Exports statistics Scotland 2021

Food, beverages and tobacco remains Scotland's largest industry sector for international exports

In 2021, international exports of ‘food, beverages and tobacco’ valued an estimated £6.1 billion and accounted for a fifth of Scotland’s international exports. The value of exports for this sector fell by 19.1% (£1.3 billion) in 2020 and much of this was driven by a £1.2 billion fall in the value of exports of spirits. In 2021, the value of ‘food, beverages and tobacco’ exports showed some recovery but remained below pre-pandemic levels (7.7% less than 2019) .

‘Professional, scientific and technical activities’ was the second largest sector, valuing £3.7 billion and accounting for 12% of the value of Scotland’s international exports.

Figure 6. In 2021, ‘food, beverages and tobacco’ was the highest value international export sector

Estimated value of top five sectors for international exports in 2021.