Official Statistics

Customs importer and exporter population 2023: methodology notes

Published 10 April 2024

Data sources

The source for the Customs importer and exporter population is the customs declarations data submitted to CHIEF (Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight) and CDS (Customs Declaration Service). The publication therefore reports on the number of businesses engaging in the movement of goods between Great Britain (GB) and the EU, or the UK and non-EU countries in 2022 and 2023.

Businesses moving goods to and from EU countries

From 1 January 2021, goods moving between GB and EU countries have required an import or export customs declaration, made in accordance with the requirements of the Taxation (Cross Border Trade) Act. EU trade is therefore compiled from customs declarations collected by the CHIEF system and the CDS. From this data, the unique number of businesses named as the importer or exporter on the declaration have been counted for movements between GB and the EU.

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

Businesses moving goods to and from the non-EU countries

Non-EU trade is compiled from customs declarations collected by the CHIEF system and CDS. 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 the UK and non-EU countries.

Businesses that are non-VAT registered

GB movements to and from the EU have been sourced from customs declarations, which are required for all businesses regardless of VAT registration status. The Customs importer and exporter population therefore contains non-VAT registered businesses moving goods between GB and the EU, alongside businesses moving goods between the UK and non-EU countries.

Exclusions

Goods movements between NI and the EU

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

Movements between NI and the EU are defined as goods leaving or entering an NI port when moving to or from an EU country.

Goods movements between GB and NI

Goods movements between GB and NI are excluded from this publication. These movements are defined as goods leaving or entering an NI port when moving to or from GB.

Methodology

Customs declaration data for the movements of goods between GB and the EU, or the UK and non-EU countries is extracted for the relevant period. This data is extracted from CHIEF and CDS.

Each declaration is classified based on:

• the goods location (the port the goods have arrived at or left from)
• the partner country (EU or non-EU)
• the direction of the movement (import or export)

Any declarations where the movement is between GB and NI, between NI and the EU or 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 (EU Imports)

D = Dispatches (EU Exports)

I = Imports (Non-EU Imports)

E = Exports (Non-EU Exports)

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

UK importer and exporter population

Prior to the UK’s Exit from the EU on 1 January 2021, the UK importer and exporter population was the source for population statistics from 2015 to 2020. We do not advise that any comparisons are drawn between the UK importer 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-VAT registered businesses trading with the EU, and Low Value businesses
• data sources for EU trade in goods

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

UK trade in goods by business characteristics

Data in this release will not match the published HMRC UK trade in goods by business characteristics publication data. This is due to different production methods:

• this publication counts businesses at the level of ‘EORI (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 the UK trade 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) and non-EU countries in 2021

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Regional trade statistics

Data in this release will not match the published Regional Trade Statistics (RTS) business counts. This is due to different production methods:

• this release counts businesses at the level of ‘EORI’. The RTS counts primarily at the level of ‘VAT-registration’
• the RTS excludes business undertaking movements of non-monetary gold
• this release includes low value traders (exclusively trading goods below £873 and 1,000kg net mass) however RTS business counts do not capture those businesses that have solely engaged in low value trade
• the source data for the RTS 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) and non-EU countries

Official statistics publication

This release includes the first estimates of business populations between GB and the (EU), and between the UK and non-EU countries in 2023.

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

Certain customs declarations for trade with non-EU countries 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 both EU and non-EU, into the EU Only.

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

Now that the UK has left the EU, it is important that our statistics continue to be of high quality. All releases continue to be produced in accordance with the UK Statistics 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 the Code of Practice for Statistics that 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 emailing [email protected].

Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing [email protected] or via the OSR website.

Definitions

EORI number

An EORI number (Economic Operator Registration and Identification Number) is a registration number given by HMRC to identify businesses (including sole traders that move physical goods to/from EU and non-EU countries). This number is required for businesses to submit a customs declaration to HMRC.

Business

An organisation or individual using an EORI number to engage with customs procedures in the movement of goods between GB and the EU, or between the UK and non-EU countries.

Importer

A business moving goods into GB from the EU, or into the UK from non-EU countries.

Exporter

A business moving goods from GB to the EU, or from the UK to non-EU countries.

Importer and exporter

A business engaging in both the import and export of goods between GB and the EU, and / or between the UK and non-EU countries.

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.