The United Kingdom’s trade deficit narrowed to £0.92 billion in August 2026, down from a revised £2.32 billion in the previous month. It was the smallest trade gap since January, when the trade balance posted a surplus, as exports grew while imports fell. Exports edged up 0.1% mom to £82.33 billion, while imports fell 1.5% to a seven-month low of £83.25 billion. Goods exports inched down 0.1% to £36.18 billion, despite higher shipments to non-EU countries, which rose 0.9%, mainly due to a £0.3 billion increase in chemical exports. Meanwhile, shipments to the EU fell 7.3%, weighed down by a £0.5 billion decline in exports of machinery and transport equipment. Services exports rose 0.4% to £46.15 billion. On the import side, goods imports fell 2.4% to a seven-month low of £54.19 billion, with imports from non-EU countries declining 6.3%, mainly due to drops in machinery and transport equipment. Meanwhile, imports from EU countries grew 1.6%. Services imports rose 0.2% to £29.06 billion. source: Office for National Statistics

The United Kingdom recorded a trade deficit of 920 GBP Million in August of 2026. Balance of Trade in the United Kingdom averaged -1240.85 GBP Million from 1955 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 9471.00 GBP Million in May of 2020 and a record low of -10899.00 GBP Million in January of 2022. This page provides - United Kingdom Balance of Trade - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news. United Kingdom Balance of Trade - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on October of 2026.

The United Kingdom recorded a trade deficit of 920 GBP Million in August of 2026. Balance of Trade in the United Kingdom is expected to be -1700.00 GBP Million by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the United Kingdom Balance of Trade is projected to trend around -2000.00 GBP Million in 2027 and -2200.00 GBP Million in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-09-11 06:00 AM
Balance of Trade
Jul £-3.450B £-5.537B £-4.0B
2026-10-15 06:00 AM
Balance of Trade
Aug £-0.920B £-2.322B £-3.6B
2026-11-12 07:00 AM
Balance of Trade
Sep £-0.920B £ -1.6B

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Components Last Previous Unit Reference
Exports 82332.00 82211.00 GBP Million Aug 2026
Goods Exports 36184.00 36229.00 GBP Million Aug 2026
Goods Imports 54191.00 55532.00 GBP Million Aug 2026
Goods Trade Balance -18007.00 -19303.00 GBP Million Aug 2026
Goods Trade Balance Non-EU -5287.00 -8185.00 GBP Million Aug 2026
Imports 83252.00 84533.00 GBP Million Aug 2026

Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Balance of Trade -920.00 -3450.00 GBP Million Aug 2026
Capital Flows 27561.00 12322.00 GBP Million Jun 2026
Current Account -19932.00 -21120.00 GBP Million Jun 2026
Current Account to GDP -2.40 -3.00 percent of GDP Dec 2025
External Debt 8613454.00 8618378.00 GBP Million Jun 2026
Net Foreign Direct Investment 17681.00 18568.00 GBP Million Jun 2026
GDP Net Trade Contribution 0.84 -0.47 percentage points Jun 2026


United Kingdom Balance of Trade
The UK's trade balance has been in deficit since 1998, due to deficits in trade in goods which are partly offset by surpluses in trade in services. The level of total UK trade in goods as a proportion of total trade in goods and services has been gradually declining since 1986 after peaking at 75 percent in 1985. This is consistent with the rising share of UK trade in services (about 38 percent as of 2021). The UK has trade deficits with China, Norway, Germany, Spain, Poland, Russia, Italy and India; and surpluses with the United States, Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
-920.00 -3450.00 9471.00 -10899.00 1955 - 2026 GBP Million Monthly
Current Prices, SA

News Stream
UK Trade Gap Smallest in 7 Months
The United Kingdom’s trade deficit narrowed to £0.92 billion in August 2026, down from a revised £2.32 billion in the previous month. It was the smallest trade gap since January, when the trade balance posted a surplus, as exports grew while imports fell. Exports edged up 0.1% mom to £82.33 billion, while imports fell 1.5% to a seven-month low of £83.25 billion. Goods exports inched down 0.1% to £36.18 billion, despite higher shipments to non-EU countries, which rose 0.9%, mainly due to a £0.3 billion increase in chemical exports. Meanwhile, shipments to the EU fell 7.3%, weighed down by a £0.5 billion decline in exports of machinery and transport equipment. Services exports rose 0.4% to £46.15 billion. On the import side, goods imports fell 2.4% to a seven-month low of £54.19 billion, with imports from non-EU countries declining 6.3%, mainly due to drops in machinery and transport equipment. Meanwhile, imports from EU countries grew 1.6%. Services imports rose 0.2% to £29.06 billion.
2026-10-15
UK Trade Deficit Smallest in 6 Months
The United Kingdom’s trade deficit narrowed to £3.45 billion in July 2026, down from £5.54 billion in the previous month. It was the smallest trade gap since January, when the trade balance posted a surplus, as exports rose while imports fell. Exports grew 2.1% mom to £81.92 billion, while imports edged down 0.4% to a five-month low of £85.37 billion. Goods exports increased 4.4% to £34.41 billion, driven by higher shipments to both EU and non-EU countries, which rose 5.2% and 0.6%, respectively. Exports to both the EU and non-EU countries were mainly boosted by higher exports of machinery and transport equipment. Services exports climbed 0.5% to £47.51 billion. On the import side, goods imports fell 1.1% to a six-month low of £55.37 billion, with imports from EU countries declining 1.4%, mainly due to drops in machinery and transport equipment. Meanwhile, imports from non-EU countries rose 6.7%. On the other hand, services imports rose 0.7% to £30.0 billion.
2026-09-11
UK Trade Deficit Widens in June
The United Kingdom's trade deficit increased to £5.54 billion in June 2026, up from an upwardly revised £3.46 billion in the previous month, as exports fell more than imports. Exports dropped 2.8% mom to £80.21 billion, while imports edged down 0.2% to a four-month low of £85.74 billion. Goods exports shed 6.4% to £32.95 billion, driven by lower shipments to both EU and non-EU countries, which dropped 7.4% and 5.4%, respectively. Exports to the EU declined mainly due to a fall in fuel and chemical exports. Meanwhile, exports to non-EU countries were mainly weighed down by lower machinery and transport equipment exports. Services exports edged down 0.1% to £47.25 billion. On the import side, goods imports fell 0.6% to a four-month low of £55.96 billion, with imports from EU countries inching down 0.3%, mainly due to drops in fuel and chemical imports. Meanwhile, imports from non-EU countries fell 1.0%. On the other hand, services imports rose 0.4% to £29.78 billion.
2026-08-13