The UK’s current account deficit narrowed to £19.9 billion (2.5% of GDP) in the second quarter of 2026 from a downwardly revised £21.1 billion in the previous quarter, better than market expectations for a £24.7 billion shortfall. It was the smallest current account deficit since Q3 2025, as the secondary income deficit narrowed to £3.3 billion, equivalent to 0.4% of GDP, from £3.7 billion in the previous period. Meanwhile, the goods trade deficit declined to £64.0 billion from £65.0 billion in the prior quarter, while the services surplus increased to £51.3 billion from £48.8 billion. By contrast, the primary income deficit widened to £3.8 billion, or 0.5% of GDP, from £1.3 billion in the first quarter, as payments to foreign investors increased by £5.4 billion to £112.9 billion, while receipts climbed by £2.8 billion to £109.0 billion. source: Office for National Statistics

The United Kingdom recorded a Current Account deficit of 19900 GBP Million in the second quarter of 2026. Current Account in the United Kingdom averaged -5526.37 GBP Million from 1946 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 5258.00 GBP Million in the fourth quarter of 2022 and a record low of -36480.00 GBP Million in the first quarter of 2022. This page provides the latest reported value for - United Kingdom Current Account - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. United Kingdom Current Account - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on October of 2026.

The United Kingdom recorded a Current Account deficit of 19900 GBP Million in the second quarter of 2026. Current Account in the United Kingdom is expected to be -19000.00 GBP Million by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the United Kingdom Current Account is projected to trend around -27000.00 GBP Million in 2027 and -26500.00 GBP Million in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-06-30 06:00 AM
Current Account
Q1 £-22.1B £-27.2B £-21.5B £ -24B
2026-09-30 06:00 AM
Current Account
Q2 £-19.9B £-21.1B £-24.7B £ -23.0B
2026-12-22 07:00 AM
Current Account
Q3 £-19.9B £ -19B


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Balance of Trade -3450.00 -5537.00 GBP Million Jul 2026
Capital Flows 27561.00 12322.00 GBP Million Jun 2026
Current Account -19932.00 -21120.00 GBP Million Jun 2026
Current Account to GDP -2.40 -3.00 percent of GDP Dec 2025
Exports 81916.00 80207.00 GBP Million Jul 2026
External Debt 8613454.00 8618378.00 GBP Million Jun 2026
Net Foreign Direct Investment 17681.00 18568.00 GBP Million Jun 2026
Goods Trade Balance -20970.00 -23007.00 GBP Million Jul 2026
Imports 85366.00 85744.00 GBP Million Jul 2026


United Kingdom Current Account
Current Account is the sum of the balance of trade (exports minus imports of goods and services), net factor income (such as interest and dividends) and net transfer payments (such as foreign aid).
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
-19932.00 -21120.00 5258.00 -36480.00 1946 - 2026 GBP Million Quarterly
SA

News Stream
UK Q2 Current Account Gap Smallest in 7 Quarters
The UK’s current account deficit narrowed to £19.9 billion (2.5% of GDP) in the second quarter of 2026 from a downwardly revised £21.1 billion in the previous quarter, better than market expectations for a £24.7 billion shortfall. It was the smallest current account deficit since Q3 2025, as the secondary income deficit narrowed to £3.3 billion, equivalent to 0.4% of GDP, from £3.7 billion in the previous period. Meanwhile, the goods trade deficit declined to £64.0 billion from £65.0 billion in the prior quarter, while the services surplus increased to £51.3 billion from £48.8 billion. By contrast, the primary income deficit widened to £3.8 billion, or 0.5% of GDP, from £1.3 billion in the first quarter, as payments to foreign investors increased by £5.4 billion to £112.9 billion, while receipts climbed by £2.8 billion to £109.0 billion.
2026-09-30
UK Q1 Current Account Deficit Exceeds Forecasts
The UK’s current account deficit narrowed to £22.1 billion (2.8% of GDP) in the first quarter of 2026 from an upwardly revised £27.2 billion in the previous quarter, but remained slightly wider than market expectations of a £21.5 billion shortfall. The primary income deficit decreased to £3.9 billion, or 0.5% of GDP, from £11.9 billion in the fourth quarter, as payments to foreign investors dropped by £1.5 billion to £111.0 billion, while receipts increased by £6.5 billion to £107.1 billion. In addition, the secondary income deficit narrowed to £3.5 billion from £3.8 billion in the previous period, remaining at 0.5% of GDP. Meanwhile, the goods trade deficit increased to £66.6 billion from £64.5 billion in the prior quarter, whereas the services surplus declined slightly to £51.8 billion from £53.0 billion.
2026-06-30
UK Current Account Deficit Widens in Q4
The UK’s current account deficit widened to £18.4 billion (2.4% of GDP) in the fourth quarter of 2025 from a revised £10.7 billion in the previous quarter but was below market expectations of a £23.4 billion shortfall. The primary income deficit increased to £2.7 billion, or 0.3% of GDP, from £0.7 billion in the third quarter, as payments to foreign investors rose by £2.6 billion to £111.1 billion, outpacing the £0.7 billion increase in receipts to £108.4 billion. In addition, the goods trade deficit expanded to a record £65.5 billion from £59.4 billion in the prior quarter, whereas the services surplus decreased slightly to £53.3 billion from £53.5 billion. Meanwhile, the secondary income deficit narrowed to £3.6 billion (0.5% of GDP) from £4.1 billion (0.5% of GDP) in the previous period.
2026-03-31