United kingdom Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in united kingdom, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Market Opportunities
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U.S. and UK businesses are well-established as trading partners with strong market opportunities in IT, services, aerospace and defense, health and pharmaceutical, and travel sectors (for details, see leading sectors chapters).  The UK economy is undergoing a historic realignment following its decision to leave the EU single market and customs union, while at the same time dealing with the ongoing economic impact of the COVID pandemic.  GDP growth was positive throughout 2021 and 2022 (7.6 percent and 4.1 percent respectively). Posting the fastest growth rate among G7 countries in 2021, the UK’s economy surpassed its pre-pandemic level in the first quarter of 2022, due largely to increased government spending.  Full year 2022 GDP growth reached 4.1 percent. Although analysts had predicted five percent growth in 2022, growth forecasts for the UK in 2023 are at only 0.5 percent owing to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, rising energy costs and global supply chain disruptions.

In June 2023, the United Kingdom, as a part of the joint U.S.-UK Atlantic Declaration, has announce its renewed commitment to develop and invest in critical and emerging industries alongside the U.S., including AI R&D, expansion of green energy infrastructure, and ensuring the continued security across data, health, and defense sectors.  

Additionally, ITA’s ranks the United Kingdom as a top prospective market for consulting services. Learn more about consulting services opportunities in our Consulting Services Top Export Market Ranking.

 

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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