Trade in services in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Trade in services was 29.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Trade in services in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1970–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 29.2% for trade in services in 2025. 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 in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 29.2% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 9.2%, in 1991.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 71st out of 200 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Trade in services 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)
- Total reserves minus gold (current US$), annual growth rate 14.95 % change on previous year (2025)
- Total reserves minus gold (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0427 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Total reserves minus gold (current US$), per capita 2,458 current US$ per person (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$) 9.98 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$), per 0.2123 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$), per 12,226 current US$ per person (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current LCU) 6.75 % change on previous year (2025)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current LCU), per 0.1612 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is trade in services in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Trade in services in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 29.2% in 2025, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest trade in services 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 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?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 71st out of 200 countries with data for 2025.
- Is trade in services 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 Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Trade in services (% 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 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Total trade in services includes services provided by residents to non-residents plus services provided by non-residents to residents. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.