Eurostat: EU’s trade surplus with UK in 2025 was 186.6 billion euro

In 2025, the EU exported 345.3 billion euro worth of goods to the United Kingdom and imported 158.7 billion, resulting in a 186.6 billion euro trade surplus, the bloc’s statistics agency Eurostat said on June 22.

Between 2015 and 2020, the UK’s share in the EU’s overall trade declined steadily. Trade between the UK and the EU accounted for 11.2 per cent of all EU imports and 16.9 per cent of total EU exports in 2015. By 2020, these shares had fallen to 9.9 per cent of imports and 14.4 per cent of exports, Eurostat said.

After the UK left the EU single market in 2021, EU exports to the UK remained stable at the same level, hovering around 13 per cent of total EU exports (13 per cent in 2021 and 13.1 per cent in 2025). EU imports from the United Kingdom dropped slightly, from seven per cent of total EU imports in 2021 to 6.3  per cent in 2025.

The top five most exported product groups as defined in the Harmonised commodity description and coding system (HS) accounted for 47.1 per cent of all exports to the UK in 2025.

‘Vehicles other than railway or tramway rolling stock’ was the most exported product group, with 55.8 billion euro exported, or 16.2 per cent of all exports.

Next was ‘machinery, mechanical appliances and parts’ (44.9 billion euro; 13 per cent), ‘electrical machinery and parts, audio-visual equipment and accessories’ (27.2 billion euro; 7.9 per cent), ‘pharmaceutical products’ (20.4 billion euro; 5.9 per cent) and ‘mineral fuels and oils and related products’ (14.5 billion euro; 4.2 per cent). 

For imports, the top five categories accounted for 48.5 per cent of all imported goods.

Most imported product categories were ‘machinery, mechanical appliances and parts’ (22.6 billion euro; 14.3 per cent of all imports) and ‘mineral fuels and oils and related products’ (22 billion euro; 13.9 per cent).

These were followed by ‘vehicles other than railway or tramway rolling stock’ (15.1 billion euro; 9.5 per cent), ‘pharmaceutical products’ (nine billion euro; 5.6 per cent) and ‘electrical machinery and parts, audio-visual equipment and accessories’ (8.3 billion euro; 5.2 per cent). 

(Photo: Kgbo)