What are the UKs main imports and exports?
Having only one per cent of the world’s population, the UK is the fourth largest trading nation in the world. Machinery and transport, manufacturing and chemicals are UK’s largest export earners. The UK is also a major supplier of plastics, aerospace products, electrical and electronic equipment, and is responsible for 10 per cent of the world’s export of services, including banking, insurance, stock broking, consultancy and computer programming. The UK imports six times as many manufactured as basic materials. Food, beverages and tobacco account for half of non-manufactured imports, while machinery and road vehicles account for two-thirds of finished imported manufactured goods.