Transport services (% of commercial service imports) in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Transport services (% of commercial service imports) was 10.0% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Transport services in United Kingdom, 1970–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of commercial service imports.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 10.0% for transport services in 2025.
That represents a change of down 5.1% on the previous year and down 29.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, transport services in United Kingdom peaked at 60.8% in 1974 and was at its lowest, 8.0%, in 2021.
United Kingdom ranks 190th of 197 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Transport services (% of commercial service imports) in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % of commercial service imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 50.6% | — |
| 1971 | 54.3% | +7.3% |
| 1972 | 59.8% | +10.2% |
| 1973 | 57.9% | -3.3% |
| 1974 | 60.8% | +5.0% |
| 1975 | 55.8% | -8.1% |
| 1976 | 57.2% | +2.4% |
| 1977 | 55.9% | -2.2% |
| 1978 | 54.1% | -3.2% |
| 1979 | 54.9% | +1.6% |
| 1980 | 52.6% | -4.3% |
| 1981 | 50.4% | -4.2% |
| 1982 | 46.8% | -7.1% |
| 1983 | 44.7% | -4.5% |
| 1984 | 42.0% | -6.2% |
| 1985 | 41.9% | -0.2% |
| 1986 | 37.7% | -9.9% |
| 1987 | 36.2% | -4.1% |
| 1988 | 36.8% | +1.8% |
| 1989 | 34.5% | -6.4% |
| 1990 | 33.2% | -3.8% |
| 1991 | 30.7% | -7.3% |
| 1992 | 30.1% | -2.0% |
| 1993 | 28.5% | -5.3% |
| 1994 | 27.9% | -2.1% |
| 1995 | 27.1% | -3.0% |
| 1996 | 26.9% | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 28.8% | +7.1% |
| 1998 | 26.6% | -7.6% |
| 1999 | 19.0% | -28.5% |
| 2000 | 19.9% | +4.6% |
| 2001 | 19.0% | -4.7% |
| 2002 | 18.2% | -4.2% |
| 2003 | 17.2% | -5.4% |
| 2004 | 16.8% | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 16.9% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 16.4% | -3.2% |
| 2007 | 16.0% | -2.3% |
| 2008 | 14.7% | -7.8% |
| 2009 | 13.7% | -7.4% |
| 2010 | 14.2% | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 14.6% | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 14.1% | -3.3% |
| 2013 | 14.0% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 13.9% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 14.1% | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 12.9% | -8.2% |
| 2017 | 12.2% | -5.2% |
| 2018 | 11.9% | -2.8% |
| 2019 | 11.9% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 8.8% | -26.1% |
| 2021 | 8.0% | -8.6% |
| 2022 | 10.6% | +31.7% |
| 2023 | 10.4% | -1.6% |
| 2024 | 10.5% | +1.0% |
| 2025 | 10.0% | -5.1% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 10.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 20.2%, 49% of the median. (72 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 10.0% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 21.3%, 47% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Transport services (% of commercial service imports) in United Kingdom changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +31.7% | 8.0% | 10.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 56.1% | 50.6% | 60.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 42.3% | 34.5% | 52.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 27.9% | 19.0% | 33.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.9% | 13.7% | 19.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.4% | 11.9% | 14.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.7% | 8.0% | 10.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More private sector data for United Kingdom
- Merchandise trade 37.6% (2025)
- Food imports 9.8% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 56.7% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 948.64 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 448.00 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 6.7% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 59.7% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 555.83 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 714.60 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 7,999 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is transport services in United Kingdom?
- Transport services in United Kingdom was 10.0% in 2025, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest transport services recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 60.8% in 1974.
- What is the lowest transport services recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.0% in 2021.
- How does United Kingdom rank for transport services?
- United Kingdom ranks 190th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is transport services rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Transport services (% of commercial service imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Transport is the process of carriage of people and objects from one location to another as well as related supporting and auxiliary services. Also included are postal and courier services. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of service imports which are commercial services provided by non-residents to residents.