For ambitious British businesses, international markets are one of the clearest routes to growth. Exporting spreads risk, opens new revenue streams and forces a business to sharpen its proposition for the most demanding customers in the world.

Here is what the latest trade data tells us about UK exporting in 2026, and why expanding overseas remains such a powerful, if demanding, growth story.

The scale of UK exports

The UK exported around £931 billion of goods and services in 2025, according to the Office for National Statistics. Exporting is not a niche activity for a handful of large firms; it is a major engine of the entire economy.

Behind that number sit tens of thousands of businesses of every size selling into international markets, from global manufacturers to small consultancies winning their first overseas client. Trade at this scale touches almost every sector.

Services lead the way

One of the defining features of UK trade is the strength of services. The UK runs a substantial surplus in services exports, which partly offsets its deficit in goods, reflecting world-leading strengths in professional services, finance, technology and the creative industries.

For many modern businesses, the first export is a service delivered digitally, not a shipment in a container. That lowers the barrier to going global: a software firm, agency or consultancy can win international revenue without ever moving physical goods across a border.

A shifting geography of trade

While the EU remains the UK’s largest trading partner, accounting for a large share of exports, businesses are increasingly looking further afield. Detailed market-by-market data in the government’s overseas trade statistics shows the changing pattern of British trade.

Growing interest in North America, the Middle East and parts of Asia points to a more diversified future, in which the most successful exporters spread their bets across several markets rather than relying on one.

Why international growth is worth pursuing

Going global is demanding. It requires new capabilities, local knowledge and patient investment, and not every attempt succeeds. But the businesses that get it right unlock a step change in scale that is hard to achieve at home alone.

They also build resilience: revenue spread across multiple markets is less exposed to a downturn in any single one. And they earn an impressive growth story, the kind that attracts customers, talent and investors alike.

Recognising international success

The Department for Business & Trade International Expansion of the Year Award celebrates British businesses succeeding abroad. Our guide on how to win the International Expansion of the Year Award explains the criteria, and the complete guide to UK business awards sets out the wider programme.

Entries for the 2026 awards close at midnight on Friday 3 July. If your business is winning overseas, enter and be recognised for it.