Statistical bulletin: UK Trade, April 2013

Released: 07 June 2013  –  Download PDF

Contents

• April 2013
• Key Figures
• Summary
• Value of UK Trade in Goods
• Trade in Goods – EU Analysis
• Trade in Goods – Non-EU Analysis
• Trade in Goods – One Month Geographical Analysis
• Trade in Goods – Three-Monthly Geographical Analysis
• Volume of Total Trade in Goods, Excluding Oil and Erratics
• Export and Import Prices for Trade in Goods (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
• Trade in Oil
• Trade in Services
• Records Sheet
• Background notes
• Statistical contacts

April 2013

• UK Trade shows the extent of import and export activity, a key contributor to the overall economic growth of the UK.
• Seasonally adjusted, the UK’s deficit on trade in goods and services was estimated to have been £2.6 billion in April, compared with a deficit of £3.2 billion in March.
• There was a deficit of £8.2 billion on goods, partly offset by an estimated surplus of £5.6 billion on services.
• The value of UK exports decreased by 1.3% between March 2013 and April 2013. The value of imports decreased by 2.7% over the same period.
• The narrowing of the deficit in April is mainly due to the UK’s trade in goods with the EU, particularly that it was estimated that imports from the EU fell by around £1.3 billion. Monthly figures tend to be volatile, users are advised to look at a longer time series when interpreting the data.
• The deficit on trade in goods was around £0.5 billion higher in the three months to April than in the previous three months. However, trade in oil and in erratic items both narrowed the deficit over this period, excluding those, the deficit widened by £1.6 billion.
• By country, the trade deficit with Germany was £1 billion higher in the three months February to April than in the preceding three months. The level of exports to Germany in that period was the lowest since the three months to October 2010. Exports to the United States increased over this period (by 7%) while imports were lower, so the surplus in trade in goods with the US rose to £3.7 billion.

Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.1.0.