Welsh exports: April 2019 to March 2020

The most recent data in this report is for the year ending March 2020. The data will cover a very short period of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and it will be difficult to fully determine any impacts this may have had until more recent data is available.

Main points

• The value of goods exports for Wales was £17.2 billion, down £0.5 billion (2.7%) compared to the same period the previous year.
• 2 of the 12 UK countries and English regions had increases with London having the largest increase (up 9.6%). Wales saw the fourth smallest decrease.
• There was a decrease in exports to EU countries of £494 million (4.6%) and an increase in exports to non-EU countries of £11 million (0.2%), compared with the previous year.
• Exports to the EU accounted for 60.0% of Welsh exports compared with 47.2% for the UK.
• France has replaced Germany as the top export destination for Wales, accounting for 16.1% of exports. This proportion is up from 15.6% of exports in the previous year.
• This fall in German exports can be seen across nine of the ten industry sectors with Machinery and Transport falling the most (£412 million).
• Exports from Wales continued to be dominated by ‘Machinery and Transport Equipment’ which made up 49.3% of exports.

Further information

The data above relates to exports of goods. Experimental statistics produced by the Office for National statistics suggest that service exports make up approximately 30% of total exports in Wales.