Leading export markets for trade in goods UK 2023

The United States was the leading country for exports from the United Kingdom in 2023, with 15.7 percent of all UK exports going to this market. Germany was the second-largest export market for the UK in this year, followed by the Netherlands, with these countries accounting for 8.6 and 7.8 percent of UK exports respectively. 

 UK imports most from Germany

Although the United States was the largest export market, Germany was the country from which the UK imported the highest share of goods, with eleven percent of the UK’s imports coming from its the country in 2022. China was the second most important source of imports for the UK, with 10.9 percent coming from there in 2022.

European Single Market still the UK’s biggest market

 As of 2020, the European Single Market remains the largest trade partner for the United Kingdom, with around half of UK exports going there, and almost 60 percent of UK imports originating there. This may of course change in the future after the UK leaves the single market following the Brexit referendum of 2016.