| € million | |||
| Exports | Imports | Surplus | |
| Jan-Dec 2015 | 112,407 | 70,111 | 42,296 |
| Jan-Dec 2016 | 116,916 | 69,604 | 47,312 |
| % change | + 4.0 | - 0.7 | + 11.9 |
| Seasonally adjusted | |||
| October 2016 | 10,254 | 5,215 | 5,040 |
| November 2016 | 10,254 | 6,194 | 4,060 |
| December 2016 | 9,608 | 5,590 | 4,018 |
Exports totalled €116,916 million in 2016, the highest annual total on record, according to preliminary figures. This is an increase of €4,508 million (+4%) over 2015. Imports in 2016 decreased by €507 million (-1%) to €69,604 million compared with 2015. The preliminary trade surplus for 2016 was €47,312 million.
The largest increase in exports was of Electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances which increased by €4,373 million (+150%) to €7,295 million in 2016 compared with 2015. This was followed by exports of Organic chemicals which increased by €2,168 million (+10%) to €23,664 million.
| NOTE on revised data: This release includes significant revisions to International Trade in Goods statistics. While the most significant revision is due to recording trade in aircraft on a "transfer of economic ownership" basis, other revisions have been incorporated into the Trade data back to 2000. The technical note (http://www.cso.ie/en/methods/externaltrade/) gives more detail on the revised trade in aircraft methodology and explains the impact the revisions will have on Trade in Goods, National Accounts and Balance of Payments. |
| Exports | |
| Total Exports | 4.01131602124423 |
| Food and live animals | 1.98013066226164 |
| Chemicals and related products | 3.4504614221763 |
| Machinery and transport equipment | 13.0855975675766 |
| Miscellaneous manufactured articles | 2.51480495200878 |
Imports of Mineral fuels fall in 2016
Imports of Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials decreased by €1,361 million (-27%) to €3,743 million in 2016 compared with 2015. Imports of Machinery specialised for particular industries fell by €1,141 million (-48%) to €1,244 million over the same period.
Imports of Medical and pharmaceutical products and Organic chemicals both increased giving an overall increase of €986 million (+7%) for the sector Chemicals and related products.
| Imports | |
| Total Imports | -0.723139022407326 |
| Food and live animals | -0.428755415897241 |
| Mineral fuels | -26.6721783918171 |
| Chemicals and related products | 7.0566491608422 |
| Machinery and transport equipment | -2.03679261830025 |
Exports to Great Britain fall in 2016
Exports to Great Britain decreased by €496 million (-4%) to €13,314 million in 2016 compared with 2015, while imports from Great Britain decreased by €1,354 million (-8%) to €15,549 million in the same period.
Exports to the USA increased by €3,343 million (+12%) to €30,204 million in 2016. Exports to EU countries fell by €193 million (-0.3%) to €59,651 million, while exports to the rest of the world increased by €4,701 million (+9%) in 2016.
Imports from EU countries decreased by €339 million (-1%) to €42,056 million. Imports from the rest of the world decreased by €168 million (-1%) to €27,548 million in 2016.
Seasonally adjusted goods exports decrease in December
Preliminary figures for December 2016 show that seasonally adjusted goods exports decreased by €646 million (-6%) to €9,608 million compared with November 2016.
Seasonally adjusted goods imports also decreased, by €604 million (-10%) to €5,590 million, leading to a decrease of €42 million (-1%) in the seasonally adjusted trade surplus to €4,018 million in December 2016 (see Table 2).
Exports of Medical and pharmaceutical products decrease in December
The (unadjusted) value of goods exports for December 2016 was €8,836 million, representing a decrease of €415 million (-5%) when compared with December 2015.
Exports of Medical and pharmaceutical products decreased by €433 million (-16%) to €2,210 million in December 2016 compared with December 2015.
Exports of Office machinery and automatic data processing machines (including computers) decreased by €132 million (-23%) to €455 million over the same comparative period.
Exports of Electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances increased by €466 million (+143%) to €792 million.
Imports of Road vehicles goods decrease in December
The (unadjusted) value of goods imports for December 2016 was €5,545 million, representing a decrease of €1,449 million (-21%) when compared with December 2015.
Imports of Road vehicles decreased by €47 million (-10%) to €412 million in December 2016 compared with December 2015.
Imports of Organic chemicals decreased by €216 million (-43%) to €292 million in December 2016.
Imports of Medical and pharmaceutical products decreased by €112 million (-25%) to €341 million over the same period.
The value of goods imports for December 2016 excluding SITC 79 (Other transport equipment, including aircraft) was €4,855 million, a decrease of €607 million (-11%) when compared with the corresponding December 2015 figure of €5,462 million.
Geographic breakdown of goods exports and imports
The EU accounted for €4,616 million (52%) of total goods exports in December 2016, of which €1,060 million went to Great Britain and €1,037 million to Belgium.
The USA was the main non-EU destination accounting for €2,109 million (24%) of total exports in December 2016.
Exports to the EU increased by €36 million (+1%) in December 2016 compared with December 2015, while exports to the rest of the world decreased by €450 million (-10%) over the same period.
The EU accounted for €3,629 (65%) of the value of goods imports in December 2016, with €1,421 million (26%) of total imports coming from Great Britain.
The USA with €593 million (11%) and China with €402 million (7%) were the main non-EU sources of imports.
Imports from the EU decreased by €864 million (-19%) in December 2016 compared with December 2015. Imports from the rest of the world also decreased by €585 million (-23%) over the same period.
| Table 1 Goods Exports and Imports summary analysis | |||||||||
| Period | Value1 | Volume index2 | Unit value index2 | ||||||
| Exports | Imports | Trade surplus | Base year 2010=100 | ||||||
| €m | €m | €m | Exports | Imports | Exports | Imports | Terms of trade3 | ||
| 2000 | 83,986 | 54,960 | 29,026 | 86.7 | 107.8 | 106.5 | 104.7 | 101.7 | |
| 2001 | 92,730 | 56,455 | 36,275 | 104.6 | 116.0 | 97.5 | 99.9 | 97.6 | |
| 2002 | 94,059 | 55,106 | 38,953 | 110.7 | 122.0 | 93.4 | 92.7 | 100.8 | |
| 2003 | 82,585 | 48,515 | 34,070 | 99.2 | 112.6 | 91.6 | 88.4 | 103.5 | |
| 2004 | 84,949 | 51,557 | 33,392 | 101.9 | 108.7 | 91.7 | 97.4 | 94.1 | |
| 2005 | 87,173 | 58,463 | 28,710 | 101.3 | 125.7 | 94.6 | 95.5 | 99.1 | |
| 2006 | 87,497 | 63,833 | 23,664 | 99.4 | 132.4 | 96.9 | 99.0 | 97.8 | |
| 2007 | 90,580 | 65,939 | 24,640 | 102.9 | 141.8 | 96.8 | 95.5 | 101.4 | |
| 2008 | 88,503 | 59,336 | 29,168 | 93.2 | 126.8 | 104.4 | 96.1 | 108.6 | |
| 2009 | 87,586 | 48,203 | 39,382 | 103.5 | 108.3 | 93.1 | 91.4 | 101.8 | |
| 2010 | 90,924 | 48,695 | 42,229 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | |
| 2011 | 93,191 | 53,035 | 40,155 | 106.1 | 110.4 | 96.6 | 98.7 | 97.9 | |
| 2012 | 93,507 | 56,179 | 37,328 | 100.6 | 120.2 | 102.2 | 96.0 | 106.5 | |
| 2013 | 89,182 | 55,787 | 33,394 | 101.1 | 123.5 | 97.0 | 92.8 | 104.6 | |
| 2014 | 92,616 | 62,158 | 30,458 | 103.8 | 130.1 | 98.2 | 98.1 | 100.1 | |
| 2015 | 112,407 | 70,111 | 42,296 | 115.5 | 143.6 | 106.8 | 100.3 | 106.5 | |
| 2016 | 116,916 | 69,604 | 47,312 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | |
| 2014 | Quarter 1 | 21,765 | 15,227 | 6,538 | 102.1 | 129.8 | 93.7 | 96.5 | 97.2 |
| Quarter 2 | 23,559 | 14,745 | 8,814 | 105.9 | 127.7 | 97.8 | 94.9 | 103.0 | |
| Quarter 3 | 23,271 | 15,345 | 7,926 | 103.6 | 127.5 | 98.9 | 98.9 | 100.0 | |
| Quarter 4 | 24,021 | 16,840 | 7,180 | 103.3 | 139.1 | 102.3 | 99.5 | 102.9 | |
| 2015 | Quarter 1 | 26,043 | 16,864 | 9,179 | 110.9 | 140.2 | 103.3 | 98.7 | 104.6 |
| Quarter 2 | 28,705 | 16,983 | 11,721 | 115.6 | 136.5 | 109.3 | 102.4 | 106.9 | |
| Quarter 3 | 27,477 | 16,738 | 10,739 | 115.3 | 136.5 | 104.8 | 100.9 | 103.9 | |
| Quarter 4 | 30,183 | 19,526 | 10,657 | 124.4 | 172.9 | 106.6 | 94.3 | 113.0 | |
| 2016 | Quarter 1 | 27,300 | 17,206 | 10,094 | 123.5 | 153.2 | 97.5 | 92.2 | 105.7 |
| Quarter 2 | 29,811 | 17,902 | 11,909 | 132.9 | 150.0 | 98.6 | 98.0 | 100.7 | |
| Quarter 3 | 29,848 | 17,273 | 12,575 | 131.0 | 147.6 | 100.2 | 96.3 | 104.1 | |
| Quarter 4 | 29,956 | 17,223 | 12,734 | 133.1 | 144.4 | 99.2 | 98.0 | 101.2 | |
| 2014 | January | 7,085 | 5,181 | 1,904 | 99.6 | 131.8 | 93.9 | 96.9 | 96.9 |
| February | 6,959 | 4,611 | 2,348 | 98.9 | 116.3 | 92.9 | 97.7 | 95.1 | |
| March | 7,720 | 5,434 | 2,286 | 107.9 | 141.3 | 94.4 | 94.8 | 99.6 | |
| April | 7,322 | 4,866 | 2,455 | 102.7 | 129.3 | 94.1 | 92.7 | 101.5 | |
| May | 8,158 | 4,972 | 3,187 | 109.6 | 130.1 | 98.2 | 94.2 | 104.2 | |
| June | 8,080 | 4,907 | 3,172 | 105.4 | 123.6 | 101.2 | 97.9 | 103.4 | |
| July | 7,252 | 5,267 | 1,984 | 96.3 | 133.1 | 99.4 | 97.5 | 101.9 | |
| August | 7,773 | 4,795 | 2,978 | 104.8 | 118.7 | 97.9 | 99.6 | 98.3 | |
| September | 8,247 | 5,283 | 2,964 | 109.6 | 130.8 | 99.3 | 99.6 | 99.7 | |
| October | 7,932 | 5,586 | 2,347 | 102.7 | 139.0 | 101.9 | 99.0 | 102.9 | |
| November | 7,864 | 5,584 | 2,280 | 99.1 | 138.2 | 104.7 | 99.5 | 105.2 | |
| December | 8,224 | 5,671 | 2,553 | 108.1 | 140.0 | 100.4 | 99.8 | 100.6 | |
| 2015 | January | 8,290 | 5,368 | 2,922 | 107.1 | 133.2 | 102.1 | 99.3 | 102.9 |
| February | 8,348 | 5,136 | 3,212 | 107.7 | 131.0 | 102.3 | 96.6 | 105.8 | |
| March | 9,405 | 6,360 | 3,045 | 117.7 | 156.4 | 105.5 | 100.2 | 105.2 | |
| April | 9,614 | 5,637 | 3,977 | 115.9 | 133.3 | 109.5 | 104.2 | 105.0 | |
| May | 9,180 | 5,535 | 3,645 | 110.3 | 129.2 | 109.8 | 105.6 | 104.0 | |
| June | 9,911 | 5,811 | 4,099 | 120.4 | 147.0 | 108.6 | 97.4 | 111.5 | |
| July | 9,413 | 5,765 | 3,648 | 116.0 | 139.9 | 107.1 | 101.5 | 105.5 | |
| August | 8,626 | 5,209 | 3,416 | 112.9 | 124.0 | 100.8 | 103.6 | 97.4 | |
| September | 9,438 | 5,763 | 3,675 | 117.2 | 145.5 | 106.3 | 97.6 | 108.9 | |
| October | 10,754 | 6,336 | 4,418 | 128.7 | 171.0 | 110.1 | 93.7 | 117.4 | |
| November | 10,179 | 6,196 | 3,983 | 129.2 | 164.1 | 104.0 | 95.5 | 108.9 | |
| December | 9,251 | 6,994 | 2,256 | 115.4 | 183.7 | 105.8 | 93.8 | 112.8 | |
| 20164 | January | 8,761 | 5,031 | 3,730 | 125.0 | 138.3 | 92.5 | 89.7 | 103.2 |
| February | 8,434 | 5,368 | 3,066 | 108.5 | 140.1 | 102.6 | 94.5 | 108.6 | |
| March | 10,104 | 6,807 | 3,297 | 137.1 | 181.3 | 97.3 | 92.5 | 105.2 | |
| April | 9,921 | 5,480 | 4,442 | 130.1 | 140.2 | 100.7 | 96.3 | 104.6 | |
| May | 9,210 | 6,096 | 3,114 | 126.9 | 153.5 | 95.7 | 97.9 | 97.8 | |
| June | 10,680 | 6,326 | 4,354 | 141.7 | 156.2 | 99.5 | 99.8 | 99.6 | |
| July | 9,288 | 5,606 | 3,681 | 124.5 | 143.6 | 98.4 | 96.7 | 101.8 | |
| August | 10,324 | 5,591 | 4,734 | 136.3 | 143.6 | 100.0 | 96.0 | 104.2 | |
| September | 10,236 | 6,076 | 4,160 | 132.3 | 155.7 | 102.1 | 96.2 | 106.2 | |
| October | 10,098 | 5,132 | 4,966 | 139.2 | 130.2 | 95.8 | 97.2 | 98.6 | |
| November | 11,022 | 6,545 | 4,477 | 145.9 | 165.1 | 99.7 | 97.7 | 102.0 | |
| December | 8,836 | 5,545 | 3,291 | 114.2 | 137.8 | 102.1 | 99.1 | 103.0 | |
| 1 Trade statistics revised since 2000, see background notes. | |||||||||
| 2 Monthly data have been rescaled to make their average equal to the annual. | |||||||||
| Indices have been rebased to the year 2010. See background notes. | |||||||||
| 3 Export unit value index divided by Import unit value index. | |||||||||
| 4 Revised. December 2016 is based on current Intrastat response levels. See background notes. | |||||||||
| .. Indices are not yet available. | |||||||||
| Table 2 Goods Exports and Imports seasonally adjusted1 series | ||||||
| Period | Value | Volume index | ||||
| Exports | Imports | Trade surplus | Base year 2010=100 | |||
| €m | €m | €m | Exports | Imports | ||
| 2013 | Quarter 1 | 21,731 | 13,474 | 8,257 | 93.8 | 121.8 |
| Quarter 2 | 22,023 | 13,966 | 8,057 | 102.1 | 122.5 | |
| Quarter 3 | 22,935 | 14,093 | 8,841 | 105.9 | 123.8 | |
| Quarter 4 | 22,660 | 14,319 | 8,342 | 104.5 | 127.0 | |
| 2014 | Quarter 1 | 21,807 | 14,448 | 7,359 | 102.0 | 124.2 |
| Quarter 2 | 23,183 | 14,834 | 8,349 | 105.1 | 128.0 | |
| Quarter 3 | 23,369 | 16,264 | 7,105 | 104.0 | 134.1 | |
| Quarter 4 | 24,624 | 16,804 | 7,820 | 105.5 | 138.8 | |
| 2015 | Quarter 1 | 26,286 | 16,062 | 10,224 | 112.8 | 132.4 |
| Quarter 2 | 28,460 | 17,271 | 11,189 | 113.8 | 136.4 | |
| Quarter 3 | 27,211 | 17,612 | 9,599 | 114.5 | 145.2 | |
| Quarter 4 | 30,823 | 19,205 | 11,618 | 126.7 | 172.4 | |
| 2016 | Quarter 1 | 27,361 | 16,291 | 11,070 | 123.7 | 145.0 |
| Quarter 2 | 29,273 | 18,057 | 11,215 | 130.3 | 151.6 | |
| Quarter 3 | 29,711 | 18,174 | 11,537 | 130.2 | 156.2 | |
| Quarter 4 | 30,116 | 16,999 | 13,117 | 134.4 | 141.4 | |
| 2013 | January | 6,977 | 4,457 | 2,520 | 93.6 | 124.6 |
| February | 7,170 | 4,597 | 2,574 | 93.3 | 122.4 | |
| March | 7,584 | 4,420 | 3,164 | 94.6 | 118.3 | |
| April | 7,531 | 4,603 | 2,928 | 98.8 | 121.5 | |
| May | 7,246 | 4,589 | 2,657 | 101.2 | 121.4 | |
| June | 7,246 | 4,775 | 2,472 | 106.2 | 124.7 | |
| July | 7,568 | 4,666 | 2,902 | 110.5 | 122.2 | |
| August | 7,876 | 4,932 | 2,944 | 105.0 | 128.9 | |
| September | 7,490 | 4,495 | 2,995 | 102.3 | 120.2 | |
| October | 7,501 | 4,765 | 2,736 | 105.7 | 125.9 | |
| November | 7,233 | 4,908 | 2,325 | 99.4 | 130.7 | |
| December | 7,927 | 4,646 | 3,281 | 108.5 | 124.5 | |
| 2014 | January | 7,273 | 4,713 | 2,560 | 102.9 | 121.7 |
| February | 7,415 | 4,612 | 2,803 | 104.2 | 117.9 | |
| March | 7,119 | 5,123 | 1,996 | 99.0 | 133.0 | |
| April | 7,080 | 4,572 | 2,508 | 100.6 | 123.0 | |
| May | 8,171 | 5,264 | 2,907 | 109.9 | 134.6 | |
| June | 7,932 | 4,998 | 2,934 | 104.8 | 126.4 | |
| July | 6,951 | 5,591 | 1,360 | 92.7 | 140.2 | |
| August | 8,388 | 5,384 | 3,004 | 113.3 | 131.3 | |
| September | 8,030 | 5,289 | 2,741 | 105.9 | 130.7 | |
| October | 7,873 | 5,509 | 2,364 | 100.2 | 135.3 | |
| November | 7,408 | 5,799 | 1,609 | 94.1 | 144.6 | |
| December | 9,343 | 5,496 | 3,848 | 122.2 | 136.4 | |
| 2015 | January | 8,641 | 5,007 | 3,633 | 111.0 | 128.0 |
| February | 8,966 | 5,316 | 3,650 | 116.1 | 132.0 | |
| March | 8,679 | 5,739 | 2,941 | 111.4 | 137.2 | |
| April | 9,740 | 5,678 | 4,061 | 118.6 | 130.5 | |
| May | 9,376 | 5,887 | 3,489 | 108.7 | 135.2 | |
| June | 9,345 | 5,706 | 3,639 | 114.2 | 143.4 | |
| July | 9,076 | 6,102 | 2,974 | 114.5 | 149.2 | |
| August | 9,150 | 5,725 | 3,425 | 118.7 | 139.0 | |
| September | 8,986 | 5,786 | 3,200 | 110.4 | 147.4 | |
| October | 10,820 | 6,250 | 4,570 | 128.7 | 171.9 | |
| November | 9,521 | 6,108 | 3,413 | 121.3 | 164.2 | |
| December | 10,482 | 6,846 | 3,635 | 130.0 | 181.2 | |
| 2016 | January | 9,309 | 4,980 | 4,330 | 131.3 | 140.9 |
| February | 8,807 | 5,414 | 3,393 | 112.4 | 139.4 | |
| March | 9,244 | 5,897 | 3,347 | 127.5 | 154.7 | |
| April | 9,746 | 5,605 | 4,141 | 129.6 | 144.2 | |
| May | 9,463 | 6,190 | 3,273 | 128.2 | 156.3 | |
| June | 10,064 | 6,262 | 3,802 | 133.1 | 154.3 | |
| July | 9,081 | 6,054 | 3,028 | 122.3 | 156.1 | |
| August | 10,555 | 5,849 | 4,706 | 137.6 | 152.5 | |
| September | 10,075 | 6,272 | 3,803 | 130.7 | 159.9 | |
| October | 10,254 | 5,215 | 5,040 | 140.1 | 131.8 | |
| November | 10,254 | 6,194 | 4,060 | 134.9 | 153.7 | |
| December | 9,608 | 5,590 | 4,018 | 128.3 | 138.8 | |
| 1 Based on seasonal patterns up to December 2015. Accordingly all values in this table may have been revised. | ||||||
| Table 3 Goods Exports and Imports classified by commodity1 | ||||||||||
| €million | ||||||||||
| SITC (Rev 4) | Exports | Imports | ||||||||
| Dec | Dec | Jan-Dec | Jan-Dec | Dec | Dec | Jan-Dec | Jan-Dec | |||
| 2015 | 2016 | 2015 | 2016 | 2015 | 2016 | 2015 | 2016 | |||
| 0 | Food and live animals | 946 | 959 | 9,878 | 10,073 | 717 | 650 | 6,687 | 6,658 | |
| 00 | Live animals other than animals of Division 03 | 84 | 50 | 431 | 340 | 138 | 109 | 319 | 275 | |
| 01 | Meat and meat preparations | 357 | 362 | 3,500 | 3,584 | 89 | 90 | 965 | 953 | |
| 02 | Dairy products and birds' eggs | 152 | 158 | 1,787 | 1,758 | 55 | 55 | 699 | 607 | |
| 03 | Fish, crustaceans, molluscs and preparations thereof | 50 | 60 | 568 | 555 | 23 | 22 | 265 | 263 | |
| 04 | Cereals and cereal preparations | 32 | 33 | 403 | 378 | 104 | 86 | 1,021 | 1,049 | |
| 05 | Vegetables and fruit | 25 | 23 | 287 | 278 | 99 | 93 | 1,154 | 1,213 | |
| 06 | Sugars, sugar preparations and honey | 16 | 10 | 162 | 212 | 30 | 24 | 374 | 370 | |
| 07 | Coffee, tea, cocoa, spices and manufactures thereof | 30 | 28 | 372 | 372 | 49 | 44 | 545 | 561 | |
| 08 | Feeding stuff for animals (excluding unmilled cereals) | 30 | 26 | 296 | 281 | 81 | 68 | 776 | 740 | |
| 09 | Miscellaneous edible products and preparations | 169 | 209 | 2,073 | 2,317 | 48 | 59 | 569 | 628 | |
| 1 | Beverages and tobacco | 117 | 104 | 1,287 | 1,330 | 79 | 74 | 876 | 906 | |
| 11 | Beverages | 113 | 104 | 1,240 | 1,288 | 71 | 72 | 784 | 824 | |
| 12 | Tobacco and tobacco manufactures | 4 | 0 | 47 | 41 | 8 | 2 | 92 | 82 | |
| 2 | Crude materials, inedible, except fuels | 122 | 134 | 1,771 | 1,531 | 68 | 67 | 855 | 822 | |
| 21 | Hides, skins and furskins, raw | 9 | 10 | 149 | 126 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 22 | Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits | 1 | 1 | 13 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 36 | 28 | |
| 23 | Crude rubber (including synthetic and reclaimed) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 10 | |
| 24 | Cork and wood | 7 | 9 | 152 | 157 | 12 | 15 | 157 | 158 | |
| 25 | Pulp and waste paper | 5 | 6 | 61 | 69 | 5 | 4 | 60 | 52 | |
| 26 | Textile fibres and their wastes | 11 | 8 | 144 | 133 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 15 | |
| 27 | Crude fertilisers and minerals (excluding coal, petroleum and precious stones) | 7 | 10 | 133 | 126 | 15 | 12 | 136 | 137 | |
| 28 | Metalliferous ores and metal scrap | 70 | 79 | 991 | 781 | 17 | 18 | 242 | 220 | |
| 29 | Crude animal and vegetable materials nes | 12 | 11 | 127 | 124 | 16 | 15 | 190 | 201 | |
| 3 | Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials | 41 | 62 | 773 | 661 | 335 | 366 | 5,104 | 3,743 | |
| 32 | Coal, coke and briquettes | 6 | 5 | 98 | 98 | 18 | 17 | 181 | 140 | |
| 33 | Petroleum, petroleum products and related materials | 34 | 55 | 643 | 525 | 231 | 275 | 3,703 | 2,866 | |
| 34 | Gas, natural and manufactured | 1 | 2 | 6 | 13 | 83 | 73 | 1,154 | 724 | |
| 35 | Electric current | 1 | 0 | 26 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 67 | 13 | |
| 4 | Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes | 7 | 7 | 57 | 78 | 22 | 22 | 245 | 245 | |
| 41 | Animal oils and fats | 6 | 7 | 49 | 69 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 20 | |
| 42 | Fixed vegetable fats and oils | 1 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 17 | 18 | 201 | 198 | |
| 43 | Animal or vegetable fats and oils, processed; waxes | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 28 | 27 | |
| 5 | Chemicals and related products | 4,720 | 4,416 | 64,224 | 66,440 | 1,357 | 996 | 13,978 | 14,964 | |
| 51 | Organic chemicals | 1,167 | 1,229 | 21,496 | 23,664 | 508 | 292 | 3,764 | 4,275 | |
| 52 | Inorganic chemicals | 6 | 10 | 153 | 164 | 32 | 27 | 271 | 279 | |
| 53 | Dyeing, tanning and colouring materials | 9 | 26 | 133 | 261 | 15 | 16 | 222 | 224 | |
| 54 | Medical and pharmaceutical products | 2,643 | 2,210 | 30,234 | 30,175 | 453 | 341 | 5,754 | 6,237 | |
| 55 | Essential oils; perfume materials; toilet and cleansing preparations | 578 | 608 | 7,998 | 7,879 | 129 | 130 | 1,344 | 1,406 | |
| 56 | Fertilisers (other than those of Division 27) | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 42 | 33 | 448 | 334 | |
| 57 | Plastics in primary forms | 28 | 30 | 399 | 359 | 64 | 57 | 851 | 806 | |
| 58 | Plastics in non-primary forms | 33 | 32 | 499 | 473 | 42 | 41 | 558 | 574 | |
| 59 | Chemical materials and products nes | 257 | 270 | 3,307 | 3,460 | 71 | 59 | 765 | 828 | |
| 6 | Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material | 150 | 153 | 2,105 | 2,137 | 344 | 390 | 4,698 | 4,787 | |
| 61 | Leather; leather manufactures nes; dressed furskins | 2 | 2 | 36 | 39 | 2 | 2 | 23 | 22 | |
| 62 | Rubber manufactures nes | 5 | 4 | 74 | 77 | 21 | 22 | 317 | 303 | |
| 63 | Cork and wood manufactures (excluding furniture) | 16 | 19 | 242 | 258 | 18 | 23 | 254 | 260 | |
| 64 | Paper, paperboard and articles thereof | 12 | 12 | 150 | 163 | 72 | 70 | 914 | 862 | |
| 65 | Textile yarn, fabrics, made-up articles and related products | 14 | 11 | 176 | 167 | 38 | 35 | 450 | 459 | |
| 66 | Non-metallic mineral manufactures nes | 30 | 30 | 421 | 453 | 40 | 54 | 509 | 576 | |
| 67 | Iron and steel | 9 | 14 | 196 | 159 | 46 | 49 | 639 | 644 | |
| 68 | Non-ferrous metals | 5 | 5 | 73 | 77 | 31 | 38 | 555 | 530 | |
| 69 | Manufactures of metals nes | 56 | 55 | 738 | 743 | 76 | 97 | 1,037 | 1,132 | |
| 7 | Machinery and transport equipment | 1,809 | 1,670 | 16,808 | 19,008 | 3,181 | 2,091 | 27,891 | 27,323 | |
| 71 | Power generating machinery and equipment | 58 | 46 | 487 | 589 | 42 | 56 | 583 | 767 | |
| 72 | Machinery specialised for particular industries | 58 | 62 | 642 | 688 | 148 | 100 | 2,385 | 1,244 | |
| 73 | Metalworking machinery | 1 | 2 | 27 | 24 | 20 | 13 | 121 | 115 | |
| 74 | General industrial machinery and equipment nes and parts nes | 131 | 123 | 1,728 | 1,672 | 154 | 133 | 1,650 | 1,584 | |
| 75 | Office machines and automatic data processing machines (including computers) | 587 | 455 | 4,209 | 3,797 | 388 | 296 | 3,821 | 3,372 | |
| 76 | Telecommunications and sound equipment | 97 | 93 | 939 | 906 | 167 | 176 | 1,588 | 1,629 | |
| 77 | Electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances nes and parts | 326 | 792 | 2,922 | 7,295 | 271 | 215 | 2,537 | 2,490 | |
| 78 | Road vehicles (including air-cushion vehicles) | 20 | 26 | 314 | 312 | 459 | 412 | 3,461 | 3,765 | |
| 79 | Other transport equipment (including aircraft) | 531 | 70 | 5,541 | 3,725 | 1,532 | 690 | 11,745 | 12,358 | |
| 8 | Miscellaneous manufactured articles | 1,210 | 1,229 | 14,299 | 14,658 | 745 | 744 | 8,166 | 8,221 | |
| 81 | Prefab buildings; plumbing and electrical fixtures and fittings | 13 | 10 | 157 | 158 | 21 | 20 | 236 | 242 | |
| 82 | Furniture and parts thereof; bedding, cushions etc | 15 | 15 | 174 | 189 | 41 | 42 | 447 | 440 | |
| 83 | Travel goods, handbags and similar containers | 2 | 3 | 23 | 28 | 18 | 14 | 149 | 142 | |
| 84 | Articles of apparel; clothing accessories | 29 | 37 | 305 | 348 | 173 | 159 | 1,864 | 1,872 | |
| 85 | Footwear | 5 | 6 | 45 | 50 | 34 | 35 | 400 | 388 | |
| 87 | Professional, scientific and controlling apparatus nes | 518 | 473 | 6,148 | 5,987 | 136 | 144 | 1,799 | 1,703 | |
| 88 | Photographic apparatus; optical goods; watches and clocks | 85 | 100 | 1,092 | 1,239 | 40 | 35 | 386 | 421 | |
| 89 | Miscellaneous manufactured articles nes | 542 | 587 | 6,355 | 6,660 | 282 | 295 | 2,884 | 3,012 | |
| 9 | Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere | 76 | 34 | 562 | 336 | 35 | 42 | 337 | 376 | |
| Unclassified estimates2 | 53 | 66 | 643 | 663 | 112 | 104 | 1,275 | 1,558 | ||
| Total | 9,251 | 8,836 | 112,407 | 116,916 | 6,994 | 5,545 | 70,111 | 69,604 | ||
| 1 Trade statistics revised since 2000. December 2016 is based on current Intrastat response levels. See background notes. | ||||||||||
| 2 Estimates for which a commodity classification is not available. | ||||||||||
| Table 4 Goods Exports and Imports classified by country1 | ||||||||
| €million | ||||||||
| Country | Exports | Imports | ||||||
| Dec | Dec | Jan-Dec | Jan-Dec | Dec | Dec | Jan-Dec | Jan-Dec | |
| 2015 | 2016 | 2015 | 2016 | 2015 | 2016 | 2015 | 2016 | |
| Austria | 29 | 33 | 419 | 364 | 22 | 18 | 263 | 263 |
| Belgium | 969 | 1,037 | 14,542 | 14,691 | 120 | 110 | 1,284 | 1,371 |
| Bulgaria | 7 | 6 | 97 | 80 | 7 | 1 | 69 | 39 |
| Croatia | 3 | 2 | 33 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 27 |
| Cyprus | 5 | 2 | 40 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Czech Republic | 28 | 26 | 410 | 369 | 46 | 31 | 514 | 398 |
| Denmark | 50 | 46 | 605 | 611 | 34 | 44 | 452 | 503 |
| Estonia | 1 | 2 | 26 | 43 | 2 | 1 | 42 | 16 |
| Finland | 27 | 23 | 302 | 252 | 10 | 8 | 170 | 152 |
| France | 359 | 430 | 4,877 | 5,007 | 1,302 | 692 | 8,677 | 8,700 |
| Germany | 551 | 587 | 7,477 | 7,838 | 622 | 611 | 5,878 | 6,695 |
| Great Britain | 1,228 | 1,060 | 13,810 | 13,314 | 1,628 | 1,421 | 16,903 | 15,549 |
| Greece | 13 | 16 | 290 | 272 | 3 | 3 | 46 | 46 |
| Hungary | 23 | 24 | 320 | 294 | 8 | 8 | 111 | 145 |
| Italy | 131 | 203 | 2,546 | 2,393 | 90 | 117 | 1,199 | 1,419 |
| Latvia | 5 | 3 | 58 | 59 | 4 | 6 | 36 | 41 |
| Lithuania | 4 | 2 | 36 | 35 | 8 | 12 | 85 | 76 |
| Luxembourg | 7 | 6 | 66 | 65 | 2 | 2 | 40 | 28 |
| Malta | 3 | 4 | 40 | 43 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 12 |
| Netherlands | 444 | 499 | 4,986 | 5,908 | 215 | 197 | 2,667 | 2,604 |
| Northern Ireland | 132 | 142 | 1,744 | 1,641 | 90 | 91 | 1,091 | 1,046 |
| Poland | 93 | 120 | 1,187 | 1,383 | 52 | 52 | 537 | 567 |
| Portugal | 16 | 40 | 407 | 417 | 16 | 22 | 205 | 245 |
| Romania | 19 | 15 | 346 | 277 | 12 | 10 | 108 | 123 |
| Slovakia | 7 | 5 | 75 | 78 | 6 | 6 | 69 | 74 |
| Slovenia | 10 | 25 | 46 | 94 | 2 | 2 | 22 | 36 |
| Spain | 298 | 185 | 4,021 | 2,949 | 106 | 105 | 960 | 1,131 |
| Sweden | 114 | 59 | 1,000 | 784 | 60 | 35 | 493 | 447 |
| EU country not specified2 | 3 | 14 | 36 | 319 | 27 | 24 | 446 | 299 |
| Total EU | 4,580 | 4,616 | 59,844 | 59,651 | 4,493 | 3,629 | 42,395 | 42,056 |
| of which Euro-Zone3 | 2,876 | 3,103 | 40,221 | 40,544 | 2,522 | 1,912 | 21,574 | 22,911 |
| Australia | 44 | 49 | 925 | 1,476 | 7 | 37 | 101 | 142 |
| Brazil | 21 | 22 | 243 | 228 | 12 | 16 | 474 | 282 |
| Canada | 67 | 56 | 891 | 936 | 36 | 35 | 478 | 512 |
| China4 | 180 | 553 | 2,283 | 3,712 | 378 | 402 | 4,409 | 4,230 |
| India | 95 | 35 | 605 | 296 | 44 | 36 | 504 | 543 |
| Japan | 754 | 209 | 3,890 | 2,887 | 124 | 89 | 1,822 | 1,228 |
| Malaysia | 20 | 22 | 241 | 215 | 22 | 26 | 279 | 305 |
| Mexico | 109 | 105 | 1,394 | 1,358 | 33 | 30 | 364 | 349 |
| Norway | 24 | 26 | 299 | 255 | 74 | 126 | 1,204 | 1,128 |
| Russia | 19 | 25 | 369 | 364 | 9 | 32 | 160 | 190 |
| Saudi Arabia | 97 | 89 | 999 | 820 | 1 | 1 | 26 | 20 |
| Singapore | 59 | 54 | 607 | 593 | 43 | 15 | 421 | 394 |
| South Africa | 20 | 21 | 270 | 229 | 13 | 8 | 94 | 93 |
| South Korea | 46 | 66 | 518 | 930 | 63 | 143 | 582 | 889 |
| Switzerland | 275 | 409 | 6,096 | 6,318 | 265 | 42 | 1,352 | 1,434 |
| Taiwan | 14 | 15 | 170 | 217 | 44 | 21 | 368 | 347 |
| Thailand | 16 | 16 | 219 | 206 | 43 | 39 | 572 | 448 |
| Turkey | 68 | 39 | 642 | 516 | 50 | 37 | 496 | 495 |
| USA | 2,249 | 2,109 | 26,861 | 30,204 | 918 | 593 | 10,922 | 11,467 |
| Other countries | 469 | 300 | 4,997 | 5,093 | 207 | 161 | 2,356 | 2,108 |
| Country unknown5 | 24 | 2 | 44 | 409 | 113 | 27 | 732 | 944 |
| Total Non-EU | 4,671 | 4,220 | 52,564 | 57,265 | 2,501 | 1,916 | 27,716 | 27,548 |
| Total | 9,251 | 8,836 | 112,407 | 116,916 | 6,994 | 5,545 | 70,111 | 69,604 |
| 1 Trade statistics revised since 2000. December 2016 is based on current Intrastat response levels. See background notes. | ||||||||
| 2 Includes estimates for traders below the Intrastat threshold and transactions where the EU country was not specified. | ||||||||
| 3 Euro-zone members from January 2015: Austria, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Finland, France, Luxembourg, Greece, Ireland, | ||||||||
| Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Malta, Cyprus, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. | ||||||||
| 4China includes Hong Kong and Macao. | ||||||||
| 5 Trade for which the country of origin or country of final destination is unknown. | ||||||||
| Table 5 Goods Exports and Imports classified by commodity and principal countries1 | |||||||||
| €million | |||||||||
| Exports | Imports | ||||||||
| Country by Section level of SITC | Dec | Dec | Jan-Dec | Jan-Dec | Dec | Dec | Jan-Dec | Jan-Dec | |
| 2015 | 2016 | 2015 | 2016 | 2015 | 2016 | 2015 | 2016 | ||
| Great Britain | 1,228 | 1,060 | 13,810 | 13,314 | 1,628 | 1,421 | 16,903 | 15,549 | |
| 0 | Food and live animals | 433 | 381 | 3,914 | 3,697 | 358 | 290 | 2,842 | 2,761 |
| 1 | Beverages and tobacco | 23 | 20 | 244 | 223 | 31 | 26 | 305 | 318 |
| 2 | Crude materials, inedible, except fuels | 27 | 30 | 394 | 376 | 11 | 9 | 163 | 148 |
| 3 | Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials | 30 | 41 | 418 | 436 | 207 | 189 | 3,141 | 2,040 |
| 4 | Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes | 1 | 1 | 12 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 45 | 46 |
| 5 | Chemicals and related products | 257 | 210 | 3,900 | 4,010 | 222 | 197 | 2,391 | 2,376 |
| 6 | Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material | 63 | 61 | 915 | 927 | 142 | 136 | 1,797 | 1,735 |
| 7 | Machinery and transport equipment | 265 | 192 | 2,557 | 2,173 | 321 | 267 | 2,964 | 2,971 |
| 8 | Miscellaneous manufactured articles | 102 | 93 | 1,120 | 1,130 | 260 | 230 | 2,444 | 2,222 |
| 9 | Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere | 27 | 29 | 335 | 332 | 73 | 72 | 811 | 933 |
| Other EU2 | 3,351 | 3,556 | 46,034 | 46,337 | 2,865 | 2,209 | 25,492 | 26,507 | |
| 0 | Food and live animals | 301 | 331 | 3,602 | 3,641 | 244 | 242 | 2,797 | 2,787 |
| 1 | Beverages and tobacco | 29 | 29 | 368 | 416 | 37 | 34 | 404 | 406 |
| 2 | Crude materials, inedible, except fuels | 64 | 66 | 966 | 780 | 29 | 27 | 293 | 285 |
| 3 | Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials | 10 | 20 | 112 | 136 | 14 | 32 | 309 | 336 |
| 4 | Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes | 6 | 6 | 42 | 62 | 14 | 13 | 153 | 155 |
| 5 | Chemicals and related products | 1,692 | 2,017 | 27,594 | 27,895 | 434 | 403 | 4,949 | 5,006 |
| 6 | Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material | 56 | 57 | 836 | 813 | 112 | 157 | 1,702 | 1,795 |
| 7 | Machinery and transport equipment | 661 | 497 | 6,397 | 6,193 | 1,795 | 1,096 | 12,624 | 13,169 |
| 8 | Miscellaneous manufactured articles | 499 | 486 | 5,718 | 5,960 | 130 | 146 | 1,627 | 1,780 |
| 9 | Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere | 34 | 46 | 398 | 440 | 56 | 58 | 633 | 788 |
| USA | 2,249 | 2,109 | 26,861 | 30,204 | 918 | 593 | 10,922 | 11,467 | |
| 0 | Food and live animals | 26 | 48 | 271 | 416 | 39 | 21 | 216 | 251 |
| 1 | Beverages and tobacco | 52 | 43 | 486 | 513 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 17 |
| 2 | Crude materials, inedible, except fuels | 4 | 3 | 38 | 38 | 2 | 3 | 43 | 47 |
| 3 | Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials | 0 | 0 | 237 | 84 | 10 | 10 | 147 | 193 |
| 4 | Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 5 | Chemicals and related products | 1,352 | 1,149 | 17,098 | 18,998 | 285 | 206 | 3,191 | 3,817 |
| 6 | Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material | 16 | 21 | 144 | 223 | 27 | 28 | 374 | 377 |
| 7 | Machinery and transport equipment | 423 | 389 | 3,677 | 4,922 | 456 | 223 | 5,729 | 5,446 |
| 8 | Miscellaneous manufactured articles | 373 | 433 | 4,856 | 4,952 | 90 | 91 | 1,147 | 1,230 |
| 9 | Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere | 3 | 23 | 54 | 59 | 8 | 9 | 57 | 87 |
| China3 | 180 | 553 | 2,283 | 3,712 | 378 | 402 | 4,409 | 4,230 | |
| 0 | Food and live animals | 59 | 76 | 646 | 854 | 3 | 3 | 37 | 32 |
| 1 | Beverages and tobacco | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Crude materials, inedible, except fuels | 6 | 7 | 110 | 90 | 2 | 2 | 36 | 41 |
| 3 | Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Chemicals and related products | 54 | 86 | 754 | 836 | 22 | 31 | 246 | 336 |
| 6 | Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material | 2 | 2 | 32 | 24 | 34 | 32 | 430 | 414 |
| 7 | Machinery and transport equipment | 25 | 345 | 350 | 1,482 | 191 | 218 | 2,262 | 2,047 |
| 8 | Miscellaneous manufactured articles | 33 | 35 | 383 | 419 | 122 | 111 | 1,346 | 1,304 |
| 9 | Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 50 | 55 |
| Rest of World | 2,241 | 1,559 | 23,420 | 23,348 | 1,205 | 921 | 12,386 | 11,851 | |
| 0 | Food and live animals | 127 | 123 | 1,444 | 1,466 | 73 | 93 | 794 | 827 |
| 1 | Beverages and tobacco | 13 | 11 | 183 | 171 | 10 | 13 | 148 | 165 |
| 2 | Crude materials, inedible, except fuels | 21 | 28 | 263 | 247 | 24 | 25 | 321 | 300 |
| 3 | Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 104 | 134 | 1,508 | 1,173 |
| 4 | Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 45 | 44 |
| 5 | Chemicals and related products | 1,366 | 955 | 14,879 | 14,702 | 393 | 159 | 3,200 | 3,430 |
| 6 | Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material | 13 | 11 | 177 | 150 | 30 | 36 | 394 | 466 |
| 7 | Machinery and transport equipment | 435 | 247 | 3,827 | 4,238 | 417 | 287 | 4,313 | 3,689 |
| 8 | Miscellaneous manufactured articles | 201 | 182 | 2,222 | 2,198 | 143 | 165 | 1,602 | 1,685 |
| 9 | Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere | 64 | 2 | 418 | 168 | 5 | 5 | 61 | 72 |
| Total | 9,251 | 8,836 | 112,407 | 116,916 | 6,994 | 5,545 | 70,111 | 69,604 | |
| 1 Trade statistics revised since 2000. December 2016 is based on current Intrastat response levels. See background notes. | |||||||||
| 2 Includes estimates for traders below the Intrastat threshold and transactions where the EU country was not specified. | |||||||||
| 3 China includes Hong Kong and Macao. | |||||||||
Introduction
Goods Exports and Imports statistics 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. The collection of trade data is the responsibility of VIMA (a branch of Revenue). The CSO is responsible for processing and disseminating the data.
Revisions to the Trade in Goods statistics
Since May 2015, significant revisions were incorporated into International Trade in Goods statistics. While the most significant revision is due to recording trade in aircraft on a "transfer of economic ownership" basis, other revisions were incorporated into the Trade data back to 2000.
Along with the aircraft revisions Goods Exports revisions also include upward revisions due to revaluing some products that had previously been recorded on a “transfer of economic ownership” basis, which was not in line with goods statistics methodology. Also Goods Imports revisions include downward revisions due to a change in the estimation methodology for non-response.
The technical note (http://www.cso.ie/en/methods/externaltrade/) gives more detail on the revised trade in aircraft methodology and explains the impact the revisions will have on Trade in Goods, National Accounts and Balance of Payments.
Standard Revisions
Trade figures are subject to revision on the incorporation of late Intrastat and VAT returns and corrections made by traders. When the preliminary results for a month are published, the results for months -1 (November 2016 in this publication), -4 (August 2016) and -8 (April 2016) are revised. Following the move to a "transfer of economic ownership" basis for recording exports and imports of aircraft, SITC 79 figures are subject to revision on the incorporation of transactions from quarterly Balance of Payments (BoP) surveys. Such revisions will generally be incorporated into Goods Exports and Imports releases that coincide with quarterly BoP publications, i.e. when initial results are published for January, April, July and October.
Intrastat System
The Intrastat system has two components. Firstly, the Intrastat survey (conducted by the Revenue Commissioners), in which traders, above the Intrastat survey trade thresholds, make detailed monthly returns giving information on the quantity and value of all exports to or imports from EU countries.
The total number of traders required to make a detailed import return is around 3,500 while around 2,100 must make a detailed export return. The response rate in terms of number of traders in December 2016 was 72%, covering an estimated 94% of the total value of intra-EU trade (these response rates will have increased by the next time data for December is published).
The second component of the Intrastat system is the regular VAT return, on which all traders are required to record the total value of goods imported from and exported to other EU countries. This information provides the basis for determining total EU trade for those traders below the Intrastat survey thresholds. It is also used to maintain the register of EU traders.
Extrastat System
The statistics of trade with non-EU countries are compiled from the documents supplied by importers and exporters to the Customs authorities. The document is the Single Administrative Document (SAD) used for Customs clearance purposes.
Estimation
The figures in this release include estimates for traders above the Intrastat thresholds who did not make detailed returns for the period and for traders below the thresholds who did not provide aggregate intra-EU trade figures on their VAT returns.
Estimates for Intrastat non-respondents are apportioned to individual commodities and countries whenever previous Intrastat returns are available. Estimates for traders below the Intrastat thresholds are assigned to partner country where possible, but not to commodity.
More information is now being processed on lower value transactions. Prior to January 2012, transactions below €254 were grouped together, this value has now decreased to €127. Therefore, this has resulted in more detail being available at commodity level in Table 3 and at country level in Tables 4 and 5.
Unit Value Indices
The monthly unit value index measures monthly unit value trends relative to the annual levels in the preceding year using value weights relating to that year’s trade (Laspeyres index).
The annual index is compiled using value weights for both the current and previous year (Fisher index) to allow for change in the structure of trade in goods.
The monthly index series should be regarded as interim measures suitable for month-to-month comparisons within a given year. Previous monthly indices are revised when late returns are received.
When the annual unit value index is compiled, the monthly unit value indices are rescaled to make their average equal to the annual index.
The unit value index series has been rebased to 2010 from 1990. In the course of this rebasing, a detailed examination of the series was undertaken. This exercise has produced a number of modifications enabling production of a more robust series.
Seasonally Adjusted Series
Monthly exports, imports, trade surplus and the volume series for exports and imports have been seasonally adjusted using the US Bureau of the Census X-11 Variant of the Census Method 11 Seasonal Adjustment Program. In the main, monthly projections are based on series recalculated at the end of the previous year.
Methodology
There are methodological differences between the measurement of exports and imports in this release compared with Industrial Production, National Accounts and Balance of Payments statistics. This release records the movement of all goods over the frontier at the valuation placed on the goods at the time of crossing the frontier. Industrial Production, National Accounts and Balance of Payments statistics take account of additional aspects of cross-frontier activities such as goods sent abroad for processing where goods cross the frontier without change of ownership. The CSO releases for those statistics provide more information on their methodology.
Services Exports and Imports
The quarterly Balance of Payments (BoP) statistics provide detail on Services exports and imports.
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Show Table 1 Goods Exports and Imports summary analysis
Hide Table 1 Goods Exports and Imports summary analysis