The United Kingdom’s trade deficit widened to £9.66 billion in March 2026, up from an upwardly revised £5.34 billion in February, marking the largest gap since January 2022. Overall exports rose 0.2% month-on-month to £79.13 billion, while imports increased at a faster pace of 5.3% to a three-month high of £88.78 billion.
Goods exports inched up 0.1% to £32.35 billion, supported by a 3.9% rise in shipments to the EU, while exports to non-EU markets were broadly unchanged. The increase in exports to the EU was driven by a £0.6 billion rise in fuel exports and a £0.2 billion gain in chemical exports. Services exports grew 0.2% to £46.78 billion.
On the import side, goods imports edged up 0.1% to £59.57 billion, while services imports were stable at £29.21 billion.