That dollar total reflects a 27.4% increase from $402.6 billion five years earlier for 2020.
Year over year, UK export sales slowed by -1.3% compared to $519.7 billion in 2023.
Based on its average exchange rate for 2024, the British pound appreciated by 2.8% against the US dollar from 2023 to 2024. The UK’s stronger local currency since 2023 makes British exports paid for in comparatively weaker US dollars relatively more expensive for international buyers.
Britain’s biggest export products by value include gold, cars, turbo-jets, medication mixes in dosage, and crude oil. In aggregate, those major exports generated about a third (33.5%) of overall exports sales from the United Kingdom for 2023. The UK’s top commodities showcase a diversified range of exported goods.
The United Kingdom ranks among world-leading nations for exporting aircraft parts, platinum and gold.
UK’s Most Valuable Trading Partners
The latest available country-specific data shows that 67.4% of products exported from the UK was bought by importers in: United States of America (13.9% of the UK total), mainland China (9.1%), Germany (7.6%), Netherlands (6.6%), Ireland (5.7%), Switzerland (5.62%), France (5.55%), Belgium (4.2%), United Arab Emirates (2.4%), Hong Kong (2.33%), Spain (2.32%) and Italy (2.2%).
From a continental perspective, 50.6% of United Kingdom’s exports by value was delivered to European countries while 27.9% was sold to importers in Asia. United Kingdom shipped another 16.3% worth of goods to buyers in North America.
Smaller percentages went to customers in Africa (2.3%), Latin America (1.5%) plus Caribbean but excluding Mexico, then Oceania (1.4%) led by Australia and New Zealand.
No longer a member of the European Union, nevertheless the UK collected 43.1% of its global revenues from exports that Britain sold to the existing 27 members of the EU in 2024. That percentage shows an increase from 42.5% for 2023.
Given United Kingdom’s population of 68.4 million people, its total $512.8 billion in 2024 exported products translates to roughly $7,500 for every resident in the western European economic powerhouse. That percentage lags the $7,600 per person one year earlier.
United Kingdom’s Top 10 Exports
The following export product groups categorize the highest dollar value in UK global shipments during 2024. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Great Britain.
- Machinery including computers: US$85.5 billion (16.7% of total exports)
- Gems, precious metals: $82 billion (16%)
- Vehicles: $48.3 billion (9.4%)
- Mineral fuels including oil: $34.5 billion (6.7%)
- Electrical machinery, equipment: $30.2 billion (5.9%)
- Pharmaceuticals: $27.7 billion (5.4%)
- Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $22.1 billion (4.3%)
- Aircraft, spacecraft: $16 billion (3.1%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: $11.8 billion (2.3%)
- Beverages, spirits, vinegar: $10.7 billion (2.1%)
The United Kingdom’s top 10 export product categories surpassed two-thirds (71.9%) of the overall value of global UK shipments.
Aircraft and spacecraft represents the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 8.2% since 2023.
In second place for improving export sales was electrical machinery and equipment via a 6.1% advance.
The UK’s shipments of optical, technical and medical apparatus recorded the third-fastest gain in value, up by 2.5%.
The leading decliner among the United Kingdom’s top 10 export categories was mineral fuels including oil, pulled down by a -17.9% year-over-year drop.
Note that the results listed above are at the categorized two-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) code level. For a more granular view of exported goods at the four-digit HTS code level, peruse the section below.
Searchable List of UK’s Most Valuable Export Products
At the more granular four-digit HTS code level, the following searchable table displays 100 of the most in-demand goods shipped from the United Kingdom. Shown beside each product label is its total export value then the percentage increase or decrease year over year.
| Rank | UK Export Product | Value (US$) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gold (unwrought) | $65,840,012,000 | +0.9% |
| 2 | Cars | $35,845,591,000 | -3% |
| 3 | Turbo-jets | $35,032,799,000 | -3.5% |
| 4 | Medication mixes in dosage | $19,162,727,000 | -0.2% |
| 5 | Crude oil | $15,996,814,000 | -23.2% |
| 6 | Aircraft or spacecraft parts | $13,909,506,000 | +12.7% |
| 7 | Processed petroleum oils | $10,860,144,000 | -21.4% |
| 8 | Alcohol (including spirits, liqueurs) | $8,449,347,000 | -0.7% |
| 9 | Blood fractions (including antisera) | $7,138,429,000 | +3.3% |
| 10 | Platinum (unwrought) | $5,572,989,000 | -13.3% |
| 11 | Phone devices including smartphones | $5,549,962,000 | +9% |
| 12 | Automobile parts/accessories | $5,434,829,000 | +0.2% |
| 13 | Petroleum gases | $4,845,356,000 | +4% |
| 14 | Computers, optical readers | $4,292,851,000 | +1.7% |
| 15 | Engines (diesel) | $4,129,184,000 | -5.6% |
| 16 | Taps, valves, similar appliances | $3,921,934,000 | +11% |
| 17 | Silver (unwrought) | $3,624,391,000 | +29.1% |
| 18 | Trucks | $3,340,718,000 | -5.7% |
| 19 | Electro-medical equip (e.g. xrays) | $3,330,637,000 | +2.5% |
| 20 | Iron or steel scrap | $3,311,298,000 | +2.6% |
| 21 | Jewelry | $3,183,434,000 | -0.5% |
| 22 | Physical/chemical analysis tools | $3,151,140,000 | -3.5% |
| 23 | Heavy machinery (bulldozers, excavators, road rollers) | $2,684,054,000 | -9.4% |
| 24 | Centrifuges, filters and purifiers | $2,598,607,000 | -12% |
| 25 | Hand-drawn paintings, drawings | $2,561,675,000 | +8.3% |
| 26 | Precious metal waste, scrap | $2,441,307,000 | +15.7% |
| 27 | Other diagnostic/lab reagents | $2,433,696,000 | +1.3% |
| 28 | Orthopedic appliances | $2,335,315,000 | -1.2% |
| 29 | Fork-lift trucks | $2,279,453,000 | -6% |
| 30 | Liquid pumps and elevators | $2,275,575,000 | +7.3% |
| 31 | Electrical machinery | $2,188,644,000 | +30.8% |
| 32 | Beauty/makeup/skin care preparations | $2,146,477,000 | -0.7% |
| 33 | Other measuring/testing machines | $2,130,090,000 | +11.2% |
| 34 | Electrical/optical circuit boards, panels | $2,102,770,000 | +4.5% |
| 35 | Miscellaneous machinery | $2,100,770,000 | +7.3% |
| 36 | Transmission shafts, gears, clutches | $2,096,015,000 | +13% |
| 37 | Air or vacuum pumps | $2,060,203,000 | +5.6% |
| 38 | Lower-voltage switches, fuses | $2,059,303,000 | +8.7% |
| 39 | Printed books, brochures | $1,911,097,000 | +3.5% |
| 40 | Other food preparations | $1,904,727,000 | +7.6% |
| 41 | Insulated wire/cable | $1,761,839,000 | +7.2% |
| 42 | Copper waste, scrap | $1,707,438,000 | +19.9% |
| 43 | Miscellaneous plastic items | $1,686,277,000 | +9.6% |
| 44 | Piston engines | $1,676,038,000 | +11.5% |
| 45 | Aircraft, spacecraft | $1,674,995,000 | -23.1% |
| 46 | Heterocyclics, nucleic acids | $1,647,197,000 | -75.6% |
| 47 | Seats (excluding barber/dentist chairs) | $1,598,322,000 | +7.7% |
| 48 | Electrical converters/power units | $1,590,812,000 | -3.7% |
| 49 | Tractors | $1,579,911,000 | -28.5% |
| 50 | Plastic plates, sheets, film, tape, strips | $1,576,911,000 | +16.1% |
| 51 | Miscellaneous iron or steel items | $1,574,704,000 | -1.1% |
| 52 | Coal tar oils (high temperature distillation) | $1,564,918,000 | +13.7% |
| 53 | Piston engine parts | $1,547,042,000 | +9.5% |
| 54 | Machinery parts | $1,528,125,000 | -5.3% |
| 55 | Bread, biscuits, cakes, pastries | $1,492,547,000 | +11.7% |
| 56 | Sort/screen/washing machinery | $1,450,615,000 | -15.4% |
| 57 | Liquid/gas checking instruments | $1,435,193,000 | +3.4% |
| 58 | Oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers | $1,391,031,000 | +6.8% |
| 59 | Other organic cleaning preparations | $1,376,979,000 | +0.8% |
| 60 | Miscellaneous engines, motors | $1,341,978,000 | +17.4% |
| 61 | Temperature-change machines | $1,334,082,000 | +3% |
| 62 | Plastic packing goods, lids, caps | $1,332,493,000 | -1.3% |
| 63 | Printing machinery | $1,316,073,000 | -1.7% |
| 64 | Miscellaneous animal feed preparations | $1,296,553,000 | +5.3% |
| 65 | Whole fish (fresh) | $1,293,124,000 | +27.6% |
| 66 | Radar, radio communication items | $1,290,882,000 | +22.1% |
| 67 | Miscellaneous furniture | $1,285,631,000 | +3.9% |
| 68 | Bombs, grenades, ammunition | $1,261,104,000 | -1% |
| 69 | Navigational aids including compasses | $1,216,664,000 | +11.3% |
| 70 | Chocolate, other cocoa preparations | $1,198,856,000 | +13.9% |
| 71 | Hormones, miscellaneous steroids | $1,195,860,000 | -31% |
| 72 | Chemical industry products/residuals | $1,191,158,000 | +0.9% |
| 73 | Iron and steel screws, bolts, nuts, washers | $1,184,592,000 | +12.4% |
| 74 | Precious metal compounds | $1,148,529,000 | +19.3% |
| 75 | Aluminum waste, scrap | $1,142,780,000 | +5.4% |
| 76 | Cheese, curd | $1,135,472,000 | +11.6% |
| 77 | Yachts, other pleasure/sports vessels | $1,127,541,000 | +4.6% |
| 78 | Personal toilet/shaving preparations, deodorants | $1,123,555,000 | +4% |
| 79 | Miscellaneous iron and steel structures | $1,111,019,000 | +28.3% |
| 80 | Packaged insecticides/fungicides/herbicides | $1,071,262,000 | -13.7% |
| 81 | Integrated circuits/microassemblies | $1,038,418,000 | -22% |
| 82 | X-ray equipment | $1,017,600,000 | +0.9% |
| 83 | Electric motors, generators | $1,010,791,000 | +2.8% |
| 84 | Plastic tubes, pipes, fittings | $992,341,000 | +4.4% |
| 85 | Amino-compounds (oxygen) | $987,919,000 | +29.6% |
| 86 | Regulate/control instruments | $953,907,000 | -23.1% |
| 87 | Machinery for making semi-conductors | $926,334,000 | +4.3% |
| 88 | Electric generating sets, converters | $899,669,000 | -1.8% |
| 89 | Electric storage batteries | $898,604,000 | +25.8% |
| 90 | Titanium | $897,566,000 | +21.5% |
| 91 | Miscellaneous heterocyclics | $886,139,000 | +31.8% |
| 92 | Scents used for beverage or industrial manufacturing | $881,901,000 | +11.5% |
| 93 | Stainless steel ingots | $861,704,000 | +9.9% |
| 94 | Lifting/loading machinery | $860,588,000 | -11.3% |
| 95 | TV receiver/transmit/digital cameras | $827,260,000 | +7.5% |
| 96 | Survey/hydro/weather instruments | $823,818,000 | +5.4% |
| 97 | Non-alcoholic drinks (not water/juice/milk) | $805,636,000 | +14.2% |
| 98 | Sculptures, statues | $794,183,000 | -5.7% |
| 99 | Models, puzzles, miscellaneous toys | $791,478,000 | +16.4% |
| 100 | Cases, handbags, wallets | $791,341,000 | -9.6% |
These 100 exported goods were worth a subtotal of US$375.9 billion or nearly three-quarters (73.3%) by value for all products exported from the UK during 2024.
Products Creating Trade Surpluses for Britain
The following types of UK product shipments represent positive net exports or a trade balance surplus. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports.
In a nutshell, net exports represent the amount by which foreign spending on a home country’s goods or services exceeds or lags the home country’s spending on foreign goods or services.
- Collector items, art, antiques: US$1.8 billion (Down by -27.1% since 2023)
- Books, newspapers, pictures: $1.45 billion (Up by 18.1%)
- Aircraft, spacecraft: $1.41 billion (Reversing a -$213.4 million deficit)
- Ships, boats: $909.4 million (Up by 132.1%)
- Tanning, dyes, paints, varnishes, ink: $895.9 million (Up by 13%)
- Arms, ammunition: $763 million (Up by 29.3%)
- Miscellaneous chemical goods: $577.8 million (Reversing a -$162.2 million deficit)
- Nickel: $535.9 million (Down by -9.6%)
- Iron, steel: $359.8 million (Down by -69.2%)
- Other base metals: $325.4 million (Up by 152.9%)
The United Kingdom has highly positive net exports in the international trade of paintings, antiques and sculptures. In turn, these cashflows indicate United Kingdom’s strong competitive advantages under the collector items, art and antiques product category.
Products Causing Trade Deficits for Britain
The United Kingdom incurred an overall -US$303.1 billion trade deficit during 2024. That dollar amount results from an 11.4% expansion from -$272.2 billion in red ink one year earlier.
Below are exports from United Kingdom that result in negative net exports or product trade balance deficits. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on home country United Kingdom’s goods trail UK importer spending on foreign products.
- Mineral fuels including oil: -US$47.2 billion (Down by -6.5% since 2023)
- Electrical machinery, equipment: -$42 billion (Down by -7.8%)
- Vehicles: -$40.5 billion (Up by 1.3%)
- Gems, precious metals: -$11 billion (Down by -162.5%)
- Machinery including computers: -$9.7 billion (Down by -9.9%)
- Knit or crochet clothing, accessories: -$9.2 billion (Up by 0.4%)
- Furniture, bedding, lighting, signs, prefab buildings: -$9 billion (Up by 4.5%)
- Wood: -$8.1 billion (Up by 8.8%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: -$8 billion (Down by -0.6%)
- Fruits, nuts: -$7 billion (Up by 17%)
Notably, the United Kingdom has highly negative net exports under the mineral fuels including oil product category and therefore deep international trade deficits. One root cause for those product deficits was the UK’s increased spending on imported petroleum gases and crude oil.
These cashflow deficiencies clearly indicate United Kingdom’s competitive disadvantages in the international energy market, but also represent key opportunities for United Kingdom to improve its position in the global economy through focused innovations.
Major UK Export Companies
Here are UK export companies ranking among the largest international trade players for the United Kingdom.
- Anglo American PLC (diversified metals, mining)
- AstraZeneca (pharmaceuticals)
- BP (oil, gas)
- British American Tobacco (tobacco)
- GlaxoSmithKline (pharmaceuticals)
- Johnson Matthey (chemicals)
- Mondi Group (paper, paper products)
- Rio Tinto Group (diversified metals, mining)
- SABMiller (beverages)
- Smith & Nephew (medical equipment, supplies)
According to global trade intelligence firm Zepol, the following companies are also examples of UK exporters.
- Allied Pickfords UK (forage products, corn, t-shirts)
- Cadbury UK (chocolate bars, other chocolate preparations)
- GKN Timet UK (titanium)
- Optivite International (formic acid, proprionic acid, animal feeds not for dog or cat)
- Rothenberger UK (pipe/bolt cutters, propylene, miscellaneous tubes/pipes/hoses)
In macroeconomic terms, the United Kingdom’s total exported goods represent 12% of its overall Gross Domestic Product for 2024 ($4.282 trillion valued in Purchasing Power Parity US dollars). That 12% for exports to overall GDP per PPP in 2024 compares to 13.4% one year earlier. Those percentages suggest a diminishing reliance on products sold on international markets for the UK’s total economic performance.
Another key indicator of a geographical entity’s economic health is its unemployment rate. Britain’s unemployment rate averaged 4.275% for 2024, up from an average 4.025% for 2023 according to International Monetary Fund metrics.
See also United Kingdom’s Top 10 Imports, United Kingdom’s Top Trading Partners, UK’s Major EU Exports, United Kingdom’s Top 10 Major Export Companies and World’s Top Food Exports Special Data Report
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Country Profiles, Central Intelligence Agency. Accessed on February 27, 2025
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on February 27, 2025
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on February 27, 2025
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on February 27, 2025
Richest Country Reports, Key Statistics Powering Global Wealth. Accessed on February 27, 2025
SHIPHUB, HS Code for Food. Accessed on February 27, 2025
Wikipedia, Gross domestic product. Accessed on February 27, 2025
Wikipedia, List of Companies based in London. Accessed on February 27, 2025
Wikipedia, Purchasing power parity. Accessed on February 27, 2025
X-rates.com, Exchange Rates: British Pound to US Dollar (monthly average 2024). Accessed on February 27, 2025
Zepol’s company summary highlights by country. Accessed on February 27, 2025