In 2021, €555 billion (65%) of domestic outputs were exported, €144 billion (17%) were used for further production (Intermediate Consumption), and €74 billion (9%) were consumed by households.
Consumption by industries in further production accounted for €278 billion (68%) of imported products, €60 billion (15%) were imported capital assets, and just €19 billion (5%) were consumed by households.
The total amount of Taxes less Subsidies on products was €25 billion in 2021. Of this €13 billion (53%) was paid on products used in Intermediate Consumption, €11 billion (45%) was on products consumed by households and €597 million (2%) was on investment products.
The Input-Output framework of the European System of Accounts (ESA 2010) consists of Supply and Use Tables (SUTs) and Symmetric Input-Output Tables (IOTs). The 2021 SUTs were published earlier this year, in a separate release, found here. The SUTs and IOTs are the most detailed and complete framework for understanding the flows of the Irish National Accounts for a particular year. The SUTs are constructed directly from survey and other administrative data sources. The IOTs are modelled from the preceding SUTs.
To produce the IOTs the Use Table is first calculated at basic prices (this is the price received by the producer for a good or service produced, minus any tax payable as a consequence of its production, plus any subsidy received as a consequence of its production, minus any trade margins made on the product).
Once the Use Table at basic prices is calculated, we disaggregate it into domestic inputs (uses) and imported inputs. In total, there are three Use Tables at basic prices, one for total inputs, one for domestic inputs and one for imported inputs. These three tables, along with the Table of Trade Margins and the Table of Taxes less subsidies, form what are known as the Intermediate Tables for the IO Tables.
Use Table at basic prices for 2021: Supply and Use Input Output Tables 2021 Table 1.2 (XLS 44KB)
Use Table for domestic inputs at basic prices for 2021: Supply and Use Input Output Tables 2021 Table 1.3 (XLS 43KB)
Use Table for imports at basic prices for 2021: Supply and Use Input Output Tables 2021 Table 1.4 (XLS 36KB)
Use Table for trade margins for 2021: Supply and Use Input Output Tables 2021 Table 1.5 (XLS 30KB)
Use Table for taxes less subsidies on products for 2021: Supply and Use Input Output Tables 2021 Table 1.6 (XLS 35KB)
There are three IO Tables; one for each of the Use at basic prices tables, a Totals Table, a Domestic IO Table, which refers to the consumption of domestically produced products and an Imports IO Table, which refers to the consumption of imported products. The symmetric tables present the Use Tables as product by product (as opposed to product by industry) and can be seen as a blending of the Supply Table and the Use Table into a single table. The tables allow for the examination of both inputs (columns) and outputs (rows) simultaneously, and its main value lies in being able to examine the use of products in the production of other products within the Irish economy.
A summary of the IOT for domestic product flows is presented in Table 1.7 below. The summary table easily highlights the tables' symmetry, and how the inputs are equal to the outputs across product categories.
Symmetric Input-Output Table of total product flows at basic prices for 2021: Supply and Use Input Output Tables 2021 Table 1.8 (XLS 44KB)
Symmetric Input-Output Table of domestic product flows at basic prices for 2021: Supply and Use Input Output Tables 2021 Table 1.9 (XLS 43KB)
Symmetric Input-Output Table of imported product flows for 2021: Supply and Use Input Output Tables 2021 Table 1.10 (XLS 36KB)
The Domestic IO Table is used to calculate Coefficients of domestic product flows and the Leontief Inverse of domestic flows with multipliers for other inputs. The Table of Coefficients explains the direct input requirements per unit of output, while the Leontief Inverse shows the inputs required per unit of final demand. If there is an increase in demand for a particular product, we assume there will be an increase in output of that product (direct effect), but there will also be an increase in demand for other products used in the production of that first product (indirect effect). This table measures the direct and indirect impacts on the economy from the increase in demand for domestic output of a given product. Output multipliers are the sum of the direct and indirect effects to a unit increase in final use.
Using Table 1.11 below, this can be interpreted as follows for products of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing as an example. Each €1 of final demand for domestic output of products of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing requires €1.20 output of domestically produced Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing products and €0.25 of all other domestically produced products. The €0.25 is further broken down into product categories in the Leontief Inverse Table (Table 1.13), giving an indication of how the increase in one area of the economy will impact other areas of the economy. More information on interpreting the Leontief Inverse Table can be found in the Background Notes.
Note that only Type I multipliers are available (direct and indirect effect). There are also Type II multipliers which include the induced effects of additional demand, these involve more estimation and assumptions, and are not compiled by the CSO.
Coefficients of domestic product flows for 2021: Supply and Use Input Output Tables 2021 Table 1.12 (XLS 39KB)
Leontief Inverse of domestic product flows with multipliers for other inputs for 2021: Supply and Use Input Output Tables 2021 Table 1.13 (XLS 40KB)
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (11 March 2025) published an update to the Supply and Use Tables for Ireland 2021.
Commenting on the release, Becky Mangan, Statistician in the National Accounts Division, said: “Today's release builds on the previously published Supply and Use Tables for Ireland 2021, which was published on 23 January 2025. This supplementary information based on updated tables complements the earlier release in the series. The headline figures from both releases can be found in the National Accounts main aggregates outputs. These updated tables highlight the inter-industry flows behind the main aggregates and contain product level detail which is not available elsewhere.
In 2021, domestic outputs were valued at €860 billion, and of this, €555 billion (65%) were exported, €144 billion (17%) were used for further production (Intermediate Consumption), and €74 billion (9%) were consumed by households.
Imports were valued at €409 billion in 2021, and they had a different use pattern to domestic products. Intermediate Consumption by industries in further production accounted for €278 billion (68%) of imported products, while €60 billion (15%) were imported capital assets, and just €19 billion (5%) were consumed by households.
The total amount consumed by households, the government, and Non-Profit Institutions Serving Households (NPISH) was €147 billion (at basic prices) in 2021. Domestic outputs valued at €122 billion (83%) made up a large amount of this, while imports made up a greater portion of Intermediate Consumption and of Gross Fixed Capital Formation, which is considered as investment.
The amount of Taxes less Subsidies paid on products was €25 billion in 2021, and of this, €13 billion (53%) was paid on products used in Intermediate Consumption, €11 billion (45%) was on products consumed by households, and €597 million (2%) was on invested products.
Notably, the release also contains a table of Output Multipliers which can be used in conducting economic impact assessments."