Customs Importer and Exporter Population 2023
Published 10 April 2024
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Introduction
This article reports on the number of importers and exporters (businesses) in the calendar year 2023, who were named on a Customs declaration. This covers the movement of goods between Great Britain (GB) and the European Union (EU), or United Kingdom (UK) and non-EU countries. These importers and exporters are referred to as “businesses” throughout the report and are defined in the accompany methodology document.
Previous publications
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) advises users against making comparisons to the previous UK Importer and Exporter Population as changes in the data sources would make such comparisons unreliable.
Summary statistics
Total number of businesses named on a Customs declaration in 2023
350,107 The total importer and exporter customs population decreased by 6,452 (2%) compared with the 2022 population of 356,559.
Number of businesses moving goods to or from EU countries in 2023
232,309 The population of businesses moving goods to or from EU countries decreased by 9,720 (4%) compared with the 2022 population of 242,029.
Number of businesses moving goods to or from non-EU countries in 2023
233,787 The population of businesses moving goods to or from non-EU countries increased by 1,571 (1%) compared with the 2022 population of 232,216.
Number of businesses who imported goods in 2023
312,555 The population of businesses importing goods during 2023 decreased by 6,680 (2%) compared with the 2022 population of 319,235.
Number of businesses who exported goods in 2023
142,684 The population of businesses exporting goods during 2023 decreased by 1,204 (1%) compared with the 2022 population of 143,888.
Business counts by partner country
Table 1: Customs population moving goods in 2022 and 2023, by partner countries
Table 1 shows the change in population from 2022 to 2023, for each partner country:
| Partner countries | Business count 2022 | Business count 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| EU only | 124,343 | 116,320 |
| Non-EU only | 114,530 | 117,798 |
| EU and non-EU | 117,686 | 115,989 |
| Total | 356,559 | 350,107 |
Of the 350,107 businesses moving goods during 2023:
- 116,320 were moving goods to or from EU countries only, decreasing by 8,023 (6%)
- 117,798 were moving goods to or from non-EU countries only, increasing by 3,268 (3%)
- 115,989 were moving goods to or from both EU and non-EU countries, decreasing by 1,697 (1%)
Most businesses (67%) were moving goods to or from just one partner (EU countries only or non-EU countries only). The remaining businesses (33%) moved goods to or from both EU and non-EU countries.
Source: Customs importer and exporter population, 2023, from HM Revenue & Customs.
Notes:
Customs declarations are required for movements of goods between GB and EU, and between UK and non-EU countries.
Adding EU countries only to both EU & non-EU will give the total number of businesses who moved goods to or from EU countries. Likewise, adding non-EU countries only to both EU & non-EU will give the total number of businesses who moved goods to or from non-EU countries.
Table 2: Customs population moving goods in 2022 and 2023, by partner countries and direction of movement
Table 2 shows the change in population from 2022 to 2023, for each partner country and direction of movement combination.
| Partner countries | Direction of movement | Business count 2022 | Business count 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU only | Importing only | 88,673 | 82,043 |
| EU only | Exporting only | 17,960 | 17,776 |
| EU only | Importing and exporting | 17,710 | 16,501 |
| Non-EU only | Importing only | 95,643 | 98,226 |
| Non-EU only | Exporting only | 13,771 | 14,021 |
| Non-EU only | Importing and exporting | 5,116 | 5,551 |
| EU and non-EU | Importing only | 28,355 | 27,154 |
| EU and non-EU | Exporting only | 5,593 | 5,755 |
| EU and non-EU | Importing and exporting | 83,738 | 83,080 |
| Total | N/A | 356,559 | 350,107 |
Of the 116,320 businesses moving goods to or from EU countries only in 2023:
- 82,043 were importing but not exporting goods, decreasing by 6,630 (7%)
- 17,776 were exporting but not importing goods, decreasing by 184 (1%)
- 16,501 were both importing and exporting goods, decreasing by 1,209 (7%)
Of the 117,798 businesses moving goods to or from non-EU countries only in 2023:
- 98,226 were importing but not exporting goods, increasing by 2,583 (3%)
- 14,021 were exporting but not importing goods, increasing by 250 (2%)
- 5,551 were both importing and exporting goods, increasing by 435 (9%)
Of the 115,989 businesses moving goods to or from both EU and non-EU countries in 2023:
- 27,154 were importing but not exporting goods, decreasing by 1,201 (4%)
- 5,755 were exporting but not importing goods, increasing by 162 (3%)
- 83,080 were both importing and exporting goods, decreasing by 658 (1%)
Source: Customs importer and exporter population, 2023, from HM Revenue & Customs.
Notes:
Customs declarations are required for movements of goods between GB and EU, and between UK and non-EU countries.
Importing refers to imports from both EU and non-EU countries, exporting refers to exports to both EU and non-EU countries.
Business counts by direction of movement
Table 3: Customs population moving goods in 2022 and 2023, by direction of movement
Table 3 shows the change in population from 2022 to 2023, for each direction of movement:
| Direction of movement | Business count 2022 | Business count 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Importing only | 212,671 | 207,423 |
| Exporting only | 37,324 | 37,552 |
| Importing and exporting | 106,564 | 105,132 |
| Total | 356,559 | 350,107 |
Of the 350,107 businesses moving goods during 2023:
- 207,423 were importing but not exporting goods, decreasing by 5,248 (2%)
- 37,552 were exporting but not importing goods, increasing by 228 (1%)
- 105,132 were both importing and exporting goods, decreasing by 1,432 (1%)
Most businesses (70%) were moving goods in just one direction. The remaining businesses (30%) both imported and exported goods.
Source: Customs importer and exporter population, 2023, from HM Revenue & Customs.
Notes:
Customs declarations are required for movements of goods between GB and EU, and between UK and non-EU countries.
Adding importing only to both importing and exporting, will give the total number of businesses who imported goods. Likewise, adding exporting only to both importing and exporting will give the total number of businesses who exported goods.
Table 4: Customs population moving goods in 2022 and 2023, by direction of movement and partner countries
Table 4 shows the change in population from 2022 to 2023, for each direction of movement and partner country combination.
| Direction of movement | Partner countries | Business count 2022 | Business count 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Importing only | EU only | 88,673 | 82,043 |
| Importing only | Non-EU only | 95,643 | 98,226 |
| Importing only | EU and non-EU | 28,355 | 27,154 |
| Exporting only | EU only | 17,960 | 17,776 |
| Exporting only | Non-EU only | 13,771 | 14,021 |
| Exporting only | EU and non-EU | 5,593 | 5,755 |
| Importing and exporting | EU only | 17,710 | 16,501 |
| Importing and exporting | Non-EU only | 5,116 | 5,551 |
| Importing and exporting | EU and non-EU | 83,738 | 83,080 |
| Total | N/A | 356,559 | 350,107 |
Of the 207,423 businesses only importing but not exporting goods in 2023:
- 82,043 were importing goods from EU countries only, decreasing by 6,630 (7%)
- 98,226 were importing goods from non-EU countries only, increasing by 2,583 (3%)
- 27,154 were importing goods from both EU and non-EU countries, decreasing by 1,201 (4%)
Of the 37,552 businesses only exporting but not importing any goods in 2023:
- 17,776 were exporting goods from EU countries only, decreasing by 184 (1%)
- 14,021 were exporting goods from non-EU countries only, increasing by 250 (2%)
- 5,755 were exporting goods from both EU and non-EU countries, increasing by 162 (3%)
Of the 105,132 businesses both importing and exporting goods in 2023:
- 16,501 were both importing from and exporting to EU countries only, decreasing by 1,209 (7%)
- 5,551 were both importing and exporting goods to non-EU countries only, increasing by 435 (9%)
83,080 were both importing and exporting goods to and from both EU and non-EU countries, decreasing by 658 (1%)
Source: Customs importer and exporter population, 2023, from HM Revenue & Customs.
Notes:
Customs declarations are required for movements of goods between GB and EU, and between UK and non-EU countries.
Importing refers to imports from both EU and non-EU countries, exporting refers to exports to both EU and non-EU countries.
Business churn
Business churn compares the 2022 and 2023 Customs populations.
Table 5: Customs population for goods movements in 2022, by annual business churn
Table 5 shows the number of businesses moving goods in 2022. Businesses are split into two groups. Those moving goods during 2022 but stopping in 2023. And those continuing goods movements in 2023.
| Years moving goods | Business count |
|---|---|
| 2022 only | 98,061 |
| 2022 and 2023 | 258,498 |
| 2022 Total | 356,559 |
Source: Customs importer and exporter population, 2023, from HM Revenue & Customs.
Of the 356,559 businesses moving goods in 2022:
-
98,061 (28%) were not in the 2023 population
-
258,498 (72%) were in 2022 and 2023 populations
Notes:
Customs declarations are required for movements of goods between GB and EU, and between UK and non-EU countries.
This analysis only compares the current year to the previous year. Previous business behaviour was not taken into account.
Table 6: Customs population for goods movements in 2023, by annual business churn
Table 6 shows the number of businesses moving goods in 2023. Businesses are split into two groups. Those previously moving goods in 2022, continuing in 2023. And those moving goods in 2023, having not done so in 2022.
| Years moving goods | Business count |
|---|---|
| 2022 and 2023 | 258,498 |
| 2023 only | 91,609 |
| 2023 Total | 350,107 |
Source: Customs importer and exporter population, 2023, from HM Revenue & Customs.
Of the 350,107 businesses moving goods in 2023:
-
258,498 (74%) were in 2022 and 2023 populations
-
91,609 (26%) were not in the 2022 population
Notes:
Customs declarations are required for movements of goods between GB and EU, and between UK and non-EU countries.
This analysis only compares the current year to the previous year. Previous business behaviour was not taken into account.