Exports statistics Scotland 2021

Introduction

This publication presents estimates of the value of international and rest of the UK exports for all sectors of the Scottish economy from 2019 to 2021. All figures are in current prices and are therefore unadjusted for inflation. They measure the value of trade, not the volume of trade.

The figures exclude exports of oil and gas extracted from the UK Continental shelf. However, exports of services provided to the offshore oil and gas industry are included in the exports to the rest of the UK figures. Further information on the production of these statistics can be found in the methodology note.

The estimates in this publication are likely to have small revisions in the future as more information becomes available.

Information from 2019 to 2021 is provided in the accompanying Excel tables. These include more detailed breakdowns by industry sector, destination region/country and business size.

ESS 2021 was delayed

Export Statistics Scotland (ESS) has previously been published at the end of January each year. In 2020, statisticians decided to delay the Global Connections Survey (GCS) 2019, which forms the basis of ESS, due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and then to allow businesses to focus on preparing for the end of the EU Exit Transition Period. This delayed the publication of ESS 2019 until October 2021 and had a subsequent effect on the timing of the 2020 and 2021 publications.

To reduce the delay, GCS 2020 and 2021 were carried out simultaneously for the first time and this publication provides data for both years. 

This publication only contains data for 2019-2021 unlike previous ESS publications, which have covered a longer period. More information on this change can be found in the section called 'New data source: comparison with previously published estimates'.

An Accredited Official Statistics publication for Scotland

These statistics are accredited official statistics. The Office for Statistics Regulation has independently reviewed and accredited these statistics as complying with the standards of trustworthiness, quality, and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics.

The statistics in this release were accredited in April 2011.

Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007.

Scottish Government statistics are 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.