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Data sources

The source for the Customs importer and exporter population is the customs declarations data submitted toÌýCHIEFÌý(Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight) andÌýCDSÌý(Customs Declaration Service). The publication therefore reports on the number of businesses engaging in the movement of goods between Great Britain (GB) and theÌýEU, or theÌýUKÌý²¹²Ô»åÌýnon-EUÌý³¦´Ç³Ü²Ô³Ù°ù¾±±ð²õ in 2023 and 2024.

Businesses moving goods to and fromÌýEUÌý³¦´Ç³Ü²Ô³Ù°ù¾±±ð²õ

From 1 January 2021,Ìýgoods moving betweenÌýGBÌý²¹²Ô»åÌýEUÌý³¦´Ç³Ü²Ô³Ù°ù¾±±ð²õ have required an import or export customs declaration, made in accordance with the requirements of the Taxation (Cross Border Trade) Act.ÌýEUÌýtrade is therefore compiled from customs declarations collected by theÌýCHIEFÌýsystem and theÌýCDS. From this data, the unique number of businesses named as the importer or exporter on the declaration have been counted for movements betweenÌýGBÌýand theÌýEU.

Customs declarations are not required for movements between Northern Ireland (NI) and theÌýEU. This data is collected using the Intrastat survey andÌýVATÌýreturn data. This data is not included in this publication as they are not part of the customs process.

Businesses moving goods to and from theÌýnon-EUÌý³¦´Ç³Ü²Ô³Ù°ù¾±±ð²õ

Non-EUÌýtrade is compiled from customs declarations collected by theÌýCHIEFÌýsystem andÌýCDS. From this data, the unique number of businesses named as the importer or exporter on a declaration have been counted for movements of goods between theÌýUKÌý²¹²Ô»åÌýnon-EUÌý³¦´Ç³Ü²Ô³Ù°ù¾±±ð²õ.

Businesses that are non-VATÌý°ù±ð²µ¾±²õ³Ù±ð°ù±ð»å

GBÌýmovements to and from theÌýEUÌýhave been sourced from customs declarations, which are required for all businesses regardless ofÌýVATÌýregistration status. The Customs importer and exporter population therefore contains non-VATÌý°ù±ð²µ¾±²õ³Ù±ð°ù±ð»å businesses moving goods betweenÌýGBÌýand theÌýEU, alongside businesses moving goods between theÌýUKÌý²¹²Ô»åÌýnon-EUÌý³¦´Ç³Ü²Ô³Ù°ù¾±±ð²õ.

Exclusions

Goods movements betweenÌýNIÌýand theÌýEU

Customs declarations are not required for movements between Northern Ireland (NI) and theÌýEU. This data is collected using the Intrastat survey andÌýVATÌýreturn data. This data is therefore not included in this publication as they are not part of the Customs process.

Movements betweenÌýNIÌýand theÌýEUÌýare defined as goods leaving or entering anÌýNIÌýport when moving to or from anÌýEUÌý³¦´Ç³Ü²Ô³Ù°ù²â.

Goods movements betweenÌýGBÌý²¹²Ô»åÌýNI

Goods movements betweenÌýGBÌý²¹²Ô»åÌýNIÌýare excluded from this publication. These movements are defined as goods leaving or entering anÌýNIÌýport when moving to or fromÌýGB.

Methodology

Customs declaration data for the movements of goods betweenÌýGBÌýand theÌýEU, or theÌýUKÌý²¹²Ô»åÌýnon-EUÌý³¦´Ç³Ü²Ô³Ù°ù¾±±ð²õ is extracted for the relevant period. This data is extracted fromÌýCHIEFÌý²¹²Ô»åÌýCDS.

Each declaration is classified based on:

• the goods location (the port the goods have arrived at or left from)
• the partner country (EUÌý´Ç°ùÌýnon-EU)
• the direction of the movement (import or export)

Any declarations where the movement is betweenÌýGBÌý²¹²Ô»åÌýNI, betweenÌýNIÌýand theÌýEUÌýor where the partner country is left blank are excluded.

The declaration data is then aggregated to the business level, enabling each business to be categorised. This is based on the goods movements they have undertaken within a given year. This label will be a combination of up to four letters:

A = Arrivals (EUÌý±õ³¾±è´Ç°ù³Ù²õ)

D = Dispatches (EUÌý·¡³æ±è´Ç°ù³Ù²õ)

I = Imports (Non-EUÌý±õ³¾±è´Ç°ù³Ù²õ)

E = Exports (Non-EUÌý·¡³æ±è´Ç°ù³Ù²õ)

Aggregated tables are produced detailing the number of businesses each year, split by direction of movement and/or partner country combination. In this process, businesses using generic identifiers such as ‘PR’ (denoting a private businesses) can only be counted as one business, as there is no way of knowing how many individual businesses have used a particular identifier.

Relationship with other statistical publications

UKÌýimporter and exporter population

Prior to theÌýUK’s Exit from theÌýEUÌýon 1 January 2021, theÌýUKÌýimporter and exporter populationÌýwas the source for population statistics from 2015 to 2020. We do not advise that any comparisons are drawn between theÌýUKÌýimporter and exporter population and the Customs importer and exporter population. They differ in terms of:

• definition of a Business
• geographic area covered
• inclusion of non-VATÌý°ù±ð²µ¾±²õ³Ù±ð°ù±ð»å businesses trading with theÌýEU, and Low Value businesses
• data sources forÌýEUÌýtrade in goods

This means the figures contained in this release will not be comparable to those in theÌýUKÌýimporter and exporter population releases.

UKÌýtrade in goods by business characteristics

Data in this release will not match the publishedÌýHMRCÌýUKÌýtrade in goods by business characteristics publicationÌýdata. This is due to different production methods:

• this publication counts businesses at the level of ‘EORIÌý(Economic Operator Registration and Identification Number) registration’, whilst the Business characteristics publication counts businesses at the level of ‘enterprise’
• this release includes low value traders (exclusively trading goods below £873 and 1,000kg net mass). The counts reported in the Business characteristics release do not capture those businesses that have solely engaged in low value trade
• the source data for theÌýUKÌýtrade in goods by business characteristics publication is the Overseas Trade Statistics data set, whilst the source data for Customs Importer and Exporter publication is the Customs declarations admin data set, covering movements between Great Britain (GB) and the European Union (EU), or between the United Kingdom (UK) andÌýnon-EUÌý³¦´Ç³Ü²Ô³Ù°ù¾±±ð²õ in 2021

.

UK regional trade in goods statistics

Data in this release will not match the publishedÌýUK regional trade in goods statistics (RTS)Ìýbusiness counts. This is due to different production methods:

• this release counts businesses at the level of ‘EORI’. TheÌýRTSÌýcounts primarily at the level of ‘VAT-°ù±ð²µ¾±²õ³Ù°ù²¹³Ù¾±´Ç²Ô’
• theÌýRTSÌýexcludes business undertaking movements of non-monetary gold
• this release includes low value traders (exclusively trading goods below £873 and 1,000kg net mass) howeverÌýRTSÌýbusiness counts do not capture those businesses that have solely engaged in low value trade
• the source data for theÌýRTSÌýis the Overseas Trade Statistics data set, whilst the source data for Customs Importer and Exporter publication is the Customs declarations admin data set, covering movements between Great Britain (GB) and the European Union (EU), or between the United Kingdom (UK) andÌýnon-EUÌý³¦´Ç³Ü²Ô³Ù°ù¾±±ð²õ

Official statistics publication

This release includes the first estimates of business populations betweenÌýGBÌýand the (EU), and between theÌýUKÌý²¹²Ô»åÌýnon-EUÌý³¦´Ç³Ü²Ô³Ù°ù¾±±ð²õ in 2023.

At the same time, we are also opening the 2021 and 2022 annual periods to make unscheduled corrections as detailed in theÌýstatistical announcement.

Certain customs declarations for trade withÌýnon-EUÌý³¦´Ç³Ü²Ô³Ù°ù¾±±ð²õ were incorrectly included. The removal of these declarations slightly reduces the overall population for 2021 (0.05%) and 2022 (0.28%). It also redistributes a number of businesses from bothÌýEUÌý²¹²Ô»åÌýnon-EU, into theÌýEUÌýOnly.

The issue was found during regular quality assurance checks of the data.

Now that theÌýUKÌýhas left theÌýEU, it is important that our statistics continue to be of high quality. All releases continue to be produced in accordance with theÌýUKÌýStatistics Authority’s Code of Practice for Statistics as well as internationally agreed statistical guidance and standards.

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in theÌýÌýthat all producers of official statistics should adhere to. The Customs importer and exporter population complies with this legislation in the following ways:

Trustworthiness

• the publication is released in an open and transparent manner. Adhering to a published schedule with timely announcements
• concise commentary is provided to supplement tables which some users may find challenging to interpret
• statistics and explanatory material are presented impartially and objectively
• all relevant data notes and caveats are clearly stated alongside the data
• all material is accessible in line with Government Digital Service (GDS) guidance
• comparisons to the previous year are used to put the data into context
• a complete time series is available as an additional data table
• suitable data visualisations are included to aid appropriate interpretation of the statistics, whilst also adhering to the GDS guidelines

Quality

• administrative data taken from customs declarations is used to create this publication. This is the most appropriate source and provides the best coverage of the customs population
• data sources, exclusions, methods, and definitions are provided in a methodology document published with this release
• data is compared to previous customs importer and exporter populations to ensure reliability, and detection of outliers
• standardised definitions are used throughout this publication and are available in the methodology document published with this release

Value

• detailed data tables and summary statistics are equally available to all via the gov.uk website
• suitable data visualisations and commentary are included to aid appropriate understanding and interpretation of the statistics
• By engaging with new technology and ongoing updates to our best practice, we work to improve these statistics each year
• Other related statistics and data sources are signposted with explanations of their consistency and comparability to this publication
• Advice about the appropriate use of these statistics is provided in the publication and in the methodology document published with this release

You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards by emailingÌýuktradeinfo@hmrc.gov.uk.

Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailingÌýregulation@statistics.gov.ukÌýor via the OSR website.

Definitions

EORIÌýnumber

AnÌýEORIÌýnumber (Economic Operator Registration and Identification Number) is a registration number given byÌýHMRCÌýto identify businesses (including sole traders that move physical goods to/fromÌýEUÌý²¹²Ô»åÌýnon-EUÌý³¦´Ç³Ü²Ô³Ù°ù¾±±ð²õ). This number is required for businesses to submit a customs declaration toÌýHMRC.

Business

An organisation or individual using anÌýEORIÌýnumber to engage with customs procedures in the movement of goods betweenÌýGBÌýand theÌýEU, or between theÌýUKÌý²¹²Ô»åÌýnon-EUÌý³¦´Ç³Ü²Ô³Ù°ù¾±±ð²õ.

Importer

A business moving goods intoÌýGBÌýfrom theÌýEU, or into theÌýUKÌýfromÌýnon-EUÌý³¦´Ç³Ü²Ô³Ù°ù¾±±ð²õ.

Exporter

A business moving goods fromÌýGBÌýto theÌýEU, or from theÌýUKÌýtoÌýnon-EUÌý³¦´Ç³Ü²Ô³Ù°ù¾±±ð²õ.

Importer and exporter

A business engaging in both the import and export of goods betweenÌýGBÌýand theÌýEU, and / or between theÌýUKÌý²¹²Ô»åÌýnon-EUÌý³¦´Ç³Ü²Ô³Ù°ù¾±±ð²õ.

Customs Declaration

An electronic submission of data which provides legally required information about the goods being imported/exported, including the customs procedure which the goods are being entered to.