Asymmetries in international trade in goods statistics: UK measured against trade partners 2021 to 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/asymmetries-in-international-trade-in-goods-statistics-uk-measured-against-trade-partners-2021-to-2023
Main Findings
This publication outlines the asymmetry between UK trade in goods data and that reported by its partner countries. The data spans the calendar years 2021, 2022, and 2023. Further data is available in the accompanying tables. The Background section and the methodology notes provide further detail on the contents of this report.
Imports
Absolute UK imports asymmetry is the difference between UK reported imports and partner reported exports. It is always positive or zero because it focuses only on the size of the difference. For more details, see the section Calculating trade asymmetries.
Here are the main findings for absolute UK imports asymmetry:
- the sum of the absolute UK imports asymmetry for each partner country increased from $71.4 billion in 2021 to $165.9 billion in 2023
- the sum of the absolute UK imports asymmetry for each non-EU partner country increased from $40 billion in 2021 to $110.8 billion in 2023
- the sum of the absolute UK imports asymmetry for each EU partner country increased from $31.3 billion in 2021 to $55.1 billion in 2023
- the sum of the absolute UK imports asymmetry for Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, and France increased from $15.2 billion in 2021 to $36.9 billion in 2023
- the absolute UK imports asymmetry for the USA increased from $1.7 billion in 2021 to $20.9 billion in 2023
- the absolute UK imports asymmetry for China increased from $5.8 billion in 2021 to $21.3 billion in 2023
Exports
Absolute UK exports asymmetry is the difference between UK reported exports and partner reported imports. It is always positive or zero because it focuses only on the size of the difference. For more details, see the section Calculating trade asymmetries.
Here are the main findings for absolute UK exports asymmetry:
- the sum of the absolute UK exports asymmetry for each country of the world increased from $64.9 billion in 2021 to $101.2 billion in 2023
- the sum of the absolute UK exports asymmetry for each EU country decreased from $35.1 billion in 2021 to $23.7 billion in 2023
- the sum of the absolute UK exports asymmetry for each non-EU country, increased from $29.8 billion in 2021 to $77.5 billion in 2023
- the sum of the absolute UK exports asymmetry for Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, and France decreased from $19.9 billion in 2021 to $12.7 billion in 2023
- the absolute UK exports asymmetry for the USA increased from $2.9 billion in 2021 to $7.1 billion in 2023
- the absolute UK exports asymmetry for China increased from $4.8 billion in 2021 to $14.2 billion in 2023
Asymmetry increases for UK imports from 2022
There are many potential causes of asymmetry. These include differences in methods, valuation, and partner country assignment. UK trade in goods statistics: Reasons for trade in goods asymmetries explores this.
This report uses published UN Comtrade data. For some countries there was a large asymmetry increase for UK imports in 2022. The same is true of some commodities.
There was a change in the trade data collection for GB imports from 1 January 2022. The data source for GB imports from the EU changed to customs declarations. Before it was the Intrastat Survey. This meant country of origin data began to inform the Comtrade partner field for GB imports from the EU. This is in line with UN Comtrade’s recommended approach. Before, country of dispatch data informed the partner field as a second choice.
The additional country of origin information section gives more detail on this change. This is part of the Asymmetry analysis for trade in goods statistics between the UK and the USA, 2017 to 2022. This publication discusses potential reasons for asymmetries between the UK and the USA. It focuses on trade in vehicles. Switching to country of origin data could have changed asymmetries with other countries. This includes those in and out of the EU. It could also have affected some commodities more than others.
UK Imports asymmetry on a country of dispatch basis (Annex)
Annex: UK imports asymmetry on a country of dispatch basis in 2023 shows how UK imports asymmetry differs on a country of dispatch basis in 2023. It explains the various Comtrade partner country fields. It also explores potential causes of these differences.
Background
Trade asymmetries and why they matter
Trade asymmetries are the differences between the published trade data of a given country and that of its partner countries. Each country collects their own data on international trade in goods. In theory, each country’s exports to a partner country should match the partner country’s imports from them. The reverse should also be true. For instance, UK-reported imports from France should match France-reported exports to the UK. Also, UK-reported exports to France should match France-reported imports from the UK. In reality, it is often the case that figures do not match exactly. We refer to these differences as trade asymmetries.
Trade asymmetries are important because they provide an external means of quality assurance. This can identify errors in reporting and improve international data quality and comparability. This includes a greater understanding of known differences.
Data source for this report
The data in this report is from the United Nations International Trade Statistics Database. The download date was 3 March 2025. This database is also known as UN Comtrade.
All countries must collect their own trade data and submit data to UN Comtrade each month. UN Comtrade applies an annual average exchange rate to convert all data into USD ($).
The data in this report uses the Comtrade partner field for imports and exports. For imports, the country of origin should inform the partner field. For exports, the country of last known destination should inform the partner field.
The annex gives more detail on the Comtrade partner and ‘second partner’ fields.
Comtrade publish guidance for producing International Merchandise Trade Statistics (IMTS). Individual countries are responsible for following this as far as possible.
In the UK, customs declarations made by businesses are the data source for non-EU trade in goods data.
Before the UK left the EU, the Intrastat survey was the UK’s data source for EU trade in goods data. In 1993, the Intrastat survey replaced customs declarations for trade within the EU. The Intrastat survey follows EU statistics legislation to ensure harmonised methods.
But, from January 2021, customs declarations became the data source for GB exports to the EU. From January 2022, GB imports from the EU also switched to customs declarations. The Intrastat survey remains the data source for Northern Ireland (NI) trade with the EU.
Countries included in this report
If a country has not submitted imports data for each of the three years covered in this report, their imports data is removed. The same applies for exports. This is so that asymmetry comparisons can be made between years. It also ensures that asymmetries based on incomplete data are not included in our totals.
But, this does not apply at a chapter level. So, it does not apply if a country has imports data for some chapters each year. The same applies for exports. This allows the capture of misclassification of goods between countries. This is an important component of asymmetry.
Calculating trade asymmetries
There are many measurements of asymmetries. In this report we have chosen absolute asymmetry to be our leading asymmetry measure. Absolute asymmetry indicates the magnitude but not the direction of the asymmetry.
In the accompanying tables, we also provide the following for our expert users:
- non-absolute asymmetry
- relative asymmetry
- percentage share of total UK absolute asymmetry with the rest of the world
For non-absolute asymmetry, positive numbers show that the UK figures are higher. For Example, if the UK reports higher imports from France than France reports exports to the UK, then UK imports asymmetry with France will be positive. Negative numbers would show the opposite is true.
The methodology notes explain in detail how these measurements are defined and calculated.
Imports
Countries
Absolute asymmetry with China was the largest in 2023 totalling $21.3 billion.
This is down from $28.5 billion in 2022 and up from $5.8 billion in 2021.
In 2023, USA showed the second largest absolute asymmetry at $20.9 billion. This was followed by Netherlands at $19.3 billion and Kazakhstan at $13.6 billion.
Figure 1: Absolute UK imports asymmetry for the top 7 partner countries in 2023 ($ billions)
| Country | 2023 |
|---|---|
| China | 21.3 |
| USA | 20.9 |
| Netherlands | 19.3 |
| Kazakhstan | 13.6 |
| Germany | 10.4 |
| China, Hong Kong SAR | 5.8 |
| Belgium | 5.1 |
Figure 1 shows the absolute UK imports asymmetry for the top 7 partner countries in 2023. China shows the largest absolute asymmetry in 2023 at $21.3 billion. This was followed by USA at $20.9 billion and Netherlands at $19.3 billion.
Source: HM Revenue & Customs analysis of UN Comtrade data
Table 1: Absolute UK imports asymmetry from 2021 to 2023 for the top 7 partner countries in 2023 ($ billions)
| Country | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 5.8 | 28.5 | 21.3 | |
| USA | 1.7 | 20.6 | 20.9 | |
| Netherlands | 3.5 | 16.7 | 19.3 | |
| Kazakhstan | 3.3 | 6.5 | 13.6 | |
| Germany | 1.9 | 7.4 | 10.4 | |
| China, Hong Kong SAR | 3.9 | 3.8 | 5.8 | |
| Belgium | 7.2 | 3.1 | 5.1 |
Source: HM Revenue & Customs analysis of UN Comtrade data
Detailed asymmetries data for UK imports by partner country for 2021 to 2023 are available in tables 1a to 1c in the accompanying tables. These include other measures of asymmetry.
Commodities
Figure 2: Absolute UK imports asymmetry for the top 7 HS2 chapters in 2023 ($ billions)
| Chapter | 2023 |
|---|---|
| 27 | 19.0 |
| 84 | 17.7 |
| 71 | 16.7 |
| 85 | 8.8 |
| 87 | 8.6 |
| 88 | 4.6 |
| 97 | 4.1 |
Figure 2 shows the absolute UK imports asymmetry for the top 7 HS2 chapters in 2023. It shows that Chapter 27: Mineral fuels had the largest absolute asymmetry in 2023 at $19.0 billion. This was followed by Chapter 84: Mechanical appliances at $17.7 billion and Chapter 71: Precious metals at $16.7 billion.
Source: HM Revenue & Customs analysis of UN Comtrade data
Table 2: Absolute UK imports asymmetry from 2021 to 2023 for the top 7 HS2 chapters in 2023 ($ billions)
| Chapter | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 0.6 | 15.7 | 19.0 |
| 84 | 6.2 | 18.5 | 17.7 |
| 71 | 7.5 | 11.3 | 16.7 |
| 85 | 0.6 | 7.6 | 8.8 |
| 87 | 0.2 | 6.7 | 8.6 |
| 88 | 7.1 | 7.8 | 4.6 |
| 97 | 2.3 | 2.7 | 4.1 |
Source: HM Revenue & Customs analysis of UN Comtrade data
Detailed asymmetries data for UK imports by HS2 chapter for 2021 to 2023 are available in tables 3a to 3c in the accompanying tables. These include other measures of asymmetry.
Commodities by countries
Detailed asymmetries data for UK imports by partner country and HS2 chapter for 2021 to 2023 are available in tables 5a to 5c in the accompanying tables. These include many measures of asymmetry.
Table 7 in the accompanying tables includes all data used in this publication by flow, partner country, HS2 chapter and year. It includes many measures of asymmetry.
Exports
Countries
Absolute asymmetry with Switzerland was the largest in 2023 totalling $28.7 billion. This is up from $26.9 billion in 2022 and $3.3 billion in 2021.
In 2023, China showed the second largest absolute asymmetry at $14.2 billion followed by the USA at $7.1 billion.
Figure 3: Absolute UK exports asymmetry for the top 7 partner countries in 2023 ($ billions)
| Country | 2023 |
|---|---|
| Switzerland | 28.7 |
| China | 14.2 |
| USA | 7.1 |
| India | 6.1 |
| Belgium | 6.1 |
| Qatar | 3.5 |
| France | 3.4 |
Figure 3 shows the absolute UK exports asymmetry for the top 7 partner countries in 2023. It shows that Switzerland had the largest absolute asymmetry in 2023 at $28.7 billion. This was followed by China at $14.2 billion and the USA at $7.1 billion
Source: HM Revenue & Customs analysis of UN Comtrade data
Table 3: Absolute UK exports asymmetry from 2021 to 2023 for the top 7 partner countries in 2023 ($ billions)
| Country | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | 3.3 | 26.9 | 28.7 |
| China | 4.8 | 13.7 | 14.2 |
| USA | 2.9 | 0.1 | 7.1 |
| India | 0.7 | 0.5 | 6.1 |
| Belgium | 8.7 | 7.8 | 6.1 |
| Qatar | 0.7 | 2.8 | 3.5 |
| France | 2.6 | 2.2 | 3.4 |
Source: HM Revenue & Customs analysis of UN Comtrade data
Detailed asymmetries data for UK exports by partner country for 2021 to 2023 are available in tables 2a to 2c in the accompanying tables. These include other measures of asymmetry.
Commodities
Figure 4: Absolute UK exports asymmetry for the top 7 HS2 chapters in 2023 ($ billions)
| Chapter | 2023 |
|---|---|
| 71 | 57.5 |
| 84 | 14.2 |
| 85 | 5.3 |
| 27 | 4.9 |
| 29 | 4.7 |
| 30 | 3.3 |
| 90 | 2.8 |
Figure 4 shows the absolute UK exports asymmetry for the top 7 HS2 chapters in 2023. It shows that Chapter 71: Precious metals had the largest absolute asymmetry in 2023 at $57.5 billion. This was followed by Chapter 84: Mechanical appliances at $14.2 billion and Chapter 85: Electronic equipment at $5.3 billion.
Source: HM Revenue & Customs analysis of UN Comtrade data
Table 4: Absolute UK exports asymmetry from 2021 to 2023 for the top 7 HS2 chapters in 2023 ($ billions)
| Chapter | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 71 | 12.9 | 65.4 | 57.5 |
| 84 | 10.7 | 11.0 | 14.2 |
| 85 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 5.3 |
| 27 | 2.2 | 28.6 | 4.9 |
| 29 | 3.7 | 2.6 | 4.7 |
| 30 | 2.1 | 1.6 | 3.3 |
| 90 | 2.2 | 2.0 | 2.8 |
Source: HM Revenue & Customs analysis of UN Comtrade data
Detailed asymmetries data for UK exports by HS2 chapter for 2021 to 2023 are available in tables 4a to 4c in the accompanying tables. These include other measures of asymmetry.
Commodities by countries
Detailed asymmetries data for UK exports by HS2 chapter for 2021 to 2023 are available in tables 4a to 4c in the accompanying tables. These include other measures of asymmetry.
Table 7 in the accompanying tables includes all data used in this publication by flow, partner country, HS2 chapter and year. It includes many measures of asymmetry.