British net energy import dependency was 47.2 percent in 2013, the highest since 1975, due to falls in indigenous oil and gas production, said an energy report issued on Thursday.

Total imports rose 2.6 percent year on year to reach a record high of 178.2 million tons of oil equivalent, while exports were down 5.1 percent to 76.2 million tons of oil equivalent, its lowest since 1980, said the energy report published by the Department of Energy & Climate Change.

The divergent trends have resulted in net import dependency up 4.2 percentage points from 2012, according to the report.

The country's total energy production in 2013 was 114 million tons of oil equivalent, down 6.6 percent from 2012. The decrease was due to a fall in coal production caused by mine closures, and a reduction in oil and gas production, according to the report.

Michael Fallon, minister of state for energy, urged on Sunday the country to develop more domestic sources of energy, such as shale gas and nuclear power to reduce its dependence on imports from "unstable" regions.