UK Gold Exports & Imports by Country
The UK exported £2.9bn of gold (29.6 tonnes) and imported £17.6bn in August 2026. Over the last 12 months exports totalled £39.6bn (398 t, about $53.1bn) and imports £151bn. The biggest destination was China (61% of exports), and the biggest source Switzerland (37% of imports). Exports so far in 2026 are down 45% on the same months of 2025.
UK gold exports and imports, monthly since 2005
pounds sterlingTop Partners, Last 12 Months
Sep 2025 – Aug 2026, all gold products, pounds sterling.
Destinations (exports)
| Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1. China | £24.1bn | 60.8% |
| 2. Hong Kong | £4.3bn | 10.8% |
| 3. Qatar | £3.4bn | 8.5% |
| 4. Switzerland | £3.0bn | 7.5% |
| 5. Azerbaijan | £1.1bn | 2.9% |
| 6. Germany | £806m | 2.0% |
| 7. United Arab Emirates | £666m | 1.7% |
| 8. Oman | £631m | 1.6% |
| 9. Singapore | £481m | 1.2% |
| 10. Canada | £280m | 0.7% |
| 11. Australia | £210m | 0.5% |
| 12. France | £162m | 0.4% |
| 13. India | £127m | 0.3% |
| 14. Turkey | £122m | 0.3% |
| 15. Czechia | £97.0m | 0.2% |
| All countries | £39.6bn | 100% |
Sources (imports)
| Country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Switzerland | £55.9bn | 37.1% |
| 2. Canada | £34.9bn | 23.2% |
| 3. United States | £19.9bn | 13.2% |
| 4. South Africa | £13.2bn | 8.8% |
| 5. Australia | £5.0bn | 3.3% |
| 6. Germany | £4.3bn | 2.9% |
| 7. Singapore | £3.1bn | 2.1% |
| 8. Uzbekistan | £3.0bn | 2.0% |
| 9. Spain | £2.8bn | 1.9% |
| 10. Hong Kong | £2.3bn | 1.5% |
| 11. Japan | £1.7bn | 1.1% |
| 12. Austria | £1.0bn | 0.7% |
| 13. Mexico | £1.0bn | 0.7% |
| 14. Brazil | £878m | 0.6% |
| 15. Philippines | £648m | 0.4% |
| All countries | £151bn | 100% |
Month by Month
The last 12 months, with the largest partner each month.
| Month | Exports | Imports | Net |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | £2.9bn | £17.6bn | −£14.7bn |
| Jul 2026 | £4.3bn | £11.2bn | −£6.9bn |
| Jun 2026 | £5.8bn | £9.9bn | −£4.2bn |
| May 2026 | £6.3bn | £11.1bn | −£4.7bn |
| Apr 2026 | £4.1bn | £9.8bn | −£5.8bn |
| Mar 2026 | £1.5bn | £17.6bn | −£16.1bn |
| Feb 2026 | £362m | £11.3bn | −£10.9bn |
| Jan 2026 | £1.7bn | £13.6bn | −£11.9bn |
| Dec 2025 | £112m | £21.4bn | −£21.3bn |
| Nov 2025 | £2.0bn | £11.7bn | −£9.6bn |
| Oct 2025 | £5.8bn | £8.3bn | −£2.5bn |
| Sep 2025 | £4.8bn | £7.1bn | −£2.3bn |
By Product, Last 12 Months
| Product (HS code) | Exports | Imports |
|---|---|---|
| Unwrought gold (bars, doré) 7108.12 | £193m | £778m |
| Semi-manufactured gold 7108.13 | £39.4bn | £150bn |
| Gold powder 7108.11 | £4.8m | £5.6m |
| Monetary gold 7108.20 | £0k | £0k |
Year by Year
| Year | Exports | Imports | Net |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (8 mo.) | £26.8bn | £102bn | −£75.2bn |
| 2025 | £61.8bn | £117bn | −£55.1bn |
| 2024 | £51.6bn | £60.4bn | −£8.8bn |
| 2023 | £52.5bn | £38.6bn | +£13.8bn |
| 2022 | £59.0bn | £33.9bn | +£25.0bn |
| 2021 | £30.1bn | £39.1bn | −£8.9bn |
| 2020 | £16.7bn | £68.6bn | −£52.0bn |
| 2019 | £18.3bn | £55.4bn | −£37.1bn |
| 2018 | £23.8bn | £19.2bn | +£4.6bn |
| 2017 | £13.2bn | £26.8bn | −£13.6bn |
| 2016 | £11.5bn | £42.9bn | −£31.4bn |
| 2015 | £25.2bn | £12.2bn | +£13.0bn |
| 2014 | £22.8bn | £12.3bn | +£10.5bn |
| 2013 | £50.6bn | £9.7bn | +£40.9bn |
| 2012 | £5.4bn | £35.2bn | −£29.9bn |
| 2011 | £21.5bn | £25.3bn | −£3.8bn |
| 2010 | £6.7bn | £19.7bn | −£13.0bn |
| 2009 | £1.4bn | £23.7bn | −£22.3bn |
| 2008 | £7.3bn | £13.4bn | −£6.1bn |
| 2007 | £2.2bn | £7.2bn | −£5.0bn |
| 2006 | £1.5bn | £8.4bn | −£6.8bn |
| 2005 | £4.3bn | £2.8bn | +£1.4bn |
Exports by destination and year (top 20)
| Country | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | £20.5bn | £14.7bn | £23.2bn | £14.0bn | £14.2bn | £76k |
| Hong Kong | £3.0bn | £2.5bn | £1.5bn | £5.4bn | £12.3bn | £535m |
| Qatar | £9.5m | £4.9bn | £7.2m | £3.8m | — | £12k |
| Switzerland | £1.4bn | £18.6bn | £17.9bn | £23.5bn | £22.4bn | £23.4bn |
| Azerbaijan | — | £3.8bn | £2.6bn | — | £36k | £63.5m |
| Germany | £600m | £1.2bn | £253m | £36.3m | £1.7bn | £1.7bn |
| United Arab Emirates | £424m | £663m | £2.3bn | £912m | £4.2bn | £1.7bn |
| Oman | — | £631m | — | — | — | — |
| Singapore | £472m | £207m | £300m | £295m | £1.3bn | £1.4bn |
| Canada | £24.0m | £433m | £158m | £494m | £28.3m | £9.4m |
| Australia | £8.0m | £421m | £5.1m | £1.4m | £172k | £120m |
| France | £142m | £332m | £109m | £297m | £44.0m | £5.1m |
| India | £3.9m | £127m | £94.6m | £4.4bn | £6.3m | £258k |
| Turkey | £106m | £314m | £516m | £253m | £766m | £133m |
| Czechia | £18k | £97.0m | £67.4m | £52.4m | £3.1m | £42k |
| Italy | £65.6m | £129m | £169m | £39.6m | £30.0m | £4.2m |
| United States | £68.4m | £12.6bn | £1.9bn | £1.8bn | £92.3m | £28.9m |
| Taiwan | £11.2m | £143k | — | £3k | — | £1k |
| Malaysia | £10.4m | £16k | £771k | £3k | £8k | £2k |
| Cyprus | £4.5m | £5.6m | £5.1m | £11.3m | £6.2m | £3.7m |
Imports by source and year (top 20)
| Country | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | £39.3bn | £32.3bn | £8.2bn | £3.0bn | £2.5bn | £3.0bn |
| Canada | £24.3bn | £23.1bn | £13.9bn | £5.4bn | £8.5bn | £7.0bn |
| United States | £13.4bn | £20.4bn | £8.6bn | £6.3bn | £5.6bn | £6.3bn |
| South Africa | £8.9bn | £8.6bn | £4.4bn | £1.3bn | £280m | £1.8bn |
| Australia | £2.0bn | £8.2bn | £3.6bn | £1.5bn | £466k | £763m |
| Germany | £3.0bn | £3.3bn | £5.9bn | £3.4bn | £723m | £230m |
| Singapore | £2.1bn | £1.9bn | £916m | £809k | £2.1m | £1.7m |
| Uzbekistan | £2.1bn | £6.9bn | £2.5bn | £2.0bn | £505m | £1.3bn |
| Spain | £2.3bn | £1.8bn | £1.2bn | £1.1bn | £1.1bn | £963m |
| Hong Kong | £381m | £2.7bn | £1.4bn | £231m | £48.9m | £444m |
| Japan | £1.1bn | £1.4bn | £522m | £441m | £591m | £495m |
| Austria | £792m | £918m | £376m | £653m | £465m | £154m |
| Mexico | £597m | £1.5bn | £1.1bn | £997m | £1.1bn | £1.1bn |
| Brazil | £573m | £741m | £454m | £317m | £592m | £632m |
| Philippines | £648m | £918m | — | £345m | £2.8bn | — |
| Sweden | £150m | £273m | £371m | £429m | £473m | £324m |
| United Arab Emirates | £159m | £41.4m | £133m | £6.8m | £71.1m | £8.4m |
| China | £126m | £3.5m | £2.9m | £2.8m | £2.7m | £3.1m |
| France | £18.8m | £1.3bn | £2.1m | £255m | £1.6bn | £571k |
| Taiwan | £30.7m | — | — | — | £18k | — |
UK Gold Trade: FAQ
Where does the UK export its gold to?
Over the 12 months to August 2026 the largest destinations were China (£24.1bn, 61%), Hong Kong (£4.3bn, 11%), Qatar (£3.4bn, 8%), Switzerland (£3.0bn, 7%), out of £39.6bn in all.
Where does the UK import gold from?
Over the same 12 months the largest sources were Switzerland (£55.9bn, 37%), Canada (£34.9bn, 23%), United States (£19.9bn, 13%), South Africa (£13.2bn, 9%), out of £151bn in all.
How much gold does the UK export?
In the 12 months to August 2026, 398 tonnes worth £39.6bn, against imports of 1,424 tonnes worth £151bn. The biggest full year for exports by value was 2025 (£61.8bn). The UK mines almost no gold: the flows are metal moving through London's vaults and refiners.
Why do UK gold exports and imports swing so much?
London is the world's biggest market for gold: banks, refiners and funds keep bars in London vaults and move them in and out as they are bought and sold. Bars go to Switzerland to be recast into the small bars sold in Asia, to China, India and Hong Kong when demand there is strong, and to New York when US futures trade above London prices, as in early 2025. A few months of heavy demand from one country can move the totals by billions of pounds.
What do the figures include?
HS heading 7108: unwrought gold (bars, doré), semi-manufactured gold, gold powder, monetary gold. Coins, jewellery, scrap and ores are counted elsewhere. Exports and imports include trade with EU and non-EU countries; gold held in London vaults that changes owner without leaving the country is not trade and is not counted. Values are in pounds, not adjusted for inflation; quantities are in tonnes, from HMRC's supplementary unit (grams). HMRC publishes gold figures from January 2005.
How often is this updated?
Monthly. HMRC publishes each month's trade figures about six weeks after the month ends and revises recent months. This page picks up a new month within a day or so.
Source: HM Revenue & Customs, Overseas Trade Statistics (uktradeinfo), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. HMRC Overseas Trade Statistics by partner country and CN8 code (summed to HS6), EU and non-EU trade, monthly from 2005, data to August 2026; recent months are revised by HMRC. Totals over several months, shares, rankings, net trade, tonnes (from the supplementary unit, grams) and the US-dollar figure (Federal Reserve H.10 rates) are Corgano's calculations.
See also: gold price in the UK · Bank of England interest rate · Swiss gold imports · US gold trade.
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@misc{corgano2026ukgoldexports, author = {{Corgano}}, title = {UK Gold Exports & Imports by Country}, howpublished = {\url{https://goldprice.corgano.com/uk-gold-exports}}, year = {2026}, note = {Corgano Gold Price, accessed 2026-10-27}}