Only 21% of UK firms see export orders increase in Q4 2025: BCC

UK exporters continue to face sustained pressure amid a prolonged slump in overseas demand, fuelling renewed calls for an urgent reset in UK–EU trade relations. Only 21 per cent of businesses reported an increase in export orders in Q4 2025, down sharply from 31 per cent in Q2 2018, according to a new survey by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).

Half of exporters saw no change in orders, while 28 per cent reported a decline, highlighting the scale of the challenge facing UK trade. Smaller firms have been disproportionately affected. Just 19 per cent of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) reported rising export orders, compared with 39 per cent of companies employing more than 250 people, the BCC’s Trade Confidence Outlook showed.

Micro-exporters with fewer than ten employees fared worst, with only 17 per cent reporting growth, while 30 per cent saw a fall in orders.

UK exporters remain under sustained pressure as overseas demand weakens, renewing calls for an urgent UK-EU trade reset.
Only 21 per cent of firms reported higher export orders in Q4 2025, down from 31 per cent in 2018, according to BCC.
SMEs and micro-exporters were hit hardest, while large firms performed better, reflecting deepening structural challenges despite post-pandemic recovery efforts.

“For smaller businesses, the last seven years have been some of the most challenging ever to try and grow exports. Things started to take a turn for the worse as the trade implications of Brexit became clear in 2018 and they have been in the doldrums ever since,” said William Bain, head of trade policy at the BCC. “A succession of further shocks on top of that—from COVID, wars, supply chain disruption and tariffs—have turned exporting into an uphill slog where the path keeps getting steeper.”

“The Prime Minister’s trip to China and the real progress made on trade deals with the US, EU and India last year show the government understands the difficulties. But we need to see a real focus in 2026 on delivering what has been agreed. The BCC’s EU reset report sets out very clearly the big issues that must be tackled before the year is out,” added Bain.

A survey of more than 2,000 exporters highlighted the sustained impact of Brexit, COVID, geopolitical tensions and tariffs on UK export performance. Since 2018, fewer than 28 per cent of firms have reported higher export orders, with the figure averaging just 22 per cent since late 2024, despite the post-pandemic recovery. The data was collected between November 10, and December 8, 2025.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)