Leading import markets for trade in goods UK 2024
In 2024, 12.5 percent of goods imports into the United Kingdom came from Germany, making it the main import partner that year. Imports from the United States accounted for ten percent of UK goods imports, making America the UK's second main import partner, followed by China on 9.8 percent. As of this year, the overall import value of cars to the UK was approximately 38.4 billion British pounds, the most of any commodity in 2024.
Europe remains UK's main trading partner
Several years after the Brexit vote, and the eventual departure from the European Union, European countries account for most of the UK's trade. As of 2024, approximately 50.8 percent of the UK's exports went to Europe, with 60.1 percent of imports coming from there, the vast majority of which were in the European Single Market. After Europe, American countries were the UK's main destination for exports, at around 19.2 percent, while countries in the Asia Pacific region were the second-main source for imports, at 19.1 percent in 2024.
UK attitudes to Brexit in 2025
Since the UK left the EU in 2020, there has been a gradual but consistent increase in the share of people who believe Brexit to have been a mistake. As of January 2025, when asked if they thought it was right or wrong to leave the EU, approximately 55 percent thought it was the wrong decision, compared with 30 percent who thought it was the correct choice. In addition to this, a majority of Britons thought that the impacts of leaving the EU had been mainly negative. Regarding international trade, 57 percent believed that Brexit had been detrimental, compared with just 11 percent who thought it had a positive impact.