Annex: UK imports asymmetry on a country of dispatch basis in 2023
Published 26 June 2025
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/asymmetries-in-international-trade-in-goods-statistics-uk-measured-against-eu-and-non-eu-partner-countries-2021-to-2023/annex-uk-imports-asymmetry-on-a-country-of-dispatch-basis-in-2023
Comtrade partner country guidance
The United Nations publishes guidance for International Merchandise Trade Statistics (IMTS). This recommends how countries should collect trade data. Countries have some flexibility on how they interpret this guidance. This means the data submitted to Comtrade is not always collected in the same way. There may be different methods or definitions in use.
The reporter field in Comtrade data is the country or area which reports the trade data.
The partner field is also recorded by the reporting country. For imports, the partner field is the country or area which exports the goods. For exports, the partner field is the country or area which imports the goods. There are various ways to define this.
For imports, Comtrade recommends that the partner field be on a country of origin basis. The ‘second partner’ field should be on a country of consignment basis if available. Country of consignment is also known as country of dispatch.
For exports, Comtrade says that the partner field should be on a last known destination basis. The second partner field should be on a country of consignment basis if available. Currently, few countries report accurate country of dispatch data for exports. So, Comtrade recognise that this may need to be a long-term goal.
The information above is sourced from the latest IMTS guidance. Sections 6.4, 6.6, 6.25 and 6.26 in International Merchandise Trade Statistics: Concepts and Definitions 2010 (PDF, 1 MB) are most relevant. The Comtrade website also offers a description of the second partner country field. There is also a description of reporter and partner fields.
Annex E from Asymmetry analysis for trade in goods statistics between the UK and the USA, 2017 to 2022 provides more information on the Comtrade definitions of partner country.
Partner country definitions of UK Comtrade data
UK imports
The Comtrade partner field is on a country of origin basis for UK imports wherever possible. This is in line with the IMTS guidance. But, country of origin data for UK imports from the EU was not available before 2022. The section Additional country of origin information provides further detail. This is part of Asymmetry analysis for trade in goods statistics between the UK and the USA, 2017 to 2022.
The second partner field is on a country of dispatch basis for UK imports submitted to Comtrade. This is also in line with the IMTS guidance. This is the country field in the UK trade in goods statistics collection published by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). Overseas trade in goods statistics methodology and quality report provides more details on the methods used.
UK exports
The Comtrade partner field is on a country of last known destination basis for UK exports. This is consistent with the IMTS guidance.
The Comtrade second partner field is on a country of dispatch basis for UK exports. Yet, this field is not always complete. This is the case for most countries.
UK Imports asymmetry on a country of dispatch basis
From 2022, the Comtrade UK imports data is available on both a country of origin and a country of dispatch basis. Therefore, asymmetries for UK imports are calculable on both bases.
Figure 1 of the main release commentary shows the absolute UK imports asymmetry from 2021 to 2023 for the top 7 partner countries in 2023. Figure 1 uses UK imports data on a country of origin basis.
Annex Figure 1 below is the same as Figure 1 of the main release commentary but uses UK imports data on a country of dispatch basis. The methods are the same apart from this change. More information is available in the main release commentary and methodology notes. The country of dispatch data is from the United Nations International Trade Statistics Database. The download date was 6 March 2025. The exports data reported by partner countries is the same as for Figure 1. This means it is on a country of last known destination basis. The two charts are quite different.
Annex Figure 1: Absolute UK imports asymmetry on a country of dispatch basis for the top 7 partner countries in 2023 ($ billions)
| Country | 2023 |
|---|---|
| Netherlands | 17.6 |
| Kazakhstan | 13.5 |
| Belgium | 11.8 |
| France | 11.2 |
| Germany | 9.5 |
| USA | 4.6 |
| Kuwait | 3.5 |
Annex Figure 1 shows the absolute UK imports asymmetry on a country of dispatch basis for the top 7 partner countries in 2023. Netherlands shows the largest absolute asymmetry in 2023 at $17.6 billion. This was followed by Kazakhstan at $13.5 billion and Belgium at $11.8 billion.
Source: HM Revenue & Customs analysis of UN Comtrade data
UK imports on a country of dispatch basis by partner country for 2023 (Annex Table 1)
Detailed asymmetries data for UK imports on a country of dispatch basis by partner country for 2023 are available in Annex Table 1. This includes other measures of asymmetry.
Absolute UK imports asymmetries can be larger or smaller on a country of dispatch basis
On a country of dispatch basis, absolute UK imports asymmetries with Belgium and France are much larger in 2023. Belgium has the third largest absolute asymmetry on a country of dispatch basis at $11.8 billion. Yet, on a country of origin basis, the figure for Belgium is $5.1 billion. France is in fourth place on a country of dispatch basis with $11.2 billion. But, France is at $2.0 billion on a country of origin basis.
By contrast, absolute UK imports asymmetry with the USA on a country of dispatch basis was much smaller. In 2023, the USA has the second largest absolute asymmetry at $20.9 billion on a country of origin basis. But, on a country of dispatch basis, this figure reduces to $4.6 billion.
Potential reasons asymmetry differs when UK imports are on a country of dispatch basis
There are many reasons for asymmetries. Some of these reasons are outlined in Reasons for trade in goods asymmetries. One of them is partner country discrepancies. This can happen due to errors, lack of quality data or methodological differences. Identifying individual causes of asymmetry is challenging because there are many potential factors.
The availability of Comtrade data in both the partner and second partner fields can vary. This depends upon the reporting country and period in question. Missing partner exports data on a country of dispatch basis is a major cause of asymmetry.
Exports on a last known destination basis are not a theoretical match with imports. This means differences occur even if data is complete and accurate. This is due to definitional differences when applied to certain trade routes. The trade routes affected always have more than two countries. For some routes, imports on a country of dispatch basis will be the only match. A match in this case means definitions are the same as exports on a last known destination basis. For other routes, imports on a country of origin basis will be the only match. For other routes still, neither imports measure will be a match. The example scenario below gives an illustration of this for a particular route.
There is a need for exports and imports data on a country of dispatch basis. This is necessary to achieve symmetrical datasets. The UN states this in Section 6.18 of International Merchandise Trade Statistics: Concepts and Definitions 2010 (PDF, 1 MB). Reducing asymmetries for UK imports relies on other countries collecting this data.
Uncertainty in the correct partner country for exports is another cause of asymmetries. When trade involves more than two countries, the destination country can be wrong. This is discussed in Reasons for trade in goods asymmetries. This is because the information is only as good as that provided by traders and agents at the time. This may be more accurate if there are fewer countries left before the final destination. The main exports definition, country of last known destination, allows for this uncertainty.
Transit trade and triangular trade are other potential causes of partner country discrepancies. Reasons for trade in goods asymmetries outlines these. But, this is not an exhaustive list.
Example scenario
Goods originate in Country A. Country A exports them to Country B. The country of final destination is the UK.
UK imports asymmetry with Country A
- The UK reports an import from country A on a country of origin basis only
- Country A reports an export to the UK on a country of last known destination basis
Both countries have reported accurate data for this route. Yet, this creates a negative asymmetry for UK imports on a country of dispatch basis with country A.
UK imports asymmetry with Country B
- The UK reports an import from country B on a country of dispatch basis only
- Partner country B reports an export to the UK on a country of last known destination basis
Both countries have reported accurate data for this route. Yet, this creates a negative asymmetry for UK imports on a country of origin basis with Country B.
The example scenario above shows that asymmetry for UK imports can be different on a country of dispatch basis. Depending on the trade route, asymmetry can be greater or smaller. It is likely that partner countries have certain common trade routes with the UK. Thus, definitional differences affecting certain routes could compound at a country level. The same is true of data quality issues which only affect certain routes.
It is not realistic to wholly fix asymmetries for imports on a country of origin basis. This would need data on the complete journey of all international trade movements. There would also need to be no errors. No country currently collects this data, nor is this within the remit of the IMTS guidance.
Yet, for imports on a country of dispatch basis, definitional differences could stop. This could happen if all countries collected exports on a country of dispatch basis. Then there would be a theoretical match. The downside of country of dispatch data is that it does not show the start or end point of a goods journey. For imports, it only shows the country goods have immediately come from. For exports, it only shows where they are immediately going to next.
In the meantime, the causes of asymmetry are open to speculation. A combination of anecdotal evidence and theory can suggest potential reasons. Bilateral studies can help with this. For example, one country may have knowledge from traders that a certain trade route is common. Then, applying partner country definitions to this route might explain the asymmetry. Or the discovery of data quality issues from one country may explain the asymmetry.
Reasons for trade in goods asymmetries lists other possible causes of asymmetry. HMRC also completed an asymmetry analysis for trade in goods between the UK and the USA, for the period 2017 to 2022. This identified some potential causes of asymmetry.