Bilateral trade between Italy and the UK reached €34.5 billion in 2025, with Italian exports accounting for €26.99 billion compared with €7.5 billion of imports from the UK.
The latest analysis from the Economic Observatory of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), updated in June 2026, shows food, beverages and tobacco remain Italy’s biggest export category to the UK, worth €4.56 billion in 2025, representing 16.9% of all Italian exports to the UK and making it Italy’s largest export category to Britain.
Read more: Interview: Italian Trade Agency and Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation
The UK is currently Italy’s sixth-largest export market, accounting for 4% of total Italian exports during the first quarter of 2026. Italy is also the UK’s seventh-largest supplier, with a 3.3% share of the UK import market, although competition from Germany and France remains strong.
As Italian businesses continue to navigate post-Brexit trading conditions, initiatives such as OpportunItaly are have been created to help strengthen commercial relationships between Italian suppliers and UK buyers.
