The UK’s current account deficit narrowed to £12.1 billion (1.6% of GDP) in Q3 2025, down from a downwardly revised £21.2 billion in Q2 and well below expectations of a £21.3 billion shortfall. This marked the smallest deficit since Q3 2024, driven primarily by a sharp improvement in the primary income balance. The primary income deficit narrowed significantly to £1.9 billion from £8.4 billion, as credits rose by £5.5 billion while payments to foreign investors declined by £1.1 billion. Additionally, the goods trade deficit narrowed to £58.9 billion from £60.0 billion. Meanwhile, the services surplus increased to £52.8 billion from £51.3 billion, as exports grew by a larger amount than imports. Exports of services rose by £2.2 billion to £137.9 billion, driven primarily by transport and intellectual property services. On the other hand, the secondary income deficit widened slightly, rising by £0.1 billion to £4.1 billion (0.5% of GDP), up from £4.0 billion (0.5% of GDP) in Q2. source: Office for National Statistics

The United Kingdom recorded a Current Account deficit of 12100 GBP Million in the third quarter of 2025. Current Account in the United Kingdom averaged -5309.17 GBP Million from 1946 until 2025, reaching an all time high of 5258.00 GBP Million in the fourth quarter of 2022 and a record low of -36480.00 GBP Million in the first quarter of 2022. This page provides the latest reported value for - United Kingdom Current Account - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. United Kingdom Current Account - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on February of 2026.

The United Kingdom recorded a Current Account deficit of 12100 GBP Million in the third quarter of 2025. Current Account in the United Kingdom is expected to be -15400.00 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 Current Account is projected to trend around -16000.00 GBP Million in 2026 and -16300.00 GBP Million in 2027, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2025-09-30 06:00 AM
Current Account
Q2 £-28.9B £-21.2B £-24.9B £ -20.2B
2025-12-22 07:00 AM
Current Account
Q3 £-12.1B £-21.2B £-21.3B £ -18.8B
2026-03-31 06:00 AM
Current Account
Q4 £-12.1B


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Balance of Trade -6116.00 -6531.00 GBP Million Nov 2025
Capital Flows 15529.00 14497.00 GBP Million Sep 2025
Current Account -12067.00 -21154.00 GBP Million Sep 2025
Current Account to GDP -2.20 -3.60 percent of GDP Dec 2024
Exports 77192.00 76741.00 GBP Million Nov 2025
External Debt 8194947.00 7894631.00 GBP Million Sep 2025
Net Foreign Direct Investment 23370.00 -9036.00 GBP Million Sep 2025
Goods Trade Balance -23711.00 -24174.00 GBP Million Nov 2025
Imports 83308.00 83272.00 GBP Million Nov 2025


United Kingdom Current Account
Current Account is the sum of the balance of trade (exports minus imports of goods and services), net factor income (such as interest and dividends) and net transfer payments (such as foreign aid).
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
-12067.00 -21154.00 5258.00 -36480.00 1946 - 2025 GBP Million Quarterly
SA

News Stream
UK Q3 Current Account Gap Smallest in Nearly 3 Years
The UK’s current account deficit narrowed to £12.1 billion (1.6% of GDP) in Q3 2025, down from a downwardly revised £21.2 billion in Q2 and well below expectations of a £21.3 billion shortfall. This marked the smallest deficit since Q4 2022, driven primarily by a sharp improvement in the primary income balance. The primary income deficit narrowed significantly to £1.9 billion from £8.4 billion, as credits rose by £5.5 billion while payments to foreign investors declined by £1.1 billion. Additionally, the goods trade deficit narrowed to £58.9 billion from £60.0 billion. Meanwhile, the services surplus increased to £52.8 billion from £51.3 billion, as exports grew by a larger amount than imports. Exports of services rose by £2.2 billion to £137.9 billion, driven primarily by transport and intellectual property services. On the other hand, the secondary income deficit widened slightly, rising by £0.1 billion to £4.1 billion (0.5% of GDP), up from £4.0 billion (0.5% of GDP) in Q2.
2025-12-22
UK Q2 Current Account Gap Largest in 2 Years
The UK’s current account deficit widened to £28.9 billion (3.8% of GDP) in Q2 2025, up from a downwardly revised £21.2 billion in Q1 and well above expectations of a £24.9 billion shortfall. This was the largest deficit since Q2 2023, driven primarily by a sharp deterioration in the primary income balance. The primary income deficit widened to £16.8 billion from £9.1 billion, as credits decreased while debits increased—receipts declined by £2.1 billion, while payments to foreign investors rose by £5.6 billion. Additionally, the goods trade deficit widened to £61.7 billion from £55.5 billion, as imports fell by £0.7 billion while exports declined by £6.5 billion, mainly due to lower shipments of semi-manufactured goods, finished goods, and oil. Meanwhile, the services surplus increased to £53.8 billion from £48.3 billion. On the other hand, the secondary income deficit fell slightly, decreasing by £0.7 billion to £4.2 billion (0.6% of GDP), down from £4.9 billion (0.7% of GDP) in Q1.
2025-09-30
UK Current Account Gap Above Forecasts in Q1
The UK’s current account deficit widened to £23.5 billion (3.2% of GDP) in Q1 2025, up from £21.0 billion in Q4 2024 and well above expectations of a £19.75 billion shortfall. It was the largest deficit since Q2 2024, driven primarily by a sharp deterioration in the primary income balance. The primary income deficit widened by £2.9 billion to £6.4 billion, as credits fell more than debits—receipts declined by £6.7 billion, while payments to foreign investors fell by £3.8 billion. Meanwhile, the services surplus narrowed by £1.4 billion to £47.8 billion, with services imports rising by £5.4 billion and outpacing a £4.0 billion increase in services exports. In contrast, the goods trade deficit shrank by £4.1 billion to £55.3 billion, largely due to a £6.2 billion increase in goods exports, while goods imports rose by £2.0 billion. The secondary income deficit also narrowed slightly, falling by £0.3 billion to £4.7 billion (0.6% of GDP), down from £5.0 billion (0.7% of GDP) in Q4 2024.
2025-06-30