United Kingdom
Europe
Trade in United Kingdom
| United Kingdom was the world’s 15th largest exporter of goods and 2nd largest exporter of commercial services in 2025. Export values were $557037 and $649043 million USD respectively. United Kingdom’s top export category was manufactures, followed by fuels and mining products, and agricultural products. In 2023, United Kingdom’s main export destination markets for goods and services trade were to United States, Germany and Netherlands, with trade representing 62.84 per cent of GDP. In terms of imports, United Kingdom is the world’s 4th largest importer of goods and 5th largest importer of commercial services. Import values were $948077 and $401504 million USD respectively in 2025. United Kingdom’s top import category was manufactures, followed by fuels and mining products and agricultural products. Leading import partners were China, United States and Germany. United Kingdom is part of 40 different Regional Trade Agreements, including with EU – United Kingdom, United Kingdom – Albania and United Kingdom – Cameroon. |
Regional Trade Agreements Database
General InformationThis section includes general information on the economy, legal system, official languages and links to additional demographic information. |
|
|---|---|
Official Name |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
Abbreviation |
GB |
Capital |
London |
WTO Membership Date |
1 January 1995 |
Legal System |
common law system; has nonbinding judicial review of Acts of Parliament under the Human Rights Act of 1998 |
Language |
English, Scots, Welsh, Irish |
Number of Time Zone(s) |
9 |
Additional Information | |
Financial InformationThis section includes financial information such as the currency, exchange rate lookup and local banks issuing trade finance. |
|
Currency |
Sterling |
|
Exchange Rate |
Google Finance Currencies |
|
GTFP Confirming Banks Through the IFC's Global Trade Finance Program (GTFP) bank network, local financial institutions can establish working partnerships with a vast number of major international banks in the Program that can broaden access to finance and reduce cash collateral requirements. This extends and complements the capacity of banks to deliver trade finance by providing risk mitigation on a per-transaction basis in challenging markets where trade lines may be limited. |
|
Contact InformationThis section includes contact information for business support organizations and national resources. |
|
|
Business Support Organizations |
|
|
Industrial Property Offices |
|
|
SPS Enquiry Points Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) enquiry points are government agencies designated to answer questions about trade requirements. |
|
|
TBT Enquiry Points Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) enquiry points are government agencies designated to answer questions about trade requirements. |
|
|
Additional Information |
ePing alert |
Links to other helpful resourcesThis section includes additional links to trade-related resources. |
|
National Tariff Finder |
https://www.gov.uk/trade-tariff |
Trade Information Portal |
https://www.uktradeinfo.com/ |
Business.gov.uk - Find the right support for your business |
https://www.business.gov.uk/ |
Last Reviewed: October, 2026
Businesses & Entrepreneurs
Find a concise overview of key aspects of international trade for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises with our Businesses & Entrepreneurs Guides.
Policymakers & Researchers
Find a concise overview of key aspects of trade and MSME-related policymaking with our dedicated library of Policymakers & Researchers Guides.
Resources related to United Kingdom
View ResourceAI Toolkit for Women-led Businesses
Practical AI guidance for the export journey.
- View Resource
Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation: Global Report 2025
This report presents the results of the sixth United Nations (UN) Global Survey on Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation with targeted SME questions.
- View Resource
Intellectual Property Helpdesk
The IP Helpdesk supports EU/SMP SMEs and researchers participating in EU-funded projects both to protect and enforce their Intellectual Property (IP) rights.
