UK trade in goods diversification analysis 2018 to 2022
Published 19 March 2024
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About this release
Before 2021 all UK trade in goods between the UK and the EU were recorded monthly via the Intrastat Survey. Due to changes in data sources used to create the UK overseas trade in goods statistics (OTS), various aspects of the published data have been affected. This publication looks at commodity code counts.
In 2021, data collected for exports from Great Britain to the EU changed to customs declarations. Northern Ireland exports to the EU continued to be collected via Intrastat.
In 2022, data collected for imports to Great Britain from the EU changed to custom declarations. Northern Ireland imports from the EU continued to be collected via Intrastat.
It is important for users to be aware of these data collection changes. This is because compilation of published trade data differs slightly depending on the source. For example, Intrastat only requires traders to submit their imports and exports of goods with the EU above a set annual threshold. Therefore, the commodity codes of all traded goods are not captured.
The collection and processing of customs declaration data is different. All traders must submit a customs declaration for their imported and exported goods. However, some data is aggregated into a commodity code (9950 0000) which is used for low value consignments. This applies to trade less than £873 and a net mass less than 1,000kg.
This release looks at how data collection changes impact published commodity codes. The number of unique commodity codes in the OTS data will be compared to raw customs declarations. This aims to help users further understand the data collection changes and how they are presented in the OTS.
Summary
UK imports
In 2022, the OTS covered 8,972 unique commodity codes at the 8-digit level for UK imports from the EU. Raw customs declaration data recorded 424 more, with 9,396 unique commodity codes. OTS recorded 8,397 unique commodity codes for UK imports from non-EU countries in 2022. Meanwhile, raw custom declarations data recorded 739 more, with 9,136 unique commodity codes.
Partner country codes were also added alongside commodity code for combination counts. For 2022 UK imports from the EU, the OTS reported 96,338 unique partner country and commodity code combinations. The customs declaration data reported 127,844 unique combinations. For 2022 UK imports from non-EU countries, the OTS reported 101,741 unique partner country and commodity code combinations. In the same period, customs declaration data reported 170,534 unique commodities.
Over 98% of this difference is explained by the low value threshold within the OTS. This is where trade which is less than £873 and has a net mass less than 1,000kg is aggregated into the low value consignments commodity code 9950 0000. The remainder of the difference is due to quality assurance checks. These take place during the OTS production process and changes to the commodity codes occur.
UK exports
In 2022, the OTS reported 8,499 unique commodity codes at the 8-digit level for UK exports to the EU. Raw customs declaration data recorded 503 more with 9,002 unique commodity codes. OTS recorded 8,327 unique commodity codes in 2022 for UK exports to non-EU countries. Meanwhile, raw custom declarations recorded 489 more with 8,816 unique commodity codes.
Partner country codes were also added alongside commodity code for combination counts. For 2022 UK exports to EU countries, the OTS reported 109,406 unique partner country and commodity code combinations. In the same period, customs declaration data reported 134,529 unique commodities. For 2022 UK exports to non-EU countries, the OTS reported 213,190 unique partner country and commodity code combinations. In the same period, customs declaration data reported 303,021 unique commodities.
Over 97% of this difference is explained by the low value threshold within the OTS. This is when trade which is less than £873 and has a net mass less than 1,000kg is aggregated into the low value consignments commodity code 9950 0000. The remainder of the difference is due to quality assurance checks. These take place during the OTS production process and changes to the commodity codes occur.
Methodology
The aim of the methodology behind the figures contained in this release is to compare unique commodity code counts as well as unique commodity code and partner country counts using a consistent criteria across raw customs declaration data and the published OTS as much as possible. The reason for the differences in counts between raw customs declaration data and the published OTS has also been investigated. The purpose is to enable users to further understand the impact the compilation methodology of the OTS can affect the total number of commodities traded by the UK.
Commodity codes within the OTS are by default defined as 8 numeric characters and valid in the Tariff. The total number of valid commodity codes fluctuate year on year due to changes in the Trade in Goods classification.
All OTS data is published under a trading partner country and included in the analysis in this article. However, a pseudo partner country (code QV) is used when no partner country can be assigned to a transaction. For example, QV is used against the aggregated trade values in commodity code is 9950 0000 (low value consignments trade). Data within this release excludes Intrastat collected data between Northern Ireland and the EU in 2021 and 2022 for EU exports, and in 2022 for EU imports.
Customs declarations made by declarants for trade between Great Britain and the EU movements only. This is ‘as declared’ by the business and before the ‘low value aggregation’ process takes place. In effect, it shows all commodity codes that have been declared. OTS published data operates on a special trade compilation basis as set out in OTS Methodology. This means that only certain declaration types and customs procedure codes can be published. The custom declaration data counts within this release have been filtered on a special trade basis for a consistent comparison with OTS data.
For OTS counts within this release covering the period of imports and exports for 2018 to 2020 and imports for 2021 only, the following compilation rules were applied:
- Exclusion of suppressed commodity codes at 8-digit level
- Exclusions of Below Threshold Trade estimates
- Exclusion of non-response HS estimates
- Exclusion of Parcel Post Trade (Commodity code 99209900)
- Split by EU and non-EU
For OTS counts within this release covering, the period of 2021 exports only and 2022 for both imports and exports, the following rules were applied:
- Exclusion of Intrastat data
- Exclusion of suppressed commodity codes at 8-digit level
- Exclusions of Below Threshold Trade estimates
- Exclusion of non-response HS estimates
- Exclusion of Parcel Post Trade (Commodity code 99209900)
- Split by EU and non-EU
Results
UK imports
Table 1: UK imports of unique commodity code counts from 2018 to 2022
| Data Source | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OTS UK imports from EU | 8,875 | 8,866 | 8,767 | 8,677 | 8,972 |
| Customs declaration data UK imports from EU | x | x | x | x | 9,396 |
| OTS UK imports from non-EU | 8,108 | 8,106 | 8,031 | 8,170 | 8,397 |
| Customs declaration data UK imports from non-EU | x | x | x | x | 9,136 |
Source: HM Revenue and Customs
Download UK imports of unique commodity code counts from 2018 to 2022 (ODS 11KB)
Note:
- x = not available
- In 2022, data collection for Great British imports from the EU changed to customs declaration data whilst Northern Ireland imports continued to be collected via Intrastat. Intrastat has been excluded for 2022 OTS figures.
Table 1 shows the unique commodity code counts recorded in published OTS and customs declaration data through the years 2018 to 2022 for UK imports.
For UK imports from the EU, the commodity code count in 2018 for published OTS imports data was 8,875. A decline of 9 commodity codes was recorded in 2019. From 2019 onwards, published commodity code counts for OTS data fell by 99 commodity codes in 2020 and by a further 90 commodity codes in 2021. The total number of commodity codes reported in OTS were highest in 2022 at 8,972 for UK imports from the EU.
For UK imports from the EU, the commodity code count in 2018 for published OTS imports data was 8,875. A decline of 9 commodity codes was recorded in 2019. From 2019 onwards, published commodity code counts for OTS data fell by 99 commodity codes in 2020 and by a further 90 commodity codes in 2021. The total number of commodity codes reported in OTS were highest in 2022 at 8,972 for UK imports from the EU.
Customs declarations recorded 424 more commodity codes than OTS EU imports data for 2022. The total recorded number of commodity codes for the OTS was 8,972, whilst raw customs declarations had a total of 9,396.
For UK imports from non-EU countries, the commodity code count in 2018 for published OTS imports data was 8,108. A decline of 2 commodity codes was recorded in 2019. Published commodity code counts for OTS data fell further by 75 commodity codes in 2020. 2021 and 2022 noted a rise in the commodity code counts with 8,170 and 8,397 commodity codes respectively. The total number of commodity codes reported in OTS were highest in 2022 at 8,397 for UK imports from non-EU countries.
Customs declarations recorded 739 more commodity codes than were published in OTS non-EU imports data for 2022. The total recorded number of commodity codes for the OTS was 8,397, whilst raw customs declarations had a total of 9,136.
Differences in the OTS commodity counts occur due to yearly changes in how goods are classified in the Tariff.
Over 98% of the difference between OTS and customs declarations was due to low value trade. This is trade under £873 and under 1000kg which is aggregated into a single commodity code (9950 0000). This is known as ‘Low value consignments’ and outlined in the Low value consignments section in the OTS Methodology.
For trade in goods collected from customs declarations (UK trade with non-EU and GB trade with EU), imports and exports of an individual value of £873 or less are automatically aggregated as part of the statistical production process, into SITC group 931 – ‘Special transactions and commodities not classified according to kind’ and classified to a single commodity code (99500000). This trade is not analysed either by commodity or country. Statistics for individual commodities are thus deficient by these amounts.
The next stage of the analysis was investigating the unique combinations of partner country and commodity codes. This is shown in table 2.
Table 2: UK imports of unique partner country and commodity code combination counts from 2018 to 2022
| Data Source | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OTS UK imports from EU | 93,130 | 95,201 | 94,379 | 88,812 | 96,338 |
| Customs declaration data UK imports from EU | x | x | x | x | 127,844 |
| OTS UK imports from non-EU | 97,351 | 97,507 | 92,907 | 100,427 | 101,741 |
| Customs declaration data UK imports from non-EU | x | x | x | x | 170,534 |
Source: HM Revenue and Customs
Note:
- x = not available
- In 2022, data collection for Great British imports from the EU changed to customs declaration data whilst Northern Ireland imports continued to be collected via Intrastat. Intrastat has been excluded for 2022 OTS figures.
Table 2 shows the unique partner country and commodity code combination counts recorded in published OTS and customs declaration data through 2018 to 2022.
For UK imports from the EU, the number of unique partner country and commodity code combinations in 2018 for published OTS EU imports data were 93,130 followed by an increase to 95,201 in 2019. This combination count decreased slightly in 2020 to reach 94,379 combinations followed by a steeper decrease in 2021 with a drop of 5,567 between 2020 and 2021. This was followed by an increase in 2022 and the combination count was 96,338, which is the highest partner country and commodity code combination count recorded in the published OTS imports data throughout 2018 to 2022.
For UK imports from the EU, the number of unique partner country and commodity code combinations in 2018 for published OTS EU imports data was 93,130. This was followed by an increase to 95,201 in 2019 then decrease in 2020 to reach 94,379 combinations followed by a further decrease in 2021. The count then increased in 2022 and the number of combinations were 96,338. This was the highest partner country and commodity code combination count recorded in the published OTS imports data throughout 2018 to 2022.
Customs declarations data recorded 31,506 more unique partner country and commodity code combinations than OTS EU imports data for 2022. The total recorded number of combinations for the OTS was 96,338, whilst customs declaration data had a total of 127,844.
For UK imports data from non-EU countries, the number of unique partner country and commodity code combinations were 97,351 in 2018. This count increased slightly to 97,507 in 2019 followed by a significant decrease in 2020 to reach 92,907 combinations. This was followed by an increase in 2021 and 2022 and the combination counts were 100,427 and 101,741 respectively. 2022 marked the highest partner country and commodity code combination count recorded in the published OTS imports data throughout 2018 to 2022.
Customs declaration data recorded 68,793 more unique partner country and commodity code combinations than OTS non-EU imports data for 2022. The total recorded number of number of combinations in 2022 for the OTS were 101,741, whilst customs declarations recorded 170,534.
Over 98% of the difference between OTS and customs declarations was due to low value trade. This is when trade which is less than £873 and has a net mass less than 1,000kg is aggregated into a low value consignment. This low value consignment is under the commodity code 9950 0000. The remainder of the difference is due to quality assurance checks. These take place during the OTS production process and changes to the commodity codes occur.
UK Exports
Table 3: UK exports of unique commodity code counts from 2018 to 2022
| Data Source | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OTS UK exports to EU | 8,723 | 8,745 | 8,645 | 8,424 | 8,499 |
| Customs declaration data UK exports to EU | x | x | x | x | 9,002 |
| OTS UK exports to non-EU | 8,393 | 8,339 | 8,237 | 8,178 | 8,327 |
| Customs declaration data UK exports to non-EU | x | x | x | x | 8,816 |
Source: HM Revenue and Customs
Download UK exports of unique commodity code counts from 2018 to 2022 (ODS 11KB)
Note:
- x = not available
- In 2021, data collection for Great British exports to the EU changed to customs declaration data whilst Northern Ireland exports continued to be collected via Intrastat. Intrastat has been excluded for 2021 and 2022 OTS figures.
Table 3 shows the commodity code counts recorded in published OTS and customs declaration data through the years 2018 to 2022 for UK exports.
For UK exports to the EU, the commodity code count in 2018 for published OTS exports data was 8,723. The counts increased slightly to 8,745 in 2019 which was the highest number recorded in OTS throughout the time series. From 2019 onwards, published commodity code counts for OTS data fell by 100 to 8,645 in 2020 and further by 220 to 8,424 in 2021. Finally in 2022 the commodity code count rose to 8,499.
Customs declarations recorded 503 more commodity codes than were published in OTS data for 2022. The total recorded number of commodity codes for the OTS was 8,499, whilst raw customs declarations had a total of 9,002.
For UK exports to non-EU countries, the commodity code count in 2018 for published OTS exports data was 8,393. The count decreased slightly to 8,339 in 2019 which was the highest number recorded in OTS throughout the time series. From 2019 onwards, published commodity code counts for OTS data fell by 102 to 8,237 in 2020 and by a further 59 to 8,178 in 2021. Finally in 2022 the commodity code count rose to 8,327.
Customs declarations recorded 489 more commodity codes than were published in OTS data for 2022. The total recorded number of commodity codes for the OTS was 8,327, whilst raw customs declarations had a total of 8,816.
Differences in OTS commodity counts occur due to yearly fluctuations due to changes in how goods are classified in the Tariff.
Over 97% of the difference between OTS and customs declarations was due to low value trade. This is trade under £873 and under 1000kg which is aggregated into a single commodity code (9950 0000). This is known as ‘Low value consignments’ and is outlined in the section on Low value consignments in the OTS Methodology.
For trade in goods collected from customs declarations (UK trade with non-EU and GB trade with EU), imports and exports of an individual value of £873 or less are automatically aggregated as part of the statistical production process, into SITC group 931 – ‘Special transactions and commodities not classified according to kind’ and classified to a single commodity code (99500000). This trade is not analysed either by commodity or country. Statistics for individual commodities are thus deficient by these amounts.
The next stage of the analysis was investigating the combinations of partner country and commodity codes. This is shown in table 4.
Table 4: UK exports of unique partner country and commodity code combination counts from 2018 to 2022
| Data Source | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OTS UK exports to EU | 148,176 | 149,692 | 146,880 | 111,855 | 109,406 |
| Customs declaration data UK exports to EU | x | x | x | x | 134,529 |
| OTS UK exports to non-EU | 218,624 | 219,551 | 204,587 | 208,650 | 213,190 |
| Customs declaration data UK exports to non-EU | x | x | x | x | 303,021 |
Source: HM Revenue and Customs
Note:
- x = not available
- In 2021, data collection for Great British exports to the EU changed to customs declaration data whilst Northern Ireland exports continued to be collected via Intrastat. Intrastat has been excluded for 2021 and 2022 OTS figures.
Table 4 shows the unique partner country and commodity code combination counts recorded in published OTS and customs declaration data through 2018 to 2022.
For UK exports to the EU, the number of unique partner country and commodity code combinations in 2018 for published OTS EU exports data were 148,176. This count then increased to 149,692 in 2019. This was the highest partner country and commodity code combination count recorded in the OTS throughout 2018 to 2022. The count of unique partner country and commodity code combination then fell to 146,880 in 2020 followed by a further decrease in 2021 to 111,855. This was followed by another decrease in 2022 where the combination count was 109,407.
Customs declarations recorded 25,123 more unique partner country and commodity code combinations than OTS EU exports data for 2022. The total recorded number of combinations in 2022 for published OTS were 109,406, whilst raw customs declarations had a total of 134,529.
For UK exports data to non-EU countries, the number of unique partner country and commodity code combinations in 2018 for OTS data were 218,624. This increased to 219,551 in 2019 which was the highest partner country and commodity code combination count recorded in the published OTS exports data throughout 2018 to 2022. The combination counts then fell to 204,587 in 2020. This was followed by an increase in 2021 and 2022 where the combination counts were 208,650 and 213,190 respectively.
Customs declarations recorded 89,831 more unique partner country and commodity code combinations than non-EU OTS exports data for 2022. The total recorded number of combinations in 2022 for published OTS were 213,190, whilst raw customs declarations had a total of 303,021.
Over 97% of the difference between OTS and customs declarations was due to low value trade. This is trade under £873 and under 1000kg which is aggregated into a single commodity code (9950 0000). The remainder of the difference is due to quality assurance checks. These take place during the OTS production process and changes to the commodity codes occur.