In the last year, demand for Scottish goods in China increased by 213.8% to £3.4 billion, while exporters in Northern Ireland saw overseas sales in the U.S. increase by 12.9% to £1.1 billion.
At the same time, London and the East Midlands helped drive export growth in England, as exports grew by 10.1% to £40.5 billion and 9.3% to £23.5 billion respectively.
Since the EU referendum, overseas demand for goods has significantly increased in each UK nation when compared to the same three-year period before the Brexit vote. Since July 2016, exports from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland increased by £104.8 billion, £9.8 billion, £7.6 billion, £4.8 billion, respectively.
Secretary of State for International Trade, Liz Truss, said: “Opening up new markets for British businesses across the country is a top priority of mine, and today’s statistics show businesses are benefiting more than ever from global trade.
A new online market access service launched yesterday will make it easier for British businesses to trade globally, opening new markets for UK goods and services.
The online service will allow British businesses to report issues preventing them from trading around the world. These barriers include unnecessary, legal, regulatory or administrative requirements. This includes labelling restrictions, out-of-date regulations and licensing requirements.
The tool will ensure British businesses can flag these issues and the government’s trade experts can work with countries around the world to resolve them, opening new markets globally.
British businesses can now directly report barriers preventing them from trading online at great.gov.uk.
