1. Main points

  • The value of fuel imports increased by £63.6 billion (119.1%) in 2022 when compared with 2021, driven by the price of gas reaching record levels.

  • High fuel prices have had a knock-on effect on the pricing of other commodities, with increased transport and production costs contributing to rising prices across most commodities.

  • The Russian invasion of Ukraine disrupted trade in multiple commodity types, resulting in changes to trade partners for the UK and increased import prices.

  • The disparity between trade with the effect of inflation removed and value terms widened substantially in 2022, especially for imports from the EU.

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Please note that all trade figures exclude non-monetary gold and other precious metals unless otherwise stated. This is because movements in non-monetary gold (NMG), an important component of precious metals, can be large and highly volatile, distorting underlying trends in goods exports and imports.

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8. Explore UK trade in goods country-by-commodity data for 2022

Explore the 2022 trade in goods data using our interactive tools. Our data break down UK trade in goods with 234 countries by 125 commodities.

Use our map to get a better understanding of what goods the UK traded with a country. Select a country by hovering over it (desktop only) or use the drop-down menu.

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Notes
  1. For more information about our methods and how we compile these statistics, please see our Trade in goods, country-by-commodity experimental data: 2011 to 2016 article. Users should note that the data published alongside this release are official statistics and no longer experimental.

  2. These data are our best estimate of these bilateral UK trade flows. Users should note that alternative estimates are available, in some cases, through the statistical agencies for bilateral countries or through central databases such as UN Comtrade.

  3. This interactive map denotes country boundaries in accordance with statistical classifications set out within Appendix 4 of the Balance of Payments (BoP) Vademecum (PDF, 1.1MB) and do not represent the UK policy on disputed territories.

You can also explore the 2022 trade in goods data by commodity, such as car exports to the EU, and UK tea or coffee imports.

Select a commodity from the drop-down menu or select the levels with your digit or cursor to explore the data.

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Notes:
  1. For more information about our methods and how we compile these statistics, please see our Trade in goods, country-by-commodity experimental data: 2011 to 2016 article. Users should note that the data published alongside this release are no longer experimental.

  2. These data are our best estimate of these bilateral UK trade flows. Users should note that alternative estimates are available, in some cases, via the statistical agencies for bilateral countries or through central databases such as UN Comtrade.

  3. These interactive charts denote country boundaries in accordance with statistical classifications set out within Appendix 4 of the Balance of Payments (BoP) Vademecum (PDF, 1.1MB) and does not represent the UK policy on disputed territories.

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9. Glossary

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Exports

Goods or services sold to other countries - the opposite of imports.

Imports

Purchases of foreign goods and services - the opposite of exports.

Total trade

The value of total trade between two trading partners (that is, exports plus imports).

Trade balance

The trade balance is the difference between exports and imports or exports minus imports. When the value of exports is greater than the value of imports, the trade balance is in surplus. When the value of imports is greater than the value of exports, the trade balance is in deficit. The balance is sometimes referred to as "net exports."

Chained volume measures (CVMs)

CVM estimates are a "real" measure in that they have had the effect of inflation removed to measure the change in volume between consecutive periods, fixing the prices of goods and services in one period (the base year).

Current price measures (CPs)

These estimates measure the actual price paid for goods or services and are not adjusted for inflation. Unless otherwise stated, all current price data are provided in £ million and are seasonally adjusted.

Inflation

Inflation is the change in the average price level of goods and services over a period of time.

Precious metals and non-monetary gold

Precious metals include silver, platinum and palladium, and it forms part of the commodity group "unspecified goods". Non-monetary gold comprises the majority of this group and is the technical term for gold bullion not owned by central banks.

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10. Data sources and quality

There has been considerable volatility in trade statistics in the past three years caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the recent surge in energy prices. This volatility has made it more challenging to compare UK trade statistics in 2022 to a stable baseline. Comparing 2022 with 2021 data as well as equivalent 2018 data provides comparisons of trade with our most recent and "stable" periods.

This article examines patterns of UK trade throughout 2022 and investigates the causes and effects of inflation on UK imports and exports. UK trade is typically discussed in current prices and has not been adjusted to remove the effects of inflation. Official estimates of price inflation have risen strongly during 2022. Chained volume measures data, where the effect of inflation is removed, are used extensively for comparison with our headline data in current prices. Current price and chained volume measures can be found in our UK trade publication tables and our UK trade time series.

Data sources

Data from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) make up over 90% of trade in goods value and are the main source. HM Revenue and Customs have implemented a series of data collection changes resulting from Brexit which have affected statistics on UK trade in goods with the EU. We are working closely with HMRC to assess the impact of these data collection changes. Our Impact of trade in goods data collection changes on UK trade statistics articles provide more detail.

In line with international standards, our headline trade statistics contain the UK's exports and imports of non-monetary gold. More information is available about our recording of non-monetary gold. Unless otherwise specified, data within this bulletin are in current prices. This means that they have not been adjusted to remove the effects of inflation.

Further information on UK trade data sources can be found in our UK trade monthly bulletin and our UK trade QMI.

Method

Trade is measured through both exports and imports of goods and services. Data are supplied by over 30 sources including several administrative sources, with HMRC being the largest for trade in goods.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) UK trade figures are produced on a country of dispatch basis, which records imports as coming from the country dispatching the shipments. However, trade figures can also be produced on a country-of-origin basis, as is used by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). Users should be aware of the different accounting methods used, and the resulting differences across trade figures.

View more detailed information about the methods used to produce UK trade statistics in our UK trade methodology.

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12. Cite this article

Office for National Statistics (ONS), released 17 February 2023, ONS website, article, UK trade in goods, year in review: 2022

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Contact details for this Article

Hannah Donnarumma
trade@ons.gov.uk
Telephone: +44 1329 447648