| Export growth | |
| Change since | |
 |
1970 |
|
1990 |
 |
1998 |
| Balance of payments | |
| Change since | |
 |
1970 |
|
1990 |
|
1998 |
Coverage: United Kingdom
Source: ONS
- UK exports and imports both grew strongly in almost every year between 1970 and 2002, even though exports fell slightly in real terms in 2002.
- There was an increasingly negative trade balance between 1998 and 2002, reaching the equivalent of over 10 per cent of imports for the first time in 2002.