Market access barrier statistics: April to June 2023
Published 18 December 2023
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1. Purpose
This release covers statistics on the market access barriers (MAB) reported and resolved by His Majesty’s Government officials in Quarter 1 (April to June) of the financial year ending (FYE) 2024. The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) records these barriers on a system internal to government called Digital Market Access Service (DMAS).
This quarterly publication includes:
- headline statistics on the number of MAB reported
- headline statistics on the number of MAB resolved
- a breakdown of the above statistics by HMTC regions
- total numbers of trading partners where barriers were reported and resolved
- a comparison of the above statistics with Quarter 4 (January to March) of the FYE 2023
Previously, DBT has published the headline figures on MAB annually as Official Statistics. To meet users’ demand, in the market access barrier statistics: financial year 2022 to 2023 published in June 2023, we announced that we will also be moving to quarterly publications. The more frequent release of data on a quarterly basis not only disseminates these statistics in a timelier manner but also increases transparency and understanding of market access activities for users. Frequent publication of market access barrier statistics also provides signal to both consumers and businesses abroad, that there is greater commitment from the government to resolve market access barriers and unlock trade opportunities abroad.
This will be the first quarterly Official Statistics release covering the data of Quarter 1 of the FYE 2024. These statistics were designated as Official Statistics to improve the accuracy and consistency of the data. This is because these are DBT’s Outcome Delivery Plan metrics and are regularly published in our annual report and accounts (currently for Department for International Trade) as indicators on departmental performance. Although these statistics provide a snapshot of market access activity, they do not provide an indication on the complexity or value represented by barriers that have been resolved, or that are currently the subject of DBT’s market access activity. The valuation for a sample of resolved barriers are routinely included in our annual report and accounts.
DBT also releases information on trade barriers through the Check International Trade Barriers service (CITS). This provides information on a selection of barriers reported and barriers resolved by sector and location. The purpose is to raise awareness for UK businesses on a selection of the barriers DBT has worked to resolve or is working to resolve. CITS publishes details for a selection of barriers. Certain barriers can be deemed unsuitable for publication for a variety of reasons, these include potential commercial or trade negotiation sensitivities. However, this statistical release provides headline figures on all the reported and resolved barriers for a reporting period.
2. Reported market access barriers headline statistics
2.1 Reported market access barriers in Quarter 1 (April to June) of the FYE 2024
71 reported barriers on DMAS
Figure 1 below shows that in Quarter 1 of the FYE 2024, 71 market access barriers were reported on DMAS, which is 9 fewer than Quarter 4 (January to March) of the FYE 2023 when 80 barriers were reported.
Figure 1: Number of reported market access barriers in Quarter 4 (Jan to Mar) of the FYE 2023 and Quarter 1 (Apr to June) of the FYE 2024
| Number of reported barriers | |
|---|---|
| FYE 2023 Quarter 4 | 80 |
| FYE 2024 Quarter 1 | 71 |
Source: DBT internal Digital Market Access Service (DMAS).
Download more detailed data on number of reported market access barriers by Quarter 4 (January to March) of the FYE 2023 and Quarter 1 (April to June) of the FYE 2024 in open document spreadsheet (ods) format.
2.2 Reported market access barriers by HMTC region in Quarter 1 (April to June) of the FYE 2024
27 highest reported on DMAS in Europe
The number of barriers reported within a geographic area can provide an indication of market access activity. However, this should not be understood as a complete indicator of the market access conditions within HMTC regions, or how they have changed. Instead, it represents the market access barriers that have been reported to DBT.
Table 1 below shows that in Quarter 1 of the FYE 2024, Europe had the highest number of barriers reported (27). This was also the case in Quarter 4 of the FYE 2023 where Europe had the highest number of barriers reported (17). There is a variation in the number of reported barriers across regions between time periods. This has less to do with changes in the market access conditions but more likely to reflect a mix of DBT’s operational activity and the firm behaviour/experience within the regions. A lot of this would be driven by whether firms experience a market access barrier in each reporting period and then whether they decide to engage on the issue with the DBT officials in the region. As a longer time series is developed through publication of quarterly statistics, this will allow a better understanding of the variation and volatility of the statistics over time and by regions.
Table 1: Number of reported market access barriers by HMTC regions in Quarter 4 (Jan to Mar) of the FYE 2023 and Quarter 1 (Apr to June) of the FYE 2024
| HMTC Region | FYE 2023 Quarter 4 | FYE 2024 Quarter 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Africa | 9 | 6 |
| Asia Pacific | 9 | 12 |
| China and Hong Kong | 6 | 4 |
| Eastern Europe and Central Asia | 8 | 6 |
| Europe | 17 | 27 |
| Latin America | 16 | 9 |
| Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan | 1 | 7 |
| North America | 4 | 0 |
| South Asia | 10 | 0 |
| Total | 80 | 71 |
Source: DBT internal Digital Market Access Service (DMAS).
Download more detailed data on number of reported market access barriers by HMTC regions for Quarter 4 (January to March) of the FYE 2023 and Quarter 1 (April to June) of the FYE 2024 in open document spreadsheet (ods) format.
Table 2 below presents the percent share of HMTC regions in total barriers reported across all regions in Quarter 4 of the FYE 2023 and Quarter 1 of the FYE 2024. The table shows that in Quarter 1 of the FYE 2024, Europe had the largest proportion of total barriers reported (38.0%). This was also the case in Quarter 4 of the FYE 2023 where Europe had the largest proportion as well (21.3%).
Table 2: Proportion of reported market access barriers by HMTC regions in Quarter 4 (Jan to Mar) of the FYE 2023 and Quarter 1 (Apr to June) of the FYE 2024
| HMTC Region | FYE 2023 Quarter 4 % of total | FYE 2024 Quarter 1 % of total |
|---|---|---|
| Africa | 11.3% | 8.5% |
| Asia Pacific | 11.3% | 16.9% |
| China and Hong Kong | 7.5% | 5.6% |
| Eastern Europe and Central Asia | 10.0% | 8.5% |
| Europe | 21.3% | 38.0% |
| Latin America | 20.0% | 12.7% |
| Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan | 1.3% | 9.9% |
| North America | 5.0% | 0.0% |
| South Asia | 12.5% | 0.0% |
| Total | 100.0% | 100.0% |
Source: DBT internal Digital Market Access Service (DMAS).
Download more detailed data on proportion of reported market access barriers by HMTC regions for Quarter 4 (January to March) of the FYE 2023 and Quarter 1 (April to June) of the FYE 2024 in open document spreadsheet (ods) format.
2.3 Number of trading partners where market access barriers were reported in Quarter 1 (April to June) of the FYE 2024
Figure 2 below shows a count of trading partners where barriers were reported in Quarter 4 of the FYE 2023 and Quarter 1 of the FYE 2024. In Quarter 1 of the FYE 2024, 37 trading partners reported 65 barriers on DMAS. This is 4 fewer than Quarter 4 of the FYE 2023 when 41 trading partners reported 79 barriers on DMAS.
Figure 2: Number of reported market access barriers by trading partners in Quarter 4 (Jan to Mar) of the FYE 2023 and Quarter 1 (Apr to June) of the FYE 2024
| Number of Trading Partners/Barriers Reported | FYE 2023 Quarter 4 | FYE 2024 Quarter 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Number of trading partners reporting a barrier | 41 | 37 |
| Number of barriers reported from trading partners | 79 | 65 |
Source: DBT internal Digital Market Access Service (DMAS).
Download more detailed data on number of reported market access barriers by trading partners for Quarter 4 (January to March) of the FYE 2023 and Quarter 1 (April to June) of the FYE 2024 in open document spreadsheet (ods) format.
Note: the above table does not include barriers reported by trading blocs.
3. Resolved market access barriers headline statistics
3.1 Resolved market access barriers in Quarter 1 (April to June) of the FYE 2024, as recorded on DMAS
19 resolved in full
12 resolved in part
When the underlying issues related to a market access barrier have been addressed and are no longer acting as an impediment to trade, DBT staff update the DMAS entry with status as “resolved”. Barriers on DMAS can be marked as “resolved in full” when the issue has been fully addressed or “resolved in part” when only a part of the issues related to a barrier is resolved.
The statistics on resolved barriers in Figure 3 below show that in Quarter 1 of the FYE 2024.
31 market access barriers were marked as either fully resolved or resolved in part - this is 12 fewer barriers than Quarter 4 of the FYE 2023, of which:
-
19 barriers were resolved in full - this is 11 fewer barriers compared with Quarter 4 of the FYE 2023
-
12 barriers were resolved in part - this is one fewer barrier compared with Quarter 4 of the FYE 2023
Note: for some barriers, between any 2 quarters, the DMAS status could change from ‘resolved in part’ to ‘resolved in full’ or vice versa.
Figure 3: Number of resolved market access barriers, in part and in full, in Quarter 4 (Jan to Mar) of the FYE 2023 and Quarter 1 (Apr to June) of the FYE 2024
| Reporting period | FYE 2023 Quarter 4 | FYE 2024 Quarter 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Resolved in part | 13 | 12 |
| Resolved in full | 30 | 19 |
| Total | 43 | 31 |
Source: DBT internal Digital Market Access Service (DMAS).
Download more detailed data on number of resolved market access barriers, in part and in full, for Quarter 4 (January to March) of the FYE 2023 and Quarter 1 (April to June) of the FYE 2024 in open document spreadsheet (ods) format.
Note: statistics on resolved barriers will be affected by factors such as:
- scope of resolution (whether it is fully or partially resolved)
- profile of barriers resolved (the time and action required to resolve any individual barrier can vary considerably)
- operational factors and reporting behaviour (for instance, data lags between a barrier being resolved and its DMAS status being updated to reflect this)
3.2 Resolved market access barriers by HMTC region in Quarter 1 (April to June) of the FYE 2024, as recorded on DMAS
8 highest number resolved in Africa and Latin America
1 lowest number resolved in Asia Pacific, China and Hong Kong, North America, and South Asia
The number of barriers resolved within a geographic area can provide an indication of market access activity. It is not however, the sole means to determine the effectiveness or impact of market access barrier resolution activity. Headline figures on resolved barriers do not give any indication of the level of activity required to achieve a resolution, nor the scale of opportunities posed by the barriers resolved.
Table 3 below shows that in Quarter 1 of the FYE 2024, Africa (8) and Latin America (8) had the highest number of barriers resolved; whereas, in Quarter 4 of the FYE 2023, Europe (11) had the highest number of barriers resolved across HMTC regions.
Table 3: Number of resolved market access barriers, in part and in full, by HMTC regions in Quarter 4 (Jan to Mar) of the FYE 2023 and Quarter 1 (Apr to June) of the FYE 2024
| HMTC region | Resolved in part FYE 2023 Quarter 4 | Resolved in full FYE 2023 Quarter 4 | Total for FYE 2023 Quarter 4 | Resolved in part FYE 2024 Quarter 1 | Resolved in full FYE 2024 Quarter 1 | Total for FYE 2024 Quarter 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Africa | 4 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| Asia Pacific | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| China and Hong Kong | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Eastern Europe and Central Asia | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Europe | 2 | 9 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Latin America | 0 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan | 3 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| North America | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| South Asia | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 13 | 30 | 43 | 12 | 19 | 31 |
Source: DBT internal Digital Market Access Service (DMAS).
Download more detailed data on number of resolved market access barriers, in part and in full, by HMTC regions, for Quarter 4 (January to March) of the FYE 2023 and Quarter 1 (April to June) of the FYE 2024 in open document spreadsheet (ods) format.
Table 4 below shows that in Quarter 1 of the FYE 2024, Africa (25.8%) and Latin America (25.8%) had the largest proportion of barriers resolved; whereas, in Quarter 4 of the FYE 2023, Europe (25.6%) had the largest proportion of barriers resolved across HMTC regions.
Table 4: Resolved market access barriers (including in part and in full) by HMTC regions as a percentage share of total in Quarter 4 (Jan to Mar) of the FYE 2023 and Quarter 1 (Apr to June) of the FYE 2024
| HMTC region | % of total resolved FYE 2023 Quarter 4 | % of total resolved FYE 2024 Quarter 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Africa | 18.6% | 25.8% |
| Asia Pacific | 7.0% | 3.2% |
| China and Hong Kong | 2.3% | 3.2% |
| Eastern Europe and Central Asia | 9.3% | 9.7% |
| Europe | 25.6% | 19.4% |
| Latin America | 18.6% | 25.8% |
| Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan | 16.3% | 6.5% |
| North America | 0.0% | 3.2% |
| South Asia | 2.3% | 3.2% |
| Total | 100.0% | 100.0% |
Source: DBT internal Digital Market Access Service (DMAS).
Download more detailed data on resolved market access barriers (including in part and in full) by HMTC regions as a percentage share of total , for Quarter 4 (January to March) of the FYE 2023 and Quarter 1 (April to June) of the FYE 2024 in open document spreadsheet (ods) format.
3.3 Number of trading partners where market access barriers were resolved (in part and in full) in Quarter 1 (April to June) of the FYE 2024, as recorded on DMAS
The number of trading partners where barriers were resolved can provide some illustration on the breadth of market access activity being undertaken, although this provides no indication of the depth of the market access activity in the domain of the trading partner.
Figure 4 below shows a count of trading partners where a barrier was marked as resolved in Quarter 4 of the FYE 2023 and Quarter 1 of the FYE 2024. In Quarter 1 of the FYE 2024, 21 trading partners resolved 30 barriers on DMAS. This is 8 fewer than Quarter 4 of the FYE 2023 when 29 trading partners resolved 44 barriers on DMAS.
Figure 4: Number of trading partners where barriers were resolved in part and in full, in Quarter 4 (Jan to Mar) of the FYE 2023 and Quarter 1 (Apr to June) of the FYE 2024
| Number of trading partners | FYE 2023 Quarter 4 | FYE 2024 Quarter 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Number of trading partners where barrier was resolved in part | 12 | 10 |
| Number of trading partners where barrier was resolved in full | 22 | 14 |
| Total number of trading partners where barrier was resolved | 29 | 21 |
Source: DBT internal Digital Market Access Service (DMAS).
Download more detailed data on number of trading partners where barriers were resolved in part and in full, for Quarter 4 (January to March) of the FYE 2023 and Quarter 1 (April to June) of the FYE 2024 in open document spreadsheet (ods) format.
Note: a trading partner could be part of both resolved in full and resolved in part count, resulting in total not matching.