🇬🇧 United Kingdom imports of cheese: 2024 trade data
In 2024, the United Kingdom imported cheese worth $2.57 billion (447.0 thousand tonnes). It ranks 4th of 223 countries for imports of this product. That is 6% more than in 2023. Across 2017-2024 the long-run trend was broadly stable.
Public statistics, latest reported year 2024. Values in US dollars.
Imports of cheese by year, 2017-2024
Hover or tap a year for detail.
Year by year
| Year | Value | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2.57B | 447.0K t |
| 2023 | $2.42B | 431.6K t |
| 2022 | $2.19B | 406.7K t |
| 2021 | $2.05B | 409.2K t |
| 2020 | $2.23B | 500.6K t |
| 2019 | $2.22B | 532.9K t |
| 2018 | $2.27B | 516.6K t |
| 2017 | $2.07B | 495.7K t |
Where the United Kingdom imports cheese from
The largest suppliers were Ireland (17%), Italy (16%), France (13%). Trade is spread widely: the top three suppliers together make up only 47%.
| Supplier country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | $443.8M | 17% |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | $408.9M | 16% |
| 🇫🇷 France | $345.6M | 13% |
| 🇩🇰 Denmark | $262.7M | 10% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $200.1M | 7.8% |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | $179.6M | 7% |
| 🇨🇾 Cyprus | $162.9M | 6.3% |
| 🇬🇷 Greece | $121.2M | 4.7% |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | $101.4M | 4% |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | $76.7M | 3% |
Types of cheese under HS 0406
| 0406.90 | Dairy produce: cheese (not grated, powdered or processed), n.e.c. in heading no. 0406 | 51% |
| 0406.10 | Dairy produce: fresh cheese (including whey cheese), not fermented, and curd | 33% |
| 0406.30 | Dairy produce: cheese, processed (not grated or powdered) | 7.8% |
| 0406.20 | Dairy produce: cheese of all kinds, grated or powdered | 6.7% |
| 0406.40 | Dairy produce: cheese, blue-veined and other cheese containing veins produced by Penicillium roqueforti (not grated, powdered or processed) | 1.5% |
Codes and full descriptions: HS heading 0406.
Average import price of cheese
The average declared value was about $5.75 per kg, close to the world average of $5.48.
Declared value divided by weight, all 2024 shipments. Prices per shipment and per company are in EximDataX.
The United Kingdom also exports cheese
The United Kingdom exported $947.1 million of cheese in 2024 (158.3 thousand tonnes). Its share of world exports was 2%. The largest buyer markets were France (19%), Netherlands (10%), United States (10%). Trade is spread widely: the top three buyer markets together make up only 39%. Among the main buyer markets, United Arab Emirates grew fastest (+67% on the year before).
| Destination | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇫🇷 France | $178.5M | 19% |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | $96.1M | 10% |
| 🇺🇸 United States | $91.5M | 9.7% |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | $90.2M | 9.5% |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | $49.3M | 5.2% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $48.9M | 5.2% |
| 🇩🇰 Denmark | $35.9M | 3.8% |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | $30.9M | 3.3% |
| 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | $29.8M | 3.1% |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | $23.1M | 2.4% |
Who is behind these numbers in the United Kingdom?
Public statistics stop at country totals and the last published year. EximDataX shows the shipment records underneath: the companies, dates, quantities and declared values, updated weekly.
Shipment records are in the platform
Tell us what you trade and we will show you the latest records on a live call.
Direct customs feed: shipment-level records from the official customs source.
Updated weekly on EximDataX (some markets daily), while public statistics stop at 2024.
Source: CEPII BACI (reconciled UN Comtrade data), HS 2017 edition, release 202601, Etalab Open Licence 2.0. Annual values in US dollars at the customs border; quantities in tonnes where reported. HS 0406: Cheese and curd.
Cheese trade in the United Kingdom: questions
What is the value of cheese imported by the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom imported cheese worth $2.57 billion in 2024 (447.0 thousand tonnes).
Where does the United Kingdom import cheese from?
The main supplier countries in 2024 were Ireland (17%), Italy (16%), France (13%).
What is the average import price of cheese in the United Kingdom?
The average declared import value was about $5.75 per kg in 2024, against a world average of $5.48 per kg.
Does the United Kingdom export cheese?
Yes. The United Kingdom exported cheese worth $947.1 million in 2024, mainly to France, Netherlands, United States.
What is the HS code for cheese?
Cheese falls under HS heading 0406 (Cheese and curd). The six-digit codes under it split the product by type.
How can I find the companies trading cheese with the United Kingdom?
These public statistics stop at country level. EximDataX has a direct customs feed for the United Kingdom with shipment-level records, updated weekly, where you can see the importers and exporters by name.
Cheese trade in other countries
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