Brexit Britain has shot up to the fourth largest exporter in the world, despite warnings that international trade would drop off after leaving the EU.
New figures show that Britain has moved from its previous ranking of seventh in 2021 to fourth in 2022.
The United Nations data reveals that the UK has overtaken Japan, France and the Netherlands on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) for goods and services exports.
Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch praised the rise in British trade, saying: "These new figures show how the UK is punching above its weight on trade, and is on track to reach our ambition of exporting a trillion pounds of goods and services a year by 2030.
Brexit Britain has shot up to the fourth largest exporter despite warnings that international trade would drop off after leaving the EU
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"The appetite for world-class UK produce continues to grow and this government will keep supporting our brilliant businesses, helping to create more jobs, pay higher wages and grow the economy."
Britain trails behind front runners, China which generates the most wealth from exports followed by the United States and Germany in third place.
The surging growth is likely driven by professional services - which totalled £185billion in 2023.
"The UK's strong export performance has been supercharged by services generally and the financial and related professional services industry in particular," Miles Celic, CEO of TheCityUK told CityAM.
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"Britain is the largest net exporter of financial services in the world, and the second largest exporter of financial services overall, behind only the US.
"The industry is an enormous national advantage for the UK and one that generates jobs and drives growth across the country."
Despite the positive results, Britain could drop down the rankings next year after a report found the value of total goods exports fell by £17.4billion (4.4 per cent), between 2022 and 2023.
According to an Office for National Statistics report published last month, the drop was primarily due to falling imports and exports of fuels.
Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch praised the rise in British trade
PAThe ONS added that after adjusting for inflation, the UK imported and exported less in 2023 than it did in 2018.
It comes as Britain and Canada halted talks over a new free trade agreement in January - meaning a post-Brexit arrangement with Canada is set to expire.
A spokesperson for Britain's Department for Business and Trade said: "The UK government remains ready to work with Canada to find a solution that works for both countries, but we won't accept rowing back on the current terms."
