Trade in services as share of GDP in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Trade in services as share of GDP was 29.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Trade in services as share of GDP in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1970–2025
Source: International Monetary Fund (IMF), OECD, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, trade in services as share of gdp in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stood at 29.2%. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 37.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, trade in services as share of gdp in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 29.2% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 9.2%, in 1991.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 69th of 198 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Trade in services as share of GDP in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 11.6% | — |
| 1971 | 11.9% | +2.0% |
| 1972 | 11.4% | -3.7% |
| 1973 | 12.3% | +7.8% |
| 1974 | 13.9% | +12.6% |
| 1975 | 12.8% | -7.6% |
| 1976 | 13.6% | +5.6% |
| 1977 | 13.3% | -2.1% |
| 1978 | 12.2% | -8.3% |
| 1979 | 12.1% | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 11.4% | -5.9% |
| 1981 | 11.2% | -2.1% |
| 1982 | 11.0% | -1.8% |
| 1983 | 10.7% | -2.4% |
| 1984 | 11.1% | +3.9% |
| 1985 | 11.1% | -0.2% |
| 1986 | 10.8% | -2.5% |
| 1987 | 10.4% | -4.0% |
| 1988 | 9.6% | -7.5% |
| 1989 | 9.6% | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 9.6% | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 9.2% | -4.2% |
| 1992 | 10.1% | +9.3% |
| 1993 | 10.8% | +7.3% |
| 1994 | 11.4% | +5.4% |
| 1995 | 10.8% | -5.3% |
| 1996 | 11.5% | +6.4% |
| 1997 | 11.5% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 12.1% | +5.4% |
| 1999 | 14.5% | +19.8% |
| 2000 | 14.9% | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 15.2% | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 15.4% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 15.8% | +2.8% |
| 2004 | 16.4% | +4.0% |
| 2005 | 16.9% | +3.2% |
| 2006 | 17.8% | +5.2% |
| 2007 | 18.0% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 19.0% | +5.6% |
| 2009 | 19.8% | +4.0% |
| 2010 | 20.0% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 20.8% | +4.4% |
| 2012 | 20.7% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 21.2% | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 20.9% | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 21.2% | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 22.5% | +6.0% |
| 2017 | 23.6% | +5.1% |
| 2018 | 24.8% | +5.1% |
| 2019 | 25.0% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 22.7% | -9.3% |
| 2021 | 22.4% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 26.7% | +19.0% |
| 2023 | 27.7% | +3.9% |
| 2024 | 28.7% | +3.5% |
| 2025 | 29.2% | +1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 12.5% | 11.4% | 13.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.7% | 9.6% | 11.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.1% | 9.2% | 14.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.9% | 14.9% | 19.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.1% | 20.0% | 25.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.2% | 22.4% | 29.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More economy & growth data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.14 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 1.42 Percent per annum (2029)
- Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$), per capita 39,565 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), annual growth rate 8.86 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per unit of GDP 1.01 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per capita 58,381 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), annual growth rate 5.67 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.7697 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), per capita 44,339 current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 2.02 % change on previous year (2025)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is trade in services as share of gdp in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Trade in services as share of gdp in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 29.2% in 2025, according to International Monetary Fund (IMF), OECD, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest trade in services as share of gdp recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 29.2% in 2025.
- What is the lowest trade in services as share of gdp recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.2% in 1991.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for trade in services as share of gdp?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 69th out of 198 countries with data for 2025.
- Is trade in services as share of gdp rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (IMF), OECD, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Trade in services as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total services trade (exports and imports) divided by gross domestic product (GDP).