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.
| X-axis label | Exports | Imports | Trade surplus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 1.8378188947184 | 2.16376065945117 | -0.326041764732771 |
| 1976 | 2.3605 | 2.9686 | -0.608 |
| 1977 | 3.1974 | 3.92463342661676 | -0.727233426616757 |
| 1978 | 3.76248787400135 | 4.71466445901539 | -0.952176585014043 |
| 1979 | 4.41576811535317 | 6.13016846884825 | -1.71440035349508 |
| 1980 | 5.18370570518713 | 6.88286920174106 | -1.69916349655393 |
| 1981 | 6.06630064350326 | 8.3529 | -2.28659935649674 |
| 1982 | 7.22658729957184 | 8.6547 | -1.42811270042816 |
| 1983 | 8.8169 | 9.35390647617209 | -0.537006476172095 |
| 1984 | 11.2974945528236 | 11.3161 | -0.0186054471763582 |
| 1985 | 12.3710580981355 | 11.971344551046 | 0.399813547089506 |
| 1986 | 11.9029056686187 | 10.9467928955615 | 0.956112773057173 |
| 1987 | 13.6160362840353 | 11.6247060556348 | 1.99133022840048 |
| 1988 | 15.6238731074554 | 12.9701205235384 | 2.65385258391699 |
| 1989 | 18.5343667308308 | 15.5978434768476 | 2.93662325398317 |
| 1990 | 18.2038539090156 | 15.8321101523178 | 2.37174375669787 |
| 1991 | 19.07006922612 | 16.3171500982777 | 2.75291912784231 |
| 1992 | 21.2602404376025 | 16.7539399972574 | 4.50640044034517 |
| 1993 | 25.1785251738271 | 18.8996703759948 | 6.2788547978323 |
| 1994 | 28.8908583937305 | 21.9453911047229 | 6.94556728900762 |
| 1995 | 35.3300811108684 | 26.1808564129391 | 9.14922469792932 |
| 1996 | 38.6089257507961 | 28.4794632563195 | 10.1295624944766 |
| 1997 | 44.8679726346049 | 32.8634879197119 | 12.004484714893 |
| 1998 | 57.321817655454 | 39.7149945909158 | 17.6067230645382 |
| 1999 | 66.9562092731511 | 44.3270642131941 | 22.629145059957 |
| 2000 | 83.986 | 54.9601 | 29.0259 |
| 2001 | 92.7304 | 56.4552 | 36.2752 |
| 2002 | 94.0589 | 55.1057 | 38.9532 |
| 2003 | 82.5848 | 48.5153 | 34.0695 |
| 2004 | 84.9492 | 51.5572 | 33.392 |
| 2005 | 87.1727 | 58.4626 | 28.71 |
| 2006 | 87.4967 | 63.8331 | 23.6635 |
| 2007 | 90.5797 | 65.9393 | 24.6404 |
| 2008 | 88.5031 | 59.3356 | 29.1675 |
| 2009 | 87.5855 | 48.2033 | 39.3821 |
| 2010 | 90.9238 | 48.6946 | 42.2292 |
| 2011 | 93.1906 | 53.0352 | 40.1554 |
| 2012 | 93.5067 | 56.1792 | 37.3275 |
| 2013 | 89.1815 | 55.7871 | 33.3944 |
| 2014 | 92.6159 | 62.1575 | 30.4584 |
| 2015 | 112.4073 | 70.111 | 42.2963 |
| 2016 | 119.2922 | 74.2367 | 45.0554 |
| 2017 | 122.7847 | 82.9557 | 39.829 |
| 2018 | 140.645 | 91.9516 | 48.6934 |
| 2019 | 152.49 | 90.6489 | 61.8411 |
Between 1975 and 2019 the value of goods exported rose from €1,838 million to €152,490 million. The value of imports rose from €2,164 million to €90,649 million. The year 2019 represented the highest level of exports on record.
The Trade in Goods balance (exports minus imports) changed from a deficit of €326 million in 1975 to a surplus of €61,841 million in 2019.
The value of exports in 2019 increased by 8% or €11,845 million over 2018, while imports decreased by €1,303 million over the same period.
Interactive table: Statbank TSA01
Link to release: Goods Exports and Imports
| Table 19.1 Goods Exports and Imports classified by commodity | ||||||||||
| €million | ||||||||||
| SITC (Rev 4) | Exports | Imports | ||||||||
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |||
| 0 | Food and live animals | 10,096 | 11,375 | 11,178 | 11,732 | 6,689 | 7,188 | 7,805 | 7,790 | |
| 1 | Beverages and tobacco | 1,333 | 1,364 | 1,444 | 1,715 | 914 | 908 | 907 | 990 | |
| 2 | Crude materials, inedible, except fuels | 1,529 | 1,815 | 1,921 | 1,671 | 824 | 907 | 939 | 1,003 | |
| 3 | Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials | 691 | 993 | 1,022 | 886 | 3,882 | 4,770 | 5,862 | 5,466 | |
| 4 | Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes | 78 | 91 | 65 | 69 | 245 | 260 | 276 | 259 | |
| 5 | Chemicals and related products | 66,385 | 67,834 | 85,758 | 92,971 | 14,963 | 17,501 | 19,869 | 16,984 | |
| 6 | Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material | 2,144 | 2,284 | 2,330 | 2,349 | 4,751 | 5,064 | 5,413 | 5,887 | |
| 7 | Machinery and transport equipment | 21,420 | 21,177 | 20,014 | 23,750 | 31,581 | 35,832 | 39,844 | 40,649 | |
| 8 | Miscellaneous manufactured articles | 14,645 | 14,885 | 15,783 | 16,330 | 8,253 | 8,317 | 8,784 | 9,481 | |
| 9 | Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere | 336 | 390 | 446 | 368 | 374 | 434 | 451 | 313 | |
| Unclassified estimates1 | 632 | 578 | 683 | 649 | 1,761 | 1,774 | 1,802 | 1,826 | ||
| Total | 119,292 | 122,785 | 140,645 | 152,490 | 74,237 | 82,956 | 91,952 | 90,649 | ||
| 1Estimates for which a commodity classification is not available | ||||||||||
| Source: CSO | ||||||||||
The total value of goods exports has increased by 28% between 2016 and 2019, an increase of €33,198 million. Imports have increased by €16,412 million or 22% over the same period.
Exports of Chemicals and related products increased by €26,586 million to €92,971 million between 2016 and 2019, and comprised 61% of all goods exports in 2019. Exports of Machinery and transport equipment grew from €21,420 million to €23,750 million between 2016 and 2019, an increase of 11%.
Imports of Machinery and transport equipment increased from €31,581 million to €40,649 million (29%) between 2016 and 2019.
Interactive table: Statbank TSA06
Link to release: Goods Exports and Imports
| Food and live animals | Beverages and tobacco | Crude materials, inedible, except fuels | Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials | Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes | Chemicals and related products | Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material | Machinery and transport equipment | Miscellaneous manufactured articles | Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere | Unclassified estimates | |
| Exports | 11.73245 | 1.715103 | 1.670926 | 0.886044 | 0.069098 | 92.971187 | 2.348507 | 23.749617 | 16.329541 | 0.368219334403371 | 0.649292730621646 |
| Imports | 7.790136 | 0.990144 | 1.002876 | 5.465911 | 0.258948 | 16.984019 | 5.887464 | 40.649418 | 9.481107 | 0.312532190028537 | 1.82632695206643 |
The USA is Ireland’s largest export partner, accounting for €46,958 million of goods in 2019, or 31% of total exports. Belgium is the largest export market in the EU, accounting for €15,504 million of goods in 2019.
Exports to Great Britain were €13,585 million in 2019. While the value of exports to Great Britain has increased by €205 million since 2016, the share of total exports has fallen from 11% to 9%.
Interactive table: Statbank TSA10
Link to release: Goods Exports and Imports
Ireland imported 59% of its total goods from the EU in 2019. Imports from the EU have increased by 22% between 2016 and 2019, although the share of total imports has remained the same at 59%.
The single largest supplier was Great Britain, from whom €18,772 million, or 21% of all goods, was imported. Imports from the USA were €14,023 million in 2019, an increase of €57 million since 2016
Interactive table: Statbank TSA10
Link to release: Goods Exports and Imports
The five highest value exporters accounted for over €43 billion or 31% of all exports in 2018. The top 50 enterprises exported three quarters of total goods, equal to €104 billion.
There is less of a concentration of large traders on the import side than on the export side. The top five importers accounted for €18.8 billion or 21% of total imports in 2018.
The top 50 importing enterprises had imports of €47 billion, or just over half of the total.
| X-axis label | Exports | Imports |
|---|---|---|
| Top 5 | 31.3114851855301 | 20.5601969878067 |
| Top 10 | 44.8948738144699 | 28.8260888334318 |
| Top 50 | 74.6816036969914 | 51.8106850101793 |
| Top 100 | 81.8874906411175 | 60.3771717814846 |
| Top 500 | 92.2666370680516 | 78.3982940062608 |
Link to publication: Profile of Trading Enterprises
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