UK Trade: November 2015

• UK trade shows import and export activity and is a main contributor to the overall economic growth of the UK. All data are shown on a seasonally adjusted, balance of payments basis, at current prices unless otherwise stated

• The UK’s deficit on trade in goods and services was estimated to have been £3.2 billion in November 2015, a narrowing of £0.3 billion from October 2015. The narrowing is attributed to trade in goods where the deficit has narrowed from £11.2 billion in October 2015, to £10.6 billion in November 2015

• Between October 2015 and November 2015, the trade in goods narrowing was mainly the result of a fall in the import of goods of £0.9 billion to £33.9 billion. The narrowing is mainly attributed to a fall in imports of oil which decreased by £0.5 billion to £2.2 billion

• In November 2015, the balance of trade in oil was in deficit by £0.6 billion, a narrowing of £0.5 billion from October 2015. Oil exports were virtually unchanged; increasing by less than £0.1 billion to £1.6 billion between October and November, whilst imports decreased by £0.5 billion to £2.2 billion over the same period. The fall in imports resulted in the UK’s global oil deficit almost halving between October 2015 and November 2015

• In the 3 months to November 2015, the UK’s deficit on trade in goods and services was estimated to have been £7.7 billion; narrowing by £1.0 billion from the 3 months to August 2015

• Between the 3 months to August 2015 and the 3 months to November 2015, the trade in goods deficit narrowed by £0.8 billion to £30.6 billion. This narrowing was mainly attributed to a £2.4 billion fall in imports of unspecified goods

• Between the 3 months to August 2015 and the 3 months to November 2015, the trade in services surplus widened by £0.1 billion to £23.0 billion

Short guide to UK trade

UK Trade shows the extent of import and export activity and is an important contributor to the overall economic growth of the UK. Trade is measured through both imports and exports of goods and/or services. Data are supplied by over 30 sources including several administrative sources, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) being the largest.

This monthly release contains tables showing the total value of trade in goods together with index numbers of volume and price. Figures are analysed by broad commodity group (values and indices) and according to geographical area (values only). In addition the UK Trade statistical bulletin also includes early monthly estimates of the value of trade in services.

This bulletin focuses on trade in goods due to the coverage and comprehensiveness of the administrative data sources available for goods as it is easier to quantify and measure. Trade in services is more difficult to measure, and source data is provided mainly on a quarterly or annual basis principally from ITIS (International Trade in Services survey). Monthly estimates are derived using this quarterly data, therefore the data are less robust on a monthly basis compared with goods.

As more information becomes available on trade in services this bulletin will focus on the values, volumes and geographic breakdown on a 3 monthly cycle described below:

Understanding UK trade

We make every effort to provide informative commentary on the data in this release. Where possible, the commentary draws on evidence from other sources of information to help explain possible reasons behind the observed changes. However, in some instances it can prove difficult to draw out detailed reasons for movements, consequently, it is not possible for all data movements to be fully explained.

Trade statistics for any one month can be erratic. For that reason, it is recommended to compare the latest 3 months against the preceding 3 months and the same 3 months of the previous year.

When examining the trade in goods data, oil and “erratics”, which are high value, low volume products, are removed from some analysis as they are extremely influential on trade in goods as a whole. Therefore we publish data inclusive and exclusive of these categories. We also provide a separate analysis of oil because it is subject to erratic price fluctuations and therefore volume data is provided in metric tonnes as well as value (£ million).

Strengths and weaknesses of the data

Strengths

Quality of trade in goods data

The quality of the source data for trade in goods is high in terms of the timeliness, comprehensiveness and coverage and this level of quality compares well internationally. The data are used across government, business and academia and feed into a number of other outputs and publications; including GDP and balance of payments. The Bank of England use the total figures to make policy decisions, whereas government departments such as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are interested in the individual country detail.

We have frequent communication with our suppliers to discuss quality, including regular meetings, telephone conversations and email correspondence. Service level agreements are in place to define the level of quality expected in the data received and these are reviewed annually. Data suppliers have their own internal quality assurance processes to meet the quality standards outlined in the service level agreements and we work closely with them to understand these. Suppliers are required to advise us of any changes to the collection or processing of the data to ensure our expectations are still met.

When data is received by the trade team we conduct our own initial quality assurance. Further quality analysis is then conducted at several stages of processing; this is detailed in a process map and quality assurance plan. If there are any quality concerns we work closely with the supplier to address these.

We have regular discussions with users on the quality of our data and provide comprehensive explanations of the terms, methodology and processes we use. Eurostat is an important customer influence and helps improve the quality of our data through task force meetings and by producing quality guidelines.

Timeliness of publications

The UK Trade publication is very timely (generally 40 days after the period to which it refers), helping to inform policy and to assess UK economic performance.

Weaknesses

Quality and timeliness of trade in services data

Where trade in goods has one main data supplier, there are a large number of suppliers of trade in services data. Additionally, a number are voluntary, so it can be difficult to establish and maintain the same quality assurance processes and relationships with these businesses or suppliers.

Due to the collection methods and complexities of quantifying trade in services, data is less timely than trade in goods estimates. The data is processed quarterly, so monthly forecasts are made to provide a complete trade total.

Monthly volatility

Trade statistics for any one month can be erratic. For that reason, we recommend comparing the latest 3 months against the preceding 3 months and the same 3 months of the previous year, however we also recognise the importance to users of an early estimate of trade therefore we continue to produce a monthly estimate.

UK trade National Statistics suspension

Due to a series of errors during 2014, the UK Statistics Authority suspended the National Statistics designation of UK trade on 14 November 2014. The Authority's reassessment of UK Trade against the Code of Practice for Official Statistics has been completed. We are committed to meeting the requirements and regaining National Statistics status for UK Trade as soon as possible and will keep users informed of progress. We aim to publish a UK trade development plan detailing further planned improvements to UK trade.

One of the recommendations of the reassessment was to consult with users on the use of UK trade statistics. The results of this user engagement survey (414.5 Kb Word document) can be found on our website.

To provide feedback on the bulletin please contact us via email trade@ons.gov.uk

Definitions and explanations

A glossary of terms is published in the UK Trade Glossary (124.5 Kb Pdf) and the UK Balance of Payments - The Pink Book, 2015.

Use of the data

UK trade is a main economic indicator due to the importance of international trade to the UK economy. It is also a very timely statistic, providing an early indicator of what is happening more generally in the economy.

In addition, it is a major component of 2 other main economic indicators: UK gross domestic product (GDP) and the UK balance of payments. This means that there is a threefold potential for UK Trade statistics to inform the government’s view of the UK economy, as well as the views of others, such as economists, city analysts, academics, the media and international organisations.

Notes on tables

Rounding:

The sum of constituent items in tables does not always agree exactly with the totals shown due to rounding.

Symbols:

.. Not applicable

- Nil or less than half the final digit shown.

Monthly analysis

The deficit on trade in goods and services in November 2015 was £3.2 billion compared with a deficit of £3.5 billion in October 2015. The trade position reflects exports minus imports; the narrowing of the deficit was attributed to a greater decrease in imports than exports between October 2015 and November 2015.

In November 2015, exports decreased by £0.5 billion (1.2%) to £42.2 billion. This decrease comprised a £0.2 billion fall in the export of services and a £0.3 billion fall in the export of goods, specifically finished manufactures. Total imports decreased by £0.8 billion to £45.4 billion (1.8%) over the same period, all of this decrease was attributed to goods; in particular, imports of fuels (down £0.7 billion).

The deficit on trade in goods was £10.6 billion in November 2015; narrowing by £0.6 billion when compared with October 2015. This narrowing reflected a decrease in imports (down £0.9 billion to £33.9 billion) and primarily imports of oil, which fell by £0.5 billion between October 2015 and November 2015.

In November 2015 exports of goods to countries outside the EU decreased by £0.1 billion (1.1%). This decrease was attributed to a £0.3 billion fall in exports of finished manufactures, offset by a £0.2 billion increase in exports of oil. Imports from countries outside the EU fell by £1.2 billion (7.8%); specifically oil which fell by £0.6 billion, finished manufactures which fell by £0.4 billion and miscellaneous manufactures which fell by £0.2 billion. The fall in imports resulted in a £1.1 billion narrowing of the deficit with non-EU countries to £2.5 billion in November 2015.

Exports of goods to EU countries fell by £0.2 billion (1.5%) in November 2015 with exports of oil and electrical machinery both falling by £0.1 billion. Imports from the EU increased by £0.4 billion (2.0%) to a record high of £19.3 billion; there was a £0.3 billion increase in finished manufactures, which included a £0.1 billion increase in the import of cars, which also reached a record high of £2.6 billion. Imports of miscellaneous manufactures increased by £0.3 billion, with record imports of clothing and footwear and works of art; both increasing by £0.1 billion. These movements resulted in a record trade in a goods deficit with EU countries of £8.2 billion in November 2015.

In November 2015, the UK’s estimated surplus on trade in services fell from £7.7 billion in October 2015 to £7.5 billion in November 2015. Exports were estimated to have been £19.0 billion and imports £11.5 billion.

3 monthly analysis

Between the 3 months to August 2015 and the 3 months to November 2015, the total trade deficit (goods and services) narrowed by £1.0 billion to £7.7 billion. The narrowing of the deficit was mainly attributed to a 1.1% fall in the import of goods. Imports of goods fell by £1.2 billion, to £101.7 billion reflecting a decrease in the imports of unspecified goods (£2.4 billion), this was offset by an increase in imports of transport equipment with increases in aircraft of £1.1 billion and cars which increased by £0.6 billion and reached a record high of £8.5 billion.

In the 3 months to November 2015, exports of goods to EU countries fell by £0.5 billion (1.4%); mainly due to exports of oil which fell by £0.9 billion. Imports from the EU increased by £1.0 billion (1.8%), with increases in imports of cars (£0.5 billion), chemicals (£0.3 billion), and aircraft (£0.3 billion). This resulted in a widening of the trade in goods deficit with EU countries to a record level of £22.9 billion in the 3 months to November 2015 compared with the 3 months to August 2015.

There was a trade in goods deficit with non-EU countries of £7.7 billion in the 3 months to November 2015, a narrowing of £2.3 billion compared with the 3 months to August 2015. Exports of goods to countries outside the EU rose by £0.2 billion (0.4%) in the 3 months to November 2015 compared with the 3 months to August 2015. There was a £0.4 billion increase in the export of miscellaneous manufactures, specifically jewellery which increased by £0.3 billion and a £0.2 billion increase in the export of oil. Imports of goods from countries outside the EU fell by £2.1 billion (4.5%), this decrease was the result of a £2.4 billion decrease in unspecified goods.

In the 3 months to November 2015, imports of goods from the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia and Spain each increased to a record high, these increases in imports also resulted in record trade in goods deficits with these four countries.

International comparisons of trade (in value)

This section compares movements in the UK’s export growth rates, in current prices, with its G7 counterparts (Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, US). Figure 2 shows the range of G7 annual export growth rates between 1994 and 2014 using the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) data.

UK export growth averaged 5.6% per year over the past 20 years, between 1994 and 2014. This is comparable with Canada’s average export growth over the same period (5.5%) – one of the stronger performers - and higher than the averages for Japan, France and Italy by 1.7, 0.8 and 0.4 percentage points respectively. The UK had the highest export growth in nominal terms amongst the G7 in 5 of the past 20 years, and was in the top half of the G7 range in 10 of the past 20 years. Much of the strong performance in the 5 years that the UK was top of the G7 range could be attributed to the depreciation of sterling and/or a weaker export performance experienced by other G7 countries. UK exports fell by the least amongst the G7 in 2009, by 5.3%, representing the smallest fall in export growth among the G7.

Figure 2: Range of G7 annual export growth rates of goods and services, value in national currency, 1994 to 2014

Source: Office for National Statistics

Notes:

1. This chart uses OECD data which may not necessarily correspond with UK export data published by ONS.

Download this image Figure 2: Range of G7 annual export growth rates of goods and services, value in national currency, 1994 to 2014

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UK’s export growth has been relatively low among the G7 since 2012. UK exports fell by 1.5% in 2014, the only country in the G7 to see negative export growth. This was 7.1 percentage points below its longer-term annual average growth rate of 5.6% (1994-2014).

This recent decline can be attributed to a fall in goods exports and a slower growth in service exports in 2014 over the same period.

Figure 3 examines where UK exports of goods lie within the G7 range. UK goods exports, in nominal terms, have been contracting at an average rate of -1.6% since 2012, and have been at the bottom of the G7 range. In 2014, UK goods exports fell by 4.1% - the only G7 economy to see negative growth. This was also the lowest growth rate seen since 2009. Although the UK’s 10 year average export growth rate of goods, of 4.6%, remains higher than that of Canada (3.2%), France (3.3%) and Japan (3.9%), estimates for 2014 suggest that UK goods exports were 8.7 percentage points below their long run average.

Figure 3: G7 exports of goods, annual growth rates, current price in millions between 1994 to 2014

Source: Office for National Statistics

Download this image Figure 3: G7 exports of goods, annual growth rates, current price in millions between 1994 to 2014

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The UK’s export growth performance amongst the G7 has been held up by exports of services, counterbalancing the relatively poor performance of UK goods exports amongst the G7. UK exports of services, in nominal terms, have been close to the top of the G7 range since 1994 and consistently saw positive growth. They have grown at an average rate of 7.6% in each year over the 20 year period- which was also the highest average growth rate among the G7 countries. During the economic downturn, the UK was the only country to report positive export growth in services of around 2%.

The strength of the UK’s performance in services exports is partly a reflection of the UK’s strong and substantial financial and business services sector which accounts for around 40% of total UK services. The weakening of sterling between 1998 and 2012 may have also been a contributing factor, with the fastest depreciation rate of around 25% in 2009.

Recent data suggests that UK exports of services slowed in 2014 compared to 2013 by 6.5 percentage points, down to 2.3%. UK exports of services had the lowest positive growth rate in 2014 compared with its G7 counterparts, growing by 2.3%. The appreciation of sterling in 2014 may have attributed to the slowing in UK services export growth, as the exchange rate will have a marked impact on the value of exports, in contrast to underlying volumes growth. The slowdown in exports of services left the UK 5.3 percentage points below its long-run (1994-2014) average of 7.6%.

Figure 4: Annual growth rates of G7 exports of services, current price in millions, 1994 to 2014

Source: Office for National Statistics

Download this image Figure 4: Annual growth rates of G7 exports of services, current price in millions, 1994 to 2014

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This section of the statistical bulletin consists of the following parts:

Trade in goods

1. Value of UK trade in goods

2. Trade in goods – analysis by area

3. Trade in goods – geographical analysis

4. Volume of total trade in goods, excluding oil and erratics

5. Export and import prices for trade in goods (not seasonally adjusted)

6. Trade in oil

Trade in services

7. Trade in services analysis

Other information

8. Where to find information about UK trade statistics

9. Revisions to trade statistics

10. Accuracy of the statistics

11. Other quality information

12. Records sheet

Monthly commentary

In November 2015, the UK’s deficit on trade in goods was £10.6 billion, narrowing by £0.6 billion from October 2015.

Exports decreased by £0.3 billion (1.3%) to £23.2 billion in November 2015 from £23.5 billion in October 2015. In detail:

• total manufactures fell by £0.2 billion (0.9%) to £18.7 billion; of which

• finished manufactures fell by £0.3 billion (2.1%) to £12.4 billion; of which

• cars fell by £0.2 billion (7.8%) to £2.0 billion

• these decreases were partially offset by an increase in the export of aircrafts, which rose by £0.1 billion (11.5%) to a record high of £1.3 billion

Imports decreased by £0.9 billion (2.5%) to £33.9 billion in November 2015 from £34.7 billion in October 2015. In detail:

• oil fell by £0.5 billion (36.8%) to £0.8 billion

• machinery fell by £0.3 billion (3.9%) to £7.3 billion; of which

• electrical machinery fell by £0.2 billion (4.2%) to £4.4 billion

3 monthly commentary

In the 3 months to November 2015, the deficit on trade in goods was £30.6 billion, narrowing by £0.8 billion from the 3 months to August 2015.

Exports decreased by £0.3 billion (0.5%) to £71.0 billion in the 3 months to November 2015 compared with £71.4 billion in the 3 months to August 2015. In detail:

• oil fell by £0.7 billion (13.7%) to £4.7 billion

• mechanical machinery fell by £0.3 billion (3.0%) to £9.4 billion

• these decreases were partially offset by an increase in the export of miscellaneous manufactures, which rose by £0.5 billion (5.0%) to £10.6 billion

Imports decreased by £1.2 billion (1.1%) to £101.7 billion in the 3 months to November 2015 compared with £102.8 billion in the 3 months to August 2015. In detail:

• oil fell by £0.5 billion (6.6%) to £7.1 billion

• unspecified goods fell by £2.4 billion (69.8%) to £1.0 billion

• these decreases were partially offset by an increase in the import of finished manufactures, which rose by £1.8 billion (3.3%) to a record high of £55.6 billion. This was attributed to an increase in the import of aircraft (up £1.1 billion) and the import of cars (up £0.6 billion) to a record high of £8.5 billion

At the main commodity level, the data are shown in Table 2.

Where to find data about UK trade in goods

The value of trade in goods figures are available in Table 1 and commodity figures are available in Tables 8, 9 and 10 of the excel version of the tables (353 Kb Excel sheet).

In November 2015, the deficit on trade in goods with EU countries widened by £0.5 billion to £8.2 billion. The deficit on trade in goods with non-EU countries narrowed by £1.1 billion to £2.5 billion (Figure 7).

In the 3 months to November 2015, the deficit on trade in goods with EU countries widened by £1.5 billion to a record of £23.0 billion. Over the same period, the deficit on trade in goods with non-EU countries narrowed by £2.3 billion to £7.7 billion.

EU analysis

Between October 2015 and November 2015, exports to the EU decreased by £1.7 billion (1.5%) to £11.1 billion. This was attributed to decreases in exports to both France and the Netherlands of £0.2 billion and to the Irish Republic of £0.1 billion. These decreases were offset by an increase in exports to Germany of £0.3 billion.

Between October 2015 and November 2015, imports from the EU increased by £0.4 billion (2.0%) to £19.3 billion. This was attributed to increases in imports from France of £0.4 billion and from Belgium and Luxembourg (combined) of £0.1 billion.

Between the 3 months to August 2015 and the 3 months to November 2015, exports to the EU decreased by £0.5 billion (1.4%) to £33.6 billion. This was attributed to decreases in exports to Germany of £0.3 billion and to both the Netherlands and Sweden of £0.2 billion.

Between the 3 months to August 2015 and the 3 months to November 2015, imports from the EU increased by £1.0 billion (1.8%) to £56.5 billion. This was attributed to increase in imports from France of £0.4 billion, from Spain of £0.3 billion and from the Irish Republic and Germany of £0.2 billion. These increases were offset by a decrease in imports from the Netherlands of £0.3 billion and Belgium and Luxembourg (combined) of £0.2 billion.

At the commodity level, the data are shown in Table 3.

Non-EU analysis

Between October 2015 and November 2015, exports to non-EU countries decreased by £0.1 billion (1.1%) to £12.2 billion. This was attributed to decreases in exports to both China and Norway of £0.2 billion and to India, Nigeria, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates of £0.1 billion.

Between October 2015 and November 2015, imports from non-EU countries decreased by £1.2 billion (7.8%) to £14.6 billion. This was attributed to decreases in imports from the USA of £0.2 billion and from Norway, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates of £0.1 billion. These decreases were offset by an increase in imports from Switzerland of £0.2 billion and from South Korea of £0.1 billion.

Between the 3 months to August 2015 and the 3 months to November 2015, exports to non-EU countries increased by £0.2 billion (0.4%) to £37.4 billion. This was attributed to increases in exports to both Norway and Qatar of £0.2 billion. These increases were offset by a decrease in exports to Canada of £1.0 billion, to the USA of £0.4 billion and to Switzerland of £0.3 billion.

Between the 3 months to August 2015 and the 3 months to November 2015, imports from non-EU countries decreased by £2.1 billion (4.5%) to £45.2 billion. This was attributed to a decrease in imports from China of £0.5 billion. This decrease was offset by an increase in imports from the USA of £0.3 billion.

At the commodity level, the data are shown in Table 4.

Where to find data about UK trade in goods – analysis by area

Trade in goods by area figures are available in Table 2 and value of trade in goods with selected EU and non-EU trading partner figures are available in Tables 11 and 12 of the excel version of the tables (353 Kb Excel sheet).

Monthly analysis

The USA remains the UK’s top export partner with exports of £3.8 billion in November 2015, decreasing by £0.2 billion when compared with October 2015. Anecdotal evidence suggests this decrease was due to a fall in the export of chemicals.

Germany remains the UK’s top import partner with imports of £5.3 billion, decreasing by £0.1 billion when compared with October 2015.

3 monthly analysis

In the 3 months to November 2015, the USA remained the UK’s top export partner with exports of £12.1 billion, increasing by £0.3 billion when compared with the 3 months to August 2015. Anecdotal evidence suggests this is due to an increase in the exports of chemicals and motor vehicles.

In the 3 months to November 2015, Germany remained the UK’s top import partner with record imports of £15.7 billion, increasing by £0.2 billion when compared with the 3 months to August 2015. There were record highs in imports from Spain which increased by £0.3 billion to £3.8 billion, from the Czech Republic which increased by £0.1 billion to £1.3 billion and from Slovakia which increased by £0.1 billion to £0.6 billion.

Where to find data about UK trade in goods – geographical analysis

Trade in goods by area figures are available in Table 2 and value of trade in goods with selected EU and non-EU trading partner figures are available in Tables 11 and 12 of the excel version of the tables (353 Kb Excel sheet).

Between October 2015 and November 2015, the volume of exports decreased by 1.7%:

• basic materials fell by 9.4%

• finished manufactured goods fell by 0.9%, specifically cars which saw a decrease of 6.5%

Between October 2015 and November 2015, the volume of imports decreased by 1.0%:

• basic materials fell by 5.4%

In the 3 months to November 2015, the volume of exports increased by 0.4% when compared with the 3 months to August 2015:

• basic materials rose by 1.7%

In the 3 months to November 2015, the volume of imports decreased by 1.6% when compared with the 3 months to August 2015:

• basic materials fell by 7.1%

At the commodity level, the data are shown in Table 7.

Where to find data about volume of total trade in goods, excluding oil and erratics

The volume of total trade in goods, excluding oil and erratics figures are available in Table 3 of the excel version of the tables (353 Kb Excel sheet).

In November 2015, compared with October 2015, export prices decreased by 1.4% and import prices decreased by 1.9%. Excluding the oil price effect, export prices decreased by 1.1% and import prices decreased by 0.9%.

In the 3 months to November 2015, when compared with the 3 months to August 2015, export prices decreased by 0.7% and import prices decreased by 1.1%. Excluding the oil price effect, export prices increased by 0.3% and import prices remained unchanged.

Where to find data about export and import prices for trade in goods (not seasonally adjusted)

The export and import prices for trade in goods (not seasonally adjusted) figures are available in Table 3 of the excel version of the tables (353 Kb Excel sheet).

In November 2015, the balance of trade in oil was in deficit by £0.6 billion, a narrowing of £0.5 billion from October 2015. Oil exports were virtually unchanged; increasing by less than £0.1 billion to £1.6 billion between October and November, whilst imports decreased by £0.5 billion to £2.2 billion over the same period. The fall in imports resulted in the UK’s global oil deficit almost halving between October 2015 and November 2015.

The fall in imports of oil mainly reflects trade with countries outside the EU, as imports from the UK’s non-EU trading partners fell by £0.6 billion to £1.5 billion, the lowest level since May 2009. Anecdotal evidence suggests decreases in imports from Norway, Nigeria and Angola were the most notable.

The UK’s trade in oil surplus with the EU fell by £0.2 billion to £0.2 billion in November 2015; the lowest surplus on record. The decrease in the EU trade in oil balance partially offset the narrowing of the non-EU deficit and comprised a £0.1 billion fall in exports to the EU and a £0.1 billion rise in imports.

Where to find data about trade in oil

The trade in oil figures are available in Tables 1 and 7 of the excel version of the tables (353 Kb Excel sheet).

In November 2015, the UK’s estimated surplus on trade in services was £7.5 billion.

Exports in November 2015 were estimated to have been £19.0 billion and imports £11.5 billion.

Information on trade in services is mainly obtained from quarterly surveys, in some cases underpinned by larger annual surveys. This means that the data for the latest months are uncertain.

In quarter 3 (July to September) 2015, the surplus on trade in services was £23.3 billion; other business services being the largest contributor to this surplus at £9.3 billion.

In quarter 3 (July to September) 2015, exports of services increased by £1.4 billion to £57.3 billion. The main contributor to this increase was other business services (£1.6 billion) this is offset by decreases across many other services. For the same period, import of services remained unchanged at £34.1 billion.

EU and non-EU analysis

By area, in quarter 3 (July to September) 2015, exports of services to countries within the EU rose by £0.2 billion to £22.0 billion, continues to be a record high. Imports from the EU fell by £0.1 billion in the same period to £16.8 billion.

The balance of trade in services with non-EU countries increased by £1.0 billion in quarter 3 (July to September) 2015 to £18.1 billion. This increase reflects a rise in exports of £1.2 billion and an increase in imports of £0.2 billion.

In quarter 3 (July to September) 2015, the largest contributor to the current surplus remains to be the USA (£5.9 billion), which continues to be greater than the surplus for total EU (£5.1 billion).

Revisions

In 2014 the balance for trade in services was revised down by £0.4 billion, which reflects a decrease of £0.1 billion in exports and an increase of £0.3 billion in imports. The main contributors for the decrease in exports were financial and insurance services and pension services. This was offset by an increase in the exports of other business, telecommunications, computer and information, intellectual property and construction services. The main contributors for the increase in imports were intellectual property, telecommunications, computer and information and construction services, offset by a decrease in the import of other business and financial services.

In the 3 quarters of 2015, the balance for trade in services was revised down by £2.1 billion, which reflects an increase of £1.5 billion in exports and an increase of £3.6 billion in imports. The main contributors to the increase in exports were other business services, offset by decreases in the exports of intellectual property, insurance and pension services and financial services. The main contributor to the increase in imports was other business services.

Where to find data about trade in services

The trade in services figures are available in Table 1 CONT. of the excel version of the tables (353 Kb Excel sheet).

Other regularly published UK trade releases

Supplementary quarterly data analysed by product according to the UK trade in goods by classification of product by activity (CPA 2008) are also available.

The complete run of data in the tables of this statistical bulletin are also available to view and download in other electronic formats free of charge using our time series data website service. Users can download the complete statistical bulletin in a choice of zipped formats, or view and download their own selections of individual series.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) publish Overseas Trade Statistics on the same day as we release the UK Trade data each month. These aggregate estimates will differ slightly from those that are published by us as part of the Balance of Payments (BoP), as the 2 sets of data are compiled to different sets of rules. The BoP publication shows a high level picture of UK trade in goods, whereas the OTS publication shows a detailed picture of the UK’s trade in goods by commodity and partner country.

Our website

There is a UK trade webpage which is now live where you can find more information.

Recently published reports on UK trade topics

On 30 October 2015 we published the annual Balance of Payments Pink Book 2015 which as well as containing more detailed information on trade also provided an overview of the trade deficit in relation to the current account deficit.

In our Economic Review published on 3 October 2015 there is further commentary on UK export performance.

On 1 October 2015, we published an article on the economic performance of the UK’s motor vehicle manufacturing industry.

Historic articles published on UK trade

On 26 June 2015, we published a short story on the importance of EU to UK trade and investment.

On 9 June 2015, we published a short story on the importance of China to the UK economy, including the value of the UK trade with China.

On 6 February 2015, we published an article on the Rotterdam effect and its potential impact on the UK trade in goods estimates.

On 23 January 2015, we published a short story exploring the reasons behind the UK trade deficit.

Published ad hoc data and analysis

Additional statistical data and analyses for UK Trade statistics that have not been included in our standard publications are available under the Economy section of the Published ad hoc data and analysis pages on our website.

Methodological articles

Detailed methodological notes are published in the UK Balance of Payments - The Pink Book, 2015.

Trade in goods revisions

In this release, periods from October 2015 are open for revision.

The revisions to trade in goods from October 2015 reflect revised data from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and other data suppliers, revised estimates of trading associated with VAT MTIC fraud, later survey data on trade prices and a re-assessment of seasonal factors.

Trade in services revisions

In this release, periods from January 2014 are open for revision.

The National accounts revision policy (41.6 Kb Pdf) can be found on our website.

Accuracy: Trade in goods figures for the most recent months are provisional and subject to revision in the light of:

• late trader data, revisions to trade prices and revised estimates of trading associated with VAT MTIC fraud

• revisions to seasonal adjustment factors which are re-estimated every month

Trade in services estimates have been derived from a number of monthly and quarterly sources. For components where no monthly data are available, estimates have been derived on the basis of recent trends. The results should be used with appropriate caution, as they are likely to be less reliable than those for trade in goods.

Reliability: Revisions to data provide one indication of its reliability. Table 8 shows summary information on the size and direction of the revisions that have been made to the data covering a 5-year period. A statistical test has been applied to the average revision to find out if it is statistically significantly different from zero. An asterisk (*) shows that the test is significant.

UK trade re-assessment

The UK Statistics Authority suspended the National Statistics designation of UK trade on 14 November 2014. The Authority's re-assessment of UK trade against the Code of Practice for Official Statistics has been completed.

One of the recommendations of the re-assessment was to consult with users on the use of UK trade statistics. The results of this user engagement survey (414.5 Kb Word document) can be found on our website.

HMRC methodology change for gas and revisions to past years

HMRC Trade Statistics are amending the mechanism for the data source used in the compilation of Natural Gas traded with non-EU partners. We will implement these revisions in a phased approach. More details can be found on our website.

EMU enlargement

As of 1 January 2015, Lithuania joined the European Monetary Union (EMU). Therefore the EMU totals in this UK trade release include Lithuania.

EMU coverage

The coverage of EMU countries was extended to cover Cyprus and Malta from October 2008, Slovakia from January 2009, Estonia from January 2011, Latvia from January 2014 and Lithuania from January 2015. Some EU and non-EU breakdowns of commodity data for chained volume measures which are available on request may be less reliable than the current price data. Please consult Katherine Kent on +44 (0)1633 455829 if you are considering using them.

Data have been combined for the United States and Puerto Rico and for Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah (the United Arab Emirates) from January 2009 onwards. Estimates are separately available for the United States and Dubai up to the end of 2008 on request.

Erratics

Non-monetary gold is now included in the erratics series; along with ships, aircraft, precious stones and silver. In compliance with the BPM6 changes, non-monetary gold which is held as a store of wealth is now recorded within trade in goods.

Deflation

It is common for the value of a group of financial transactions to be measured in several time periods. The values measured will include both the change in the volume sold and the effect of the change of prices over that year. Deflation is the process whereby the effect of price change is removed from a set of values.

Chain-linked indices (chained volume measures), which are indexed to form the volume series in this bulletin, differ from fixed base indices in that the growth from one year to the next is estimated by weighting the components using the contribution to value of trade in the immediately preceding year (effectively re-basing every year). This series of annually re-weighted annual growths is then “chain-linked” to produce a continuous series.

The implied price deflators, derived by comparing current price data to chained volume measures data are not the same as the price indices published in this statistical bulletin, because the former are current weighted while the latter are base (2012) weighted.

Changes in trade associated with VAT MTIC fraud mean that comparisons of volume and prices (both including and excluding trade associated with VAT MTIC fraud) should be treated with a great deal of caution.

Interpreting the data

In months where quarterly and 3 monthly ending percentage changes for index data coincide, there may be small differences between the data for methodological reasons. Quarterly data are the indexed form of an underlying constant price (for volume indices) or consistent quantity (for price indices) series. 3 month ending data are the average of the index data in that period.

Seasonal adjustment

Seasonal adjustment aims to remove effects associated with the time of the year or the arrangement of the calendar so that movements within a time series may be more easily interpreted.

The UK trade record information for November 2015 (35.5 Kb Excel sheet) can be accessed on our website.