In 2022, the UK imported $815.1 billion worth of goods from around the world, up 18.4% from $688.2 billion in 2021.

Oil and gas, automobiles, gold, crude oil, processed oil and turbojet engines top the list of the most valuable products imported by the UK in 2022.

The UK's Top 10 Import Partners:

1. China (13.88%)

2. United States (12.3%)

3. Germany (8.93%)

4.Norway (6.77%)

5.France (4.37%)

6.Italy (3.82%)

7.Netherlands (3.64%)

8.Spain (2.96%)

9.Belgium (2.59%)

10.Ireland (2.36%)

UK's Top 10 Imports

1. Fossil fuels including oil: $137.2 billion (16.8% of total imports)

2. Machinery including computers: $89.3 billion (11%)

3. Vehicles: $73.8 billion (9.1%)

4. Motors, equipment: $66.4 billion (8.1%)

5. Gems, precious metals: $60.6 billion (7.4%)

6. Pharmaceuticals: $33.1 billion (4.1%)

7. Plastics, Plastic Products: $22.7 billion (2.8%)

8. Optical, technical, medical equipment: $21.9 billion (2.7%)

9. Furniture, bedding, lighting, signs, prefabricated buildings: $14.6 billion (1.8%)

10. Organic chemicals: $14.3 billion (1.8%)

The UK's top 10 imports account for almost two-thirds (65.5%) of the total value of products it purchases from all countries.

Fossil fuels, including petroleum, saw the largest increase between 2021 and 2022, growing by 95.3%. In second place are UK pharmaceutical imports (up 22.7%), followed by imports of organic chemicals (up 22%) and vehicles (up 18.3%).

The only decline was in the precious metals category, down -26.5% year-on-year, mainly due to a fall in revenue from imported gold.

In 2022, the UK exported $526.3 billion worth of products globally. This dollar total represents an 11.8% increase from the 2021 value of $470.4 billion.

The UK's largest exports by value are gold, automobiles, turbojet engines, crude oil and dosage mixes. The UK is among the world's leading countries in the export of aircraft parts, platinum and gold.

The UK's Most valuable Trading Partners

The latest country-specific data shows that UK exports are mainly purchased by importers in the US (12.8% of the global total), the Netherlands (8.7%), Germany (8.3%), Ireland (7.3%), Switzerland (6.9%), mainland China (also 6.9%), France (6.1%), Hong Kong (4.7%), Belgium (4.4%), the UAE ( (2.4%), Spain (also 2.4%) ) and Italy (2.3%).

The UK's Top 10 Exports

1. Gemstones, precious metals: $96.2 billion (18.3% of total exports)

2. Machinery including computers: $74.9 billion (14.2%)

3. Fossil fuels including oil: $56.9 billion (10.8%)

4. Vehicles: $40.6 billion (7.7%)

5. Pharmaceuticals: $27.8 billion (5.3%)

6. Motors, equipment: $27.4 billion (5.2%)

7. Optics, technology, medical equipment: $20.2 billion (3.8%)

8. Aircraft, spacecraft: $13.2 billion (2.5%)

9. Plastics, plastic products: $13 billion (2.5%)

10. Organic chemicals: $12.6 billion (2.4%)

The UK's top ten exports are close to three quarters (72.7%) of the total value of its global exports.

Fossil fuels, including oil, are the fastest growing of the top ten export categories, up 50.8% since 2021. Exports of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) grew at the fastest rate. The second highest improvement in export sales was in gemstones and precious metals, which grew by 46.3%, led by increased global revenues from UK exports of silver and gold. UK shipments of machinery, including computers, ranked third in terms of growth, up 8.8% year-on-year.

The largest decline in the UK's top 10 export categories was in aircraft and spacecraft, down -3% compared to 2021.

Looking at the more detailed 4-digit HS codes, the UK's top 10 exports are:

1. Gold (unwrought) (17.81%)

2. Automobiles (7.37%)

3. Turbojet engines (7.18%)

4. Crude oil (5.31%)

5.Drug mixing dose (5.2%)

6. Processed oil (4.71%)

7. Petroleum gas (2.61%)

8. Aircraft or spacecraft parts (2.6%)

9.Platinum (unwrought) (2.38%)

10. Alcohol (including spirits, liqueurs) (2.33%)

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