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How do I look up UK trade data by country or product?

For goods, use HMRC's uktradeinfo site. Its overseas trade table and five-step report tool let you pick a partner country and a product by its Harmonised System (HS) or SITC code, month by month. HMRC's monthly overseas trade release comes out on the same day as the ONS UK trade bulletin.

For goods and services together, use the ONS UK trade datasets or DBT's trade and investment factsheets, which summarise trade with each partner. A free uktradeinfo API returns the HMRC data as JSON without a key.

HMRC figures count goods crossing the border, while ONS figures are adjusted to a balance of payments basis, so the two can differ for the same country. State which source and basis you used. See our guide to UK trade statistics.

Official sources: HMRC uktradeinfo: trade data · HMRC uktradeinfo API · DBT trade and investment factsheets

The latest figure

Current account balance, % of GDP (negative = deficit)
-2.5
Q2 (April to June) 2026 · Office for National Statistics (ONS) · checked 2026-10-13

The newest value is at Office for National Statistics (ONS). More on it: UK current account balance.

When is the next figure out?

Quarterly, with the quarterly national accounts about three months after the quarter ends, 7am; next release 22 December 2026

Every official release due in the next two weeks is on the release calendar.

Terms used in this answer

  • Balance of trade
    The value of a country's exports minus its imports. A negative balance is a trade deficit.
  • Nominal GDP
    Gross domestic product measured at current prices, without adjusting for inflation. Used for debt-to-GDP and spending-to-GDP ratios.
  • Revisions
    Changes to previously published figures, made when more complete data, improved methods or updated seasonal factors become available. A normal part of official statistics.
  • Cash terms
    A money figure stated at the prices of the time it refers to, with no adjustment for inflation. Also called nominal terms.
  • Seasonally adjusted
    Figures that have had regular calendar patterns removed, such as Christmas shopping or summer jobs, so that underlying movements between months or quarters can be seen.

Where the figures come from

Related questions

This answer says where the official figures are published and how they are defined. It gives no verdict on any claim. To report an error, send a correction request. More questions about trade, exports and brexit: all Trade, exports and Brexit questions.

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