United Kingdom Imports

Imports of goods and services to the United Kingdom dropped 3.8% to GBP 72.3 billion in September 2022, down from August's all-time high of GBP 75.1 billion. Goods purchases were down by 5.0%, with imports from the EU falling 7.3% due to lower purchases of chemicals and fuel. The decrease in chemical imports from the EU was because of reduced organic chemical imports from Ireland, as well as a fall in medicinal and pharmaceutical products from Germany and the Netherlands. Meanwhile, imports from non-EU countries dropped 3.0%, primarily driven by a decline in fuel imports, linked to falling gas imports from Norway and falling oil prices during September. This decrease was partially offset by a slight rise in imports of machinery and transport equipment, driven by ships and aircraft from China and South Korea. Imports of services were little-changed at GBP 19.1 billion.