Trade in Goods (Commodities)

Statistics about the value of exports of North East goods by commodity

International trade
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Exports by commodity

Road vehicles, power generating machinery and pharmaceuticals exports were the three largest commodity groups in the latest four quarter period. Exports of North East road vehicles alone were worth almost £4.5 billion, more than four times the next largest commodity group.

North East exports, 10 largest commodity groups, £ millions (2023)


Recent changes
Exports of road vehicles from the North East decreased by 34% in the latest quarter and by 4.7% compared to the same point last year. Power generating machinery increased in the latest quarter while pharmaceuticals saw a decrease.


Impact of Covid-19

Some commodity groups have experienced significant variation in recent quarters due to Covid-19 related disruption. Road vehicles exports for instance, saw significant declines in Q2 2020 and Q2 2021 due to Covid-19 and semi-conductor shortages. This had a large impact on the total value of regional goods exports, although exports of this commodity looked to have recovered to almost pre Covid-19 levels recently.

Pharmaceutical exports in contrast increased to above pre Covid-19 levels in Q1 2021 and have remained so since that point. 

North East road vehicles exports value timeline (£ millions)

North East pharma exports value timeline (£ millions)


Data Source

The data for this page is from HM revenue and Customs (HMRC). The regional data is released on a quarterly basis. The North East region contains both the North East and Tees Valley LEP areas.

HMRC also releases total exports per region and markets which can be found elsewhere on the Evidence Hub. Data from the ONS trade in services release is also available.