The 21st century has seen a surge in economic globalisation and free trade,
leading to global economic prosperity and widespread improvements in people's lives.
The UK has undoubtedly been one of the biggest beneficiaries of globalisation and trade liberalisation and will continue to benefit in the future.
The UK's natural resource endowments and economic structure are such that it must be open and responsive to the wave of 'globalisation'.
Globalisation is constantly impacting our daily lives. For example, the British table is a vivid microcosm of globalisation.
In our three daily meals, the food on our table may come from worldwide. From 2003 to 2019, the value of food imports in the UK has continued to rise.
Moreover, the UK is also more reliant on imported food.
The chart illustrates the value of food, feed and drinks imported into the UK from 2003 to 2019.
In 2019, the value of food, feed and drink imports was approximately £48 billion.
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Globalisation is not a new phenomenon for the UK economy in many senses.
Import and export trade has brought much convenience to the UK.
So, how did the UK participate in globalisation and conduct free trade in various countries?
The map below will answer, scrolling the map to see detailed information.
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Backgroud credit: vcg.com
Food is one of the commodities most closely associated with our lives, and globalisation has significantly impacted it. As the pie chart on the right shows, 46% of food in the UK comes from imports.
And, as globalisation progresses, the UK imports more food from all over the world, and their imports have expanded dramatically in the last 15 years.
The line chart on the right shows the UK's top 7 food catrgories imports over the past 15 years.
The total food imports value and the imports value of tea, coffee, vegetables, and seafood from 2010 to 2019 in the UK are displayed. These foods are common in the UK, and most are imported. You can click on "Open top 5 bar chart" to see the top 5 countries in terms of import value by category in different years.
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In addition to the categories listed above, more than 188 countries worldwide participate in UK food imports.
This map shows the most food imported from each country to the UK. Food is divided into eight categories on the map, which can be filtered using the button on the left.
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Almost half of the food in the UK is imported. Should we choose imported or local products when buying?
The visualization below gives us some examples and helps us to have the answer in terms of protecting the environment. Put the mouse on the route line; detailed information will appear on the top left.
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Globalization profoundly affects our lives, except the food comes from various countries to our table.
There are also many restaurants from all over the world around us. Click the point on the map, and the information about the restaurant will appear. Also, you can search for specific locations on the top right.
The toggle box has a hidden box; click on it to see the pie chart for the cuisine's proportion.
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