The increase in chemical imports was linked to small rises across multiple commodities.

Figure 3: Fuel imports from non-EU countries rose in May 2026

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

Notes:

1. Material manufactures presented in this chart exclude silver, platinum, and palladium bullion bars because these are components of precious metals. Trade in precious metals can be large and highly volatile, distorting underlying trends in trade in goods. 
2. Figures may not sum because of rounding.

Goods exports

Exports to the EU increased by £0.3 billion (1.8%) in May 2026, when compared with April 2026, because of small rises across several commodities (Figure 4).

Exports to non-EU countries increased by £1.2 billion (7.3%) in May 2026, mainly because of a £0.5 billion rise in chemical exports. There was also a £0.3 billion increase in exports of material manufactures (excluding precious metals) and rises of £0.2 billion in exports of both machinery and transport equipment, and crude materials. The rise in chemical exports was because of higher exports of both medicinal and pharmaceutical products and inorganic chemicals to the United States. The increase in material manufactures (excluding precious metals) was linked to higher exports of non-ferrous metals (excluding precious metals) to the United States.

Figure 4: Exports of chemicals to non-EU countries rose in May 2026

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

Notes:

1. Material manufactures presented in this chart exclude silver, platinum, and palladium bullion bars because these are components of precious metals. Trade in precious metals can be large and highly volatile, distorting underlying trends in trade in goods.
2. Figures may not sum because of rounding.

Early estimates suggest that imports of services decreased by £0.1 billion (0.5%) in value terms in May 2026, when compared with April 2026. Exports of services are also estimated to have decreased by £0.1 billion (0.1%) (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 May 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 our National Accounts Revisions Policy. More detail on how our trade in services statistics are compiled is available in our UK trade quality and methods guide.

There was a marginal fall in the export of services, as reported by the S&P Global UK Services Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) for May 2026 (PDF, 120KB). Respondents reported global economic uncertainty and intense competition as the main issues they have encountered.

Figure 5: Exports of services fell slightly in both value and inflation-adjusted terms in May 2026

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

Notes: 

1. Monthly figures for trade in services for May 2026 are forecast 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 £9.0 billion (5.9%) in the three months to May 2026, compared with the three months to February 2026 (Table 2). The increase was because goods imports from the EU rose by £5.2 billion (6.4%) and goods imports from non-EU countries rose by £3.8 billion (5.2%).

Total exports of goods increased by £5.8 billion (6.2%) in the three months to May 2026. This rise was because goods exports to the EU increased by £3.9 billion (8.5%) and goods exports to non-EU countries rose by £1.9 billion (3.9%).

For trade in services in the three months to May 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 increased by around £1.2 billion (1.4%) and exports of services fell by an estimated £0.1 billion (0.1%) in the three months to May 2026, compared with the three months to February 2026.

The total goods and services trade deficit, excluding precious metals, widened by £4.4 billion to £9.1 billion in the three months to May 2026, compared with the three months to February 2026 (Figure 6). Imports rose by £10.1 billion and exports also increased by £5.7 billion over this period. When removing the effect of inflation, the total trade deficit, excluding precious metals, widened by £3.3 billion to £17.5 billion.

The trade in goods deficit in value terms, excluding precious metals, widened by £3.1 billion to £60.9 billion in the three months to May 2026, compared with the three months to February 2026. This is because goods imports increased by more than exports. The trade in services surplus is estimated to have narrowed by £1.3 billion to £51.8 billion, as imports of services increased, while exports of services decreased.

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 A4 of the Balance of Payments (BoP) Vademecum (PDF, 3.7MB) 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 A4 of the Balance of Payments (BoP) Vademecum (PDF, 3.7MB) 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.

Trade in goods revisions

The largest impacts of trade in goods revisions were in Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2026, when the trade in goods balance saw downward revisions of £0.6 billion (Figure 7). The commodities that were the largest contributors to these revisions were:

• fuels
• machinery and transport equipment
• unspecified goods

The downward revision to exports 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. Merchanting data represent the purchases and sales of goods that are purchased for the direct purpose of resale, and which remain outside of the UK. The seasonal adjustment has also updated, resulting in revisions back to Quarter 1 2024.

The revisions to machinery and transport equipment were mainly because of revised goods sent abroad for processing (GSAPRO) data from our ITIS Survey. We have replaced our initial estimates with actual data responses from the survey. GSAPRO represents data that are included in HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) estimates but are then removed from our estimates. As we publish our trade figures on a balance of payments basis, we exclude GSAPRO data because the goods involved have not undergone an ownership change as part of their physical movement into and out of the country. Revisions to machinery and transport equipment affect both imports and exports of goods.

The revision to both imports and exports of unspecified goods has occurred as part of 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), to ensure individual responses are not disclosed. Revisions to Quarter 1 2026 occur because of the incorporation of data for April and May 2026 into our precious metals data processing.

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 were in Quarter 1 2026

Trade in goods revisions, current prices, seasonally adjusted, quarterly, Quarter 1 2024 to Quarter 1 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, chemicals, material manufactures, and miscellaneous manufactures.

Trade in services revisions

The largest impacts of trade in services revisions were in Quarter 3 (July to Sept) 2025 and Quarter 1 2026, when the trade in services balance saw a downward revision of £0.9 billion and an upward revision of £0.9 billion, respectively (Figure 8). The service types that were the largest contributors to these revisions were:

• other business services
• travel services
• financial services

The revisions to other business services exports and imports were mainly the result of gross domestic product (GDP) balancing in Quarter 1 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: January to March 2026 bulletin. For Quarter 3 2025, the revisions to other business services were because of the previously announced ITIS Survey correction.

The revisions to travel services exports and imports were mainly because 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 are using data from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as an indicator to inform adjustments applied to IPS data so that our estimates of travel services reflect CAA data. 

The revisions to financial services are because of revised data received from Financial Intermediation Services Indirectly Measured (FISIM) and Financial Services Survey (FSS) from Quarter 1 2024 to Quarter 1 2026.

Revisions to most other service types result from updated data from a range of surveys. These revisions are largely seen in the latest quarter, Quarter 1 2026, as updated survey data are now available to replace forecast initial estimates with actual data responses. With the addition of Quarter 1 2026 data, the seasonal adjustment has also updated, resulting in revisions back to Quarter 1 2024.

As previously communicated, we have identified and corrected a processing error in International Trade in Services survey data that fed into previously published versions of our Breakdown of trade dataset. The corrected data have been incorporated alongside scheduled revisions to other trade in services inputs. In combination, these changes affected seasonally adjusted total trade in services estimates by less than 1% in all quarters of 2025. The error on its own had no impact on GDP growth rates to one decimal place.

The cause of the error was an incorrect file input to the processing system; we have now reviewed the data flow to improve this part of the processing and have implemented additional checks. More detail can be found in our Breakdown of trade dataset.

Figure 8: The largest impacts of trade in services revisions were in Quarter 3 2025 and Quarter 1 2026

Trade in services revisions, current prices, seasonally adjusted, quarterly, Quarter 1 2024 to Quarter 1 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, construction, insurance and pension, financial, intellectual property, 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 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 have 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. More information is available in our UK trade quality and methods guide. 

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 is available 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. 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 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.