This chapter contains information on Ireland’s Goods Exports and Imports statistics which provide data on the movement of goods between countries. The statistics are a combination of Customs-based non-EU trade statistics and data from the Intrastat survey of Irish traders involved in trade with other EU member states.
In May 2015, significant revisions were incorporated into International Trade in Goods statistics back to 2000. The most significant revision was due to recording trade in aircraft (commodity group SITC 79 - Other transport equipment, including aircraft) on a "transfer of economic ownership" basis. The technical note in the appendix gives more detail on the revised trade data.
| 15.1 Goods Exports and Imports summary analysis | |||||
| Year | Value | Volume index | |||
| (base year 1990=100) | |||||
| Trade | |||||
| Exports | Imports | surplus | Exports | Imports | |
| €m | €m | €m | |||
| 1974 | 1,440 | 2,065 | -625 | 25.2 | 44.2 |
| 1975 | 1,838 | 2,164 | -326 | 27.2 | 38.3 |
| 1976 | 2,361 | 2,969 | -608 | 28.2 | 44.2 |
| 1977 | 3,197 | 3,925 | -727 | 33.2 | 49.9 |
| 1978 | 3,762 | 4,715 | -952 | 36.7 | 57.1 |
| 1979 | 4,416 | 6,130 | -1,714 | 39.6 | 65.5 |
| 1980 | 5,184 | 6,883 | -1,699 | 42.7 | 62.3 |
| 1981 | 6,066 | 8,353 | -2,287 | 43.0 | 63.7 |
| 1982 | 7,227 | 8,655 | -1,428 | 46.1 | 61.5 |
| 1983 | 8,817 | 9,354 | -537 | 51.7 | 63.5 |
| 1984 | 11,297 | 11,316 | -19 | 61.2 | 70.0 |
| 1985 | 12,371 | 11,971 | 400 | 65.2 | 72.3 |
| 1986 | 11,903 | 10,947 | 956 | 67.6 | 74.4 |
| 1987 | 13,616 | 11,625 | 1,991 | 77.4 | 79.1 |
| 1988 | 15,624 | 12,970 | 2,654 | 82.9 | 82.8 |
| 1989 | 18,534 | 15,598 | 2,937 | 92.2 | 93.6 |
| 1990 | 18,204 | 15,832 | 2,372 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| 1991 | 19,070 | 16,317 | 2,753 | 105.6 | 100.8 |
| 1992 | 21,260 | 16,754 | 4,506 | 121.1 | 105.6 |
| 1993 | 25,179 | 18,900 | 6,279 | 133.4 | 113.0 |
| 1994 | 28,891 | 21,945 | 6,946 | 153.2 | 127.9 |
| 1995 | 35,330 | 26,181 | 9,149 | 184.0 | 146.3 |
| 1996 | 38,609 | 28,479 | 10,130 | 202.2 | 160.9 |
| 1997 | 44,868 | 32,863 | 12,004 | 232.4 | 184.8 |
| 1998 | 57,322 | 39,715 | 17,607 | 289.2 | 218.3 |
| 1999 | 66,956 | 44,327 | 22,629 | 336.5 | 236.5 |
| 2000 | 83,986 | 54,960 | 29,026 | 401.4 | 275.2 |
| 2001 | 92,730 | 56,455 | 36,275 | 422.0 | 274.2 |
| 2002 | 94,059 | 55,106 | 38,953 | 435.1 | 276.6 |
| 2003 | 82,585 | 48,515 | 34,070 | 418.4 | 259.7 |
| 2004 | 84,949 | 51,557 | 33,392 | 446.5 | 283.6 |
| 2005 | 87,173 | 58,463 | 28,710 | 456.7 | 316.3 |
| 2006 | 87,497 | 63,833 | 23,664 | 457.6 | 323.9 |
| 2007 | 90,580 | 65,939 | 24,640 | 481.8 | 340.9 |
| 2008 | 88,503 | 59,336 | 29,168 | 484.5 | 300.5 |
| 2009 | 87,586 | 48,203 | 39,382 | 468.4 | 249.2 |
| 2010 | 90,924 | 48,695 | 42,229 | 485.5 | 241.3 |
| 2011 | 93,191 | 53,035 | 40,155 | 507.9 | 240.8 |
| 2012 | 93,507 | 55,061 | 38,446 | 479.1 | 231.9 |
| 2013 | 89,182 | 54,772 | 34,409 | 460.6 | 238.8 |
| 2014 | 92,513 | 60,257 | 32,257 | n/a | n/a |
| Source: CSO | |||||
Interactive table: StatBank link
Between 1974 and 2014 the value of Goods Exports grew from €1,440 million to €92,513 million while Goods Imports increased from €2,065 million to €60,257 million. The highest level of exports was €94,059 million in 2002 and €65,939 million for imports in 2007.
The Trade in Goods balance (exports minus imports) changed from a deficit of €625 million in 1974 to a surplus of €32,257 million in 2014. The highest Trade surplus was recorded in 2010 at €42,229 million.
Comparing 2014 with 2013 the value of exports and imports increased by 4% and 10%, respectively.
| 15.2 Goods Exports and Imports classified by commodity | ||||||||||
| €million | ||||||||||
| SITC (Rev 4) | Exports | Imports | ||||||||
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | |||
| 0 | Food and live animals | 7,874 | 8,132 | 8,734 | 9,341 | 5,019 | 5,589 | 6,033 | 6,180 | |
| 1 | Beverages and tobacco | 1,177 | 1,208 | 1,174 | 1,147 | 806 | 862 | 823 | 837 | |
| 2 | Crude materials, inedible, except fuels | 1,764 | 1,733 | 1,732 | 1,796 | 725 | 694 | 672 | 728 | |
| 3 | Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials | 1,354 | 1,647 | 823 | 846 | 6,946 | 7,160 | 6,886 | 6,475 | |
| 4 | Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes | 54 | 55 | 52 | 62 | 248 | 251 | 235 | 217 | |
| 5 | Chemicals and related products | 56,031 | 55,045 | 50,394 | 51,573 | 10,415 | 10,265 | 10,873 | 11,428 | |
| 6 | Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material | 1,658 | 1,690 | 1,711 | 1,868 | 3,712 | 3,713 | 3,876 | 4,219 | |
| 7 | Machinery and transport equipment | 11,718 | 11,562 | 11,859 | 11,976 | 17,977 | 19,316 | 17,948 | 21,819 | |
| 8 | Miscellaneous manufactured articles | 10,846 | 11,401 | 11,529 | 12,677 | 6,013 | 6,069 | 6,119 | 6,876 | |
| 9 | Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere | 179 | 483 | 543 | 611 | 266 | 187 | 210 | 242 | |
| Unclassified estimates1 | 534 | 550 | 630 | 616 | 907 | 956 | 1,096 | 1,236 | ||
| Total | 93,191 | 93,507 | 89,181 | 92,513 | 53,035 | 55,061 | 54,772 | 60,256 | ||
| 1Estimates for which a commodity classification is not available | ||||||||||
| Source: CSO | ||||||||||
Interactive table: StatBank link
Between 2011 and 2014 the value of Goods Exports decreased by 1%. Exports of Food and live animals showed a steady increase (+19%) from €7,874 million in 2011 to €9,341 million in 2014.
Exports of Chemicals and related products (€51,573 million) accounted for 56% of total exports in 2014.
Over the four year period 2011 to 2014 the value of Goods Imports increased by 14% to €60,256 million with imports of Food and live animals increasing by 23%.
Interactive table: StatBank link
On an overall basis the EU accounted for €50,889 million or 55% of total Goods Exports in 2014 with Great Britain and Belgium being the main EU export markets at 13% each.
Between 2011 and 2014, the value of exports increased by more than 25% to the following countries - Denmark, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovenia, India, Russia and Switzerland.
The USA was the main non-EU destination for goods accounting for 23% of total exports in 2014.
Interactive table: StatBank link
Between 2011 and 2014 the proportion of Goods Imports coming from the EU has remained relatively stable at around 60%. In 2014 the value of Goods Imports from the EU was 61% of which 44% came from Great Britain. The USA and China have been the main non-EU sources of imports.
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