UK business trade, tariffs and supply chains
How many UK businesses export and import, split into goods, services or both, alongside a monthly read on what United States tariffs are actually doing to them.
| Indicator | 07-2026 | 06-2026 | 05-2026 | 04-2026 | 03-2026 | 02-2026 | 01-2026 | 12-2025 | 11-2025 | 10-2025 | 09-2025 | 08-2025 | 07-2025 | 06-2025 | 05-2025 | 04-2025 | 03-2025 | 02-2025 | 12-2024 | 11-2024 | 09-2024 | 08-2024 | 06-2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exporting4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Exported goods only16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Exported services only18 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Exported both goods and services15 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Did not export in the last 12 months20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Importing4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Imported goods only19 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Imported services only16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Imported both goods and services18 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Did not import in the last 12 months20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| US tariffs10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| US tariffs: experienced additional costs20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| US tariffs: passed costs to customers17 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| US tariffs: reduced demand18 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| US tariffs: no impact on the business20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| US tariffs: stopped or paused exports to the US | 1 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| US tariffs: supply chain disruption | 1.7 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 2 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 2 | 2.1 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 1.8 | 2 | 1.8 | 1.5 | |||||||
| Expects to absorb additional costs from US tariffs | 2.7 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 2.3 | 2 | 1.8 | 2 | 1.4 | 2 | 2 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 2.9 | 2.9 | |||||||
| Expects to pass US tariff costs to customers | 4.5 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 3.6 | 3 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 5 | |||||||
| Expects to stop or pause exports to the US | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1 | 1.1 | 1.2 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Expects no impact from US tariffs next month | 75.8 | 73.7 | 73.1 | 73.4 | 68.3 | 71.7 | 76.8 | 71.8 | 75.4 | 76.7 | 76 | 74 | 70.6 | 73.8 | 73.2 | 71.2 | 60.4 | |||||||
| Supply chain concerns7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Concerned about increased barriers to trade20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Concerned about international conflict20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Not concerned about supply chain factors20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Concerned about shipping disruption | 15.4 | 12.2 | 15.6 | 18.7 | 17.8 | 16.4 | 5.6 | 6.3 | 6.3 | 6.2 | 6.5 | 7.8 | ||||||||||||
| Concerned about cyber attacks | 10.4 | 7.9 | 7.1 | 11.7 | 8.9 | 8.1 | 10.7 | 8.7 | 7.8 | 5.8 | 4.6 | 4 | ||||||||||||
| Concerned about climate change | 9.9 | 7 | 5.4 | 5 | 4.9 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 2.7 | 3 | 2.9 | 2.4 | ||||||||||||
| Concerned about artificial intelligence | 10.6 | 6.5 | 3.9 | 10.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 6.3 | 5.1 | 6.1 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 2.9 | ||||||||||||
| Expected cost impacts4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Expects higher material sourcing costs | 50 | 45.5 | 54 | 51.6 | 52.1 | 52.4 | 40.1 | 42.6 | 40 | 46.9 | 43.7 | 35.6 | ||||||||||||
| Expects higher transportation costs | 41.7 | 43.6 | 46.9 | 42.5 | 44.3 | 44.3 | 26.4 | 29.3 | 28.4 | 32.7 | 30.9 | 27.9 | ||||||||||||
| Expects higher labour costs | 21.4 | 19.9 | 21.1 | 19.7 | 22.2 | 20.7 | 24.6 | 24.6 | 22.8 | 25.4 | 23.5 | 15.5 | ||||||||||||
| Expects a shortage of inputs | 19.9 | 21.7 | 22.4 | 23.3 | 27 | 20.7 | 17.1 | 13 | 18.4 | 17 | 17.1 | 12.4 | ||||||||||||
| Supply chain actions8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Diversified suppliers across more countries (past year) | 5.1 | 3.1 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 3 | 1.8 | ||||||||||||
| Onshored part of the supply chain (past year) | 1.5 | 1 | 1.3 | 1 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Stockpiled or built surge capacity (past year) | 3.2 | 3.6 | 4.7 | 4 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 2.6 | 2.7 | 2.1 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 1.7 | ||||||||||||
| Took no supply chain action (past year) | 65.5 | 70.2 | 67 | 64.1 | 67.3 | 61.8 | 64.5 | 64.9 | 69 | 67.8 | 69.7 | 75.1 | ||||||||||||
| Plans to diversify suppliers (next year) | 4.3 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 5.3 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 2.9 | 2.5 | ||||||||||||
| Plans to onshore (next year) | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1 | 2 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Plans to stockpile or build surge capacity (next year) | 4.2 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 3 | 2.9 | 2.1 | ||||||||||||
| Plans no supply chain action (next year) | 63.3 | 68.2 | 63.6 | 61.2 | 62.9 | 58.3 | 63.6 | 63.2 | 65.9 | 65.6 | 66.6 | 73.4 |
Latest reading
All businesses stood at 6% in Jul 2026. That is +1.4 pp from Jun 2026 and +0.4 pp from a year earlier. The series on this page is monthly and runs from Jun 2024 to Jul 2026. Source: ONS — Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS).
- Latest
- 6%
- Jul 2026
- vs previous period
- +1.4 pp
- Jun 2026
- vs a year earlier
- +0.4 pp
About this data
How many UK businesses export and import, split into goods, services or both, alongside a monthly read on what United States tariffs are actually doing to them. The tariff questions are asked twice over — what happened last month and what is expected next month — and they name the channel: extra costs, costs passed to customers, exports stopped, demand lost, supply chains disrupted. Trade statistics show the value that crossed the border months later; this shows the decision while it is being taken.
Frequently asked questions
- What does this UK business trade and supply chains table measure?
- This table measures the proportion of UK businesses involved in exporting and importing, alongside their reported exposure to US tariffs, expected cost impacts, supply chain concerns and planned operational actions.
- How often is the UK business trade and conditions survey updated?
- The data is published monthly by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) using results from the Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS), with series covering periods since 2024.
- Which sector and size breakdowns are available?
- Data is broken down across major industries including manufacturing, construction, transportation and professional services, as well as by employee size bands including 50-99 and 250+ employees.
- How are the responses in this UK business survey quantified?
- All series are expressed as percentages of responding UK businesses, reflecting qualitative experiences and short-term expectations rather than monetary customs values.
