UK Logistics Statistics 2026

The UK's logistics sector keeps the country moving.

Whether it's food arriving at supermarkets, parcels turning up the next day or retailers keeping shelves stocked, logistics sits behind almost every part of the British economy.

Over the past few years, the industry has had to adapt quickly. Labour shortages, changing consumer habits, higher operating costs, geopolitical disruption and automation have all changed how goods move around the UK.

Here, we look at the latest UK logistics statistics for 2026,.

Key UK logistics statistics

The UK's logistics industry is one of the country's biggest employers and contributes hundreds of billions of pounds to the economy every year. 

Key statistics

• The UK logistics sector contributes approximately £175 billion to the UK economy every year. (Logistics UK)
• Logistics accounts for approximately 8% of the UK's entire workforce, accounting for roughly 2.7 million jobs across the country. (Logistics UK)
• The transport and logistics industry accounts for 5.6% of UK’s GDP. (RHA)
• Domestic road freight moved 1.53 billion tonnes of goods during 2025. (Department for Transport)
• UK ports handled 429.7 million tonnes of freight during 2024. (Department for Transport)
  
• HGV businesses saw driver vacancies in Q4 2025 up 2% compared with Q4 2024. (Gov UK)
• UK logistics investment totalled £10.5 billion during 2025, 27% higher than 2024. (Knight Frank)
  
• Domestic transport accounts for 30% of total UK emissions, with Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) and vans each producing roughly 16%. (Gov UK)
  

Warehousing statistics

Warehousing has changed dramatically over the last decade.

Instead of just storing products, modern warehouses now function as fulfilment centres powered by robotics, warehouse management systems and real-time inventory tracking.

Growth in ecommerce has also fuelled demand for bigger distribution centres located close to major motorway networks.

Key statistics

• The UK warehousing market has a total value of £38.2 billion (UKWA)
• The UK's warehouse market has grown by 61% since 2015, reaching almost 700 million sq ft of space over 50,000 sq ft. (UKWA)
  
• 760,000 people work in warehousing in the UK (UKWA)
• The total amount of warehousing space in the UK stands at nearly 690 million square feet for units over 50,000 sq ft (Savills)
• Development of warehouses larger than 1 million sq ft has increased by 345% over the past decade. (Savills)
• Online retailer occupancy of warehouse space has increased by 813% in the last decade. (Savills)
  
• Defence investment alone could require an additional 37 million square metres of warehouse space across Britain by 2033. (Savills)
• UK warehouse average rents grew about 3.0% year-on-year, with large units (100,000+ sq ft) averaging £11.95 per sq ft and mid size units averaging £15.80 per sq ft. (Statista)
• 82% of UK warehouses were built before 2000 (Knight Frank)

Freight & transport statistics

The UK's freight network relies on different modes of transport working together to keep goods moving.

While road freight is still the backbone of UK logistics, rail, ports, planes and shipping all play an important part in transporting goods across the country. 

Key statistics

Road

• GB-registered heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) travelled 19 billion vehicle kilometres in 2025. (Department for Transport)
• The number of HGV Drivers in the UK is around 684,000. (RHA)
• Road transport is the most popular route for domestic freight movements, accounting for 82% of all tonne-kilometres, followed by water at 10% and rail at 8% (Department for Transport)
• GB-registered HGVs lifted 1.53 billion tonnes of goods across 163 million journeys during 2025. (Department for Transport)
  
• Driver shortages remain one of the logistics industry's biggest operational challenges, with one in four logistics businesses reporting HGV driver vacancies during 2025. (Department for Transport)
  
• In the UK, 98% of all food and agricultural products are transported by road freight. (RHA)

Sea

• Sea transport handles 86% of global trade volume (UN)

Rail

• UK rail freight activity fell by 7% in 2026 (railfreight)
  

Air

• UK airports handled 2.8 million tonnes of cargo during 2025. (UK Civil Aviation Authority)
• Cargo volumes increased by approximately 3% compared with 2024. (UK Civil Aviation Authority)
• Heathrow handled 1.59 million tonnes of cargo during 2025. (Heathrow Media Centre)

Employment & workforce statistics

The logistics industry is one of the UK's biggest employers, supporting millions of jobs across transport, warehousing, supply chain management and distribution.

However, recruitment is still one of the sector's biggest challenges.

Key statistics

• Logistics accounts for approximately 8% of the UK's total workforce. (Logistics UK)
  
• 26% of HGV businesses reported driver vacancies during Q4 2025, up from 24% a year earlier. (Department for Transport)
• HGV driver vacancies peaked at 43% during Q4 2021. (Department for Transport)
  
• Between 11% and 26% of HGV businesses increased driver wages during 2025. (Department for Transport)
  

 

Regional logistics statistics

 

Location continues to play a big role in the UK's logistics sector. Areas with strong motorway connections, major ports and access to big consumer populations continue to attract the highest levels of investment.

• The East Midlands is the UK's largest regional logistics market with 130 million square feet of space. (Savills)
  
• Inner London holds roughly 30 million square feet of industrial space across more than 3,200 units. (Savills)
• West Northamptonshire has the highest total number of transport and storage business units in the UK with 3,200 premises (ONS)
• This is followed by Leeds with 3,100 premises, North Northamptonshire with 2,700 premises and Birmingham with 2,500 premises. (ONS)
• Rugby (Warwickshire) is home to the UK's highest concentration of logistics businesses, with 17% of all local businesses dedicated to transport and storage due to its position in the Midlands "Golden Triangle", where 90% of the UK population is accessible within a 4-hour drive. (ONS)
• Newport ranks first in Wales with 10% of its local business economy made up of logistics units. (ONS)
• North Lanarkshire leads Scotland with 8% of its total business units operating in transport and storage, (ONS)

What do these statistics tell us?

 

The numbers paint a clear picture: logistics is becoming more important than ever to the UK economy. Warehouses are getting bigger, freight volumes are staying high and businesses continue to invest in warehousing and automation.

But the industry is also facing some challenges. Finding skilled workers is still difficult and demand for logistics space continues to outpace supply in many parts of the country.

As online shopping and international trade continue to grow, the logistics sector is only going to become more important.

The businesses that embrace new technology, improve efficiency and invest in more sustainable ways of working are likely to be the ones best placed for long-term success.

 

Sources

 

This guide uses data from:

• Logistics UK
• Department for Transport
• Office for National Statistics
• Savills
• UK Warehousing Association
• Knight Frank
• Civil Aviation Authority
• Road Haulage Association
• United Nations