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For more information on this release:
E-mail: Trade@cso.ie Orla.McCarthy@cso.ie Ciarán.Counihan@cso.ie
For general information on CSO statistics:
information@cso.ie (+353) 21 453 5000 On-line ISSN 2009-5155
CSO statistical release, , 11am

Goods Exports and Imports

September 2021

Seasonally adjusted
€ million
 ExportsImportsSurplus
August 202113,9258,6795,246
September 202114,0258,3105,715
% change0.7-4.38.9
Value change99-369468

Seasonally adjusted goods trade exports increased by almost €100 million in September

Figure 1 Goods Exports and Imports seasonally adjusted
go to full release

Seasonally adjusted goods exports increased by €99 million (+1%) to €14,025 million in September 2021 compared with August 2021, according to preliminary figures.

Seasonally adjusted goods imports decreased by €369 million (-4%) to €8,310 million leading to an increase of €468 million (+9%) in the seasonally adjusted trade surplus to €5,715 million in September 2021 compared with the previous month (see Table 2). Seasonal adjustment compares month-to-month data by removing fluctuations that may occur due to seasonal patterns in trade.

Exports increased by over €550 million in September 2021 compared with September 2020

The (unadjusted)* value of goods exports for September 2021 was €14,540 million representing an increase of €555 million (+4%) when compared with September 2020. The value of goods exports for the period January to September 2021 was €121,276 million, a decrease of €1,305 million (-1%) when compared with the first nine months of 2020.

Exports of Electrical machinery, appliances and parts increased by €381 million (+52%) to €1,107 million in September 2021 compared with September 2020.

Exports of Professional, scientific and controlling apparatus increased by €183 million (+35%) to €709 million.

Exports of Other transport equipment (including aircraft) increased by €539 million (+295%) to €722 million.

Exports of Organic chemicals decreased by €1,021 million (-37%) to €1,751 million.

Exports of Medical and pharmaceutical products decreased by €227 million (-4%) to €5,400 million over the same comparative period (see Table 3).

Imports increased by €1.8 billion in September 2021 compared with September 2020

The (unadjusted) value of goods imports for September 2021 was €8,253 million representing an increase of €1,789 million (+28%) when compared with September 2020. The value of goods imports for January to September of 2021 was €72,495 million, which is an increase of €11,435 million (+19%) compared with January to September 2020.

Imports of Electrical machinery, appliances and parts increased by €355 million (+101%) to €705 million in September 2021 compared with September 2020.

Imports of Petroleum increased by €104 million (+43%) to €343 million.

Imports of Organic chemicals increased by €275 million (+81%) to €614 million over the same comparative period.

The value of goods imports for September 2021 excluding SITC 79 (Other transport equipment, including aircraft) was €7,222 million, an increase of €1,625 million (+29%) when compared with the corresponding September 2020 figure of €5,597 million (see Table 3). 

Exports to Great Britain increased by over €370 million in September 2021 over September 2020

Exports to Great Britain in September 2021 were €1,412 million, an increase of €374 million (+36%) compared with September 2020. The main changes were increases in the exports of Chemicals and related products and Machinery and equipment (see Table 5). Exports to Great Britain accounted for 10% of total exports in September 2021.

The value of goods exports to Great Britain in the first nine months of 2021 was €10,605 million, an increase of €1,977 million (+23%) on the first nine months of 2020.

Imports from Great Britain grew by €35 million (+2%) to €1,456 million compared with September 2020. There were increases in the imports of Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials and Chemicals and related products, with a decrease in the imports of Food and live animals and Machinery and equipment (see Table 5). Imports from Great Britain were 18% of the value of total imports in September 2021.

The value of goods imports from Great Britain for January to September 2021 was €9,435 million, a decrease of €2,437 million (-21%) compared with January to September 2020.

Imports from Northern Ireland of €2.8 billion in the first nine months of 2021

Imports from Northern Ireland in the first three quarters of 2021 increased by €1,061 million (+60%) to €2,822 million when compared with January to September 2020.

Exports to Northern Ireland were €2,577 million in the period January to September 2021, an increase of €835 million (+48%) on the same period in 2020 (see Table 5).

 

%
NI2.1503317519538
GB9.711578110374
EU2739.7677247949249
US28.9643687129854
Rest of World19.4059966297619
%
NI3.55315347123587
GB17.6434743105589
EU2729.0876760492233
US19.5597311279821
Rest of
World
30.1559650409998

Geographic breakdown of goods exports and imports

The EU accounted for €5,782 million (40%) of total goods exports in September 2021 of which €1,456 million went to Germany and €1,165 million went to Belgium. Total EU exports in September 2021 increased by €278 million (+5%) compared with September 2020.

The USA was the main non-EU destination accounting for €4,211 million (29%) of total exports in September 2021.

The EU accounted for €2,401 million (29%) of total goods imports in September 2021, which is an increase of €325 million (+16%) compared with September 2020.

The UK with €1,749 million (21%), the USA with €1,614 million (20%), and China with €766 million (9%) were the main non-EU sources of imports (see Table 4).

X-axis labelEU 27Rest of WorldUKUS
Apr 20204.110538254740122.5280988930.8638789396504643.834125141
May 20204.950205926940482.4980030121.105855533906264.316218245
Jun 20206.185803676232092.8813292671.055825537683483.517776193
Jul 20205.348114540263082.6471967321.13806518426334.479003922
Aug 20205.174296165258912.117162432000011.269351761679994.369607584
Sep 20205.5039265438922.4917830271.263924454553094.724914438
Oct 20204.81805991760172.626554495000011.21603287845893.56454735
Nov 20206.021616263259082.64785531.690285276538974.553828941
Dec 20205.006680192712032.2638800311.37359616046933.701794393
Jan 20214.506236241177442.727520752999991.167737820082784.932282209
Feb 20214.660933030740612.3434932061.080644065807144.252122179
Mar 20215.719336973387962.8986719311.551990914174144.542633046
Apr 20214.879179425403172.421999427000011.338743474531743.534343537
May 20215.413352505930262.6901096661.501455221924273.901386861
Jun 20215.551159468121163.1617469971.747981266312214.239686743
Jul 20214.472811628298442.9915530711.77514032548823.624232916
Aug 20214.831367918579862.795792811.293792145218154.186750605
Sep 20215.782094764809132.8215672911.724682195657234.211322764
X-axis labelEU 27Rest of WorldUKUS
Apr 20201.780530208030371.654664273695641.293065338189440.84231999736707
May 20201.72104365736672.019694053733931.37182910113141.04039462204223
Jun 20202.442595096921911.80805650133811.492994710038781.006066601742
Jul 20202.974963223764662.391360507528531.648884212705391.36290077517253
Aug 20202.186137289334941.478088867316541.43220985465110.902371437175495
Sep 20202.076002213153771.587480596098521.629320270561471.17098126835251
Oct 20202.372589103307851.903042215740732.255044879217721.1290342639743
Nov 20203.46545869996792.655871623180892.123676705989491.09758476189086
Dec 20203.347811892335542.043580733516462.126096509414981.48609245314246
Jan 20212.221107428981842.146221630934030.8903975935955311.18383990910489
Feb 20212.165647720474812.184657650497950.9918047009748271.28543372325443
Mar 20213.214899634982572.968686367631561.452106424233711.4837461714105
Apr 20212.786561155252162.948024361105171.270094109262351.1191577260469
May 20213.388489902115392.590100152895071.329316239762761.34478436970838
Jun 20213.589961396125463.570232285567791.501685304497941.09043549048632
Jul 20212.679443947796622.200394690120331.468006537758931.45118658650019
Aug 20212.186694972073482.475325311484851.604414615794291.45842977330308
Sep 20212.400686673696892.488855530565171.749416548677041.61431892257665

Exports by industrial origin and Imports by main use

Industrial produce accounted for €13,506 million (93%) of total exports in September 2021. This is an increase of €402 million (+3%) when compared with September 2020. There was €5,391 million of this exported to the EU, €4,158 million to the USA and €1,299 to the UK. Agricultural produce accounted for €925 million (6%) of total exports (see Table 6).

Producer capital goods ready for use accounted for €1,576 million (19%) of total imports in September 2021, an increase of €227 million (+17%) when compared with September 2020.

Consumption goods ready for use represented €2,062 million (25%) of total imports, and Materials for further production accounted for €4,490 million (54%) (see Table 7).

*It should be noted that the detailed data described in Paragraph 3 onwards, and the data in Tables 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 are not seasonally adjusted. Only the data described in the first two paragraphs and in Table 2 are seasonally adjusted. 

 

From 1st January 2021 all trade in goods with Great Britain (excluding Northern Ireland) is treated as non-EU trade and must be reported to Revenue’s Customs declaration systems. Prior to this, data on trade with Great Britain were collected via the Intrastat survey. Under the Revised Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland is legally part of the customs territory of the UK, but effectively remains within the EU Single Market for the movement of goods. In practise, this means that trade in goods with Northern Ireland continue to be reported on the Intrastat survey and on VAT returns.

The results reflect both new data collection methods and changes in trading patterns due to Brexit. We are continuing to work on quality improvements as we incorporate the new data sources and detail available to us from January 2021. See link to information note. 

Information Note on Revision to Trade with Northern Ireland September 2021

Table 1 Goods Exports and Imports summary analysis
Period€millionBase year 2010=100
Value1Volume index2Unit value index2Terms of trade3
ExportsImportsTrade surplusExportsImportsExportsImports
2016119,29274,29644,996 125.6  158.2  102.7  93.3  110.2
2017122,78582,94339,842 135.8  168.9  99.3  96.1  103.3
2018140,64591,99148,654 156.2  189.2  99.1  99.5  99.6
2019152,53491,01961,515 168.5  192.7  99.5  96.6  103.0
2020162,06687,06575,001 188.6  194.4  94.4  91.7  103.0
         
2019January13,4857,6625,824 179.1  196.0  99.4  96.3  103.2
 February12,4146,5275,887 164.9  165.8  99.3  96.6  102.8
 March11,6777,6584,019 155.5  198.2  99.1  95.4  103.8
 April12,7917,3415,451 169.7  190.7  99.4  94.8  104.9
 May13,6987,3566,342 182.1  189.2  99.3  95.8  103.6
 June12,0507,4614,589 160.1  190.3  99.3  96.6  102.8
 July13,3647,9785,385 177.2  203.2  99.5  96.2  103.4
 August11,7586,7355,023 156.2  172.8  99.3  96.0  103.5
 September12,5077,3655,143 166.2  187.7  99.5  96.6  102.9
 October14,2888,6145,675 189.4  218.6  99.5  97.0  102.6
 November12,8447,8444,999 169.5  194.7  99.9  97.5  102.5
 December11,6578,4783,179 153.5  212.3  100.2  96.9  103.4
          
2020January14,9827,1087,875 207.1  185.4  95.5  94.5  101.1
 February11,5657,9713,594 166.4  215.7  91.7  91.1  100.7
 March17,6596,66710,992 236.9  175.7  98.4  93.5  105.2
 April11,3375,5715,766 160.3  147.7  93.3  93.0  100.4
 May12,8706,1536,717 180.3  163.8  94.2  92.6  101.7
 June13,6416,7506,891 182.4  175.4  98.7  94.8  104.1
 July13,6128,3785,234 191.8  221.6  93.7  93.1  100.5
 August12,9305,9996,932 182.8  164.5  93.3  89.9  103.8
 September13,9856,4647,521 196.7  166.0  94.0  94.1  99.9
 October12,2257,6604,566 173.8  210.0  92.9  89.2  104.1
 November14,9149,3435,571 211.3  261.4  92.8  87.7  105.8
 December12,3469,0043,342 170.0  252.6  94.8  87.0  108.9
          
20214January13,3346,4426,892 206.8  175.8  85.1  88.6  96.1
 February12,3376,6285,710 187.3  177.1  86.6  89.5  96.8
 March14,7139,1195,593 232.0  234.1  83.7  95.7  87.5
 April12,1748,1244,050 191.0  216.3  85.9  92.5  92.9
 May13,5068,6534,854 199.9  229.0  88.9  90.0  98.8
 June14,7019,7524,948 212.6  251.6  91.2  96.7  94.4
 July12,8647,7995,065 184.6  205.0  92.0  93.7  98.1
 August13,1087,7255,383 185.6  187.5  93.1  94.6  98.5
 September14,5408,2536,286..........
1 Trade statistics revised since 2000, see background notes.
2 Monthly data have been rescaled to make their average equal to the annual.
3 Export unit value index divided by Import unit value index.
4 Revised. September 2021 is based on current Intrastat response levels. See background notes.
.. Indices not yet available.
Table 2 Goods Exports and Imports seasonally adjusted1 series
Period€millionBase year 2010=100
ValueVolume index
ExportsImportsTrade surplusExportsImports
2019January12,9787,4795,499 172.3  198.3
 February13,0626,9526,109 175.2  174.8
 March11,5417,3094,232 149.3  190.5
 April12,7127,3875,325 164.6  195.3
 May12,6727,3665,306 172.9  192.3
 June12,3147,3784,936 163.8  189.7
 July13,2938,1625,131 178.1  207.3
 August12,4887,6454,843 165.4  192.0
 September12,7637,5885,174 170.3  195.8
 October14,1107,8316,280 181.7  195.6
 November12,4147,4994,915 163.4  187.3
 December12,3817,7604,621 168.4  186.8
      
2020January13,6727,6216,051 191.0  186.4
 February12,1308,2063,924 174.5  211.0
 March16,7846,34610,438 212.6  155.5
April11,3645,9635,401 157.2  153.2
May12,9016,4496,451 181.5  169.2
June12,9806,3656,615 171.1  168.9
July13,1668,1255,041 186.0  225.2
August14,1137,1226,992 198.3  197.0
September13,6016,4967,105 193.6  159.5
October12,3877,2565,130 171.7  200.8
November14,5228,7555,767 200.7  258.7
December12,9727,6455,328 185.2  213.4
     
2021January13,0067,4825,525 210.1  201.4
 February12,8607,5735,287 197.3  193.9
 March13,4438,2065,237 205.9  211.9
 April12,5928,3204,273 190.6  224.8
 May13,6048,8664,737 202.2  233.0
 June13,8899,0944,795 199.8  228.4
 July13,2518,0785,172 193.0  212.2
 August13,9258,6795,246 199.5  215.7
 September14,0258,3105,715....
1 Seasonally adjusted data has been revised from January 2010 onwards using X-13-ARIMA methodology, implemented in JDEMETRA+. Previously X-11 methodology was used.
.. Indices not yet available.
Table 3 Goods Exports and Imports classified by commodity1
€million
SITC (Rev 4)ExportsImports
SepSepJan-SepJan-SepSepSepJan-SepJan-Sep
20202021202020212020202120202021
0Food and live animals1,0221,1438,5868,7846446005,7615,197
00Live animals other than animals of Division 0340751883503218259118
01Meat and meat preparations3563782,7762,9357877663621
02Dairy products and birds' eggs2723332,2522,3197163697563
03Fish, crustaceans, molluscs and preparations thereof36414124452321213192
04Cereals and cereal preparations485240141811897872862
05Vegetables and fruit28322452971061031,001904
06Sugars, sugar preparations and honey111295923036296257
07Coffee, tea, cocoa, spices and manufactures thereof40373233156256466418
08Feeding stuff for animals (excluding unmilled cereals)33352893276377710794
09Miscellaneous edible products and preparations1591491,6061,2876152584468
1Beverages and tobacco1531691,0261,25011495781726
11Beverages 1531691,0261,2499679720666
12Tobacco and tobacco manufactures000119166160
2Crude materials, inedible, except fuels1171721,0411,4607778708749
21Hides, skins and furskins, raw5840510000
22Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits 0068211817
23Crude rubber (including synthetic and reclaimed) 061591179
24Cork and wood17281322121521131192
25Pulp and waste paper482864334127
26Textile fibres and their wastes10138110411910
27Crude fertilisers and minerals (excluding coal, petroleum and precious stones)811881081514124128
28Metalliferous ores and metal scrap63875787601818170155
29Crude animal and vegetable materials nes101187942118208212
3Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials50995457563055092,5183,924
32Coal, coke and briquettes968311691647125
33Petroleum, petroleum products and related materials34794155862403431,9652,702
34Gas, natural and manufactured1691749111460849
35Electric current77383873947248
4Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes61063822532225254
41Animal oils and fats585370221414
42Fixed vegetable fats and oils229122128189219
43Animal or vegetable fats and oils, processed; waxes0010222221
5Chemicals and related products9,3538,28881,11675,6811,3661,91915,50818,511
51Organic chemicals2,7721,75124,68119,6843396145,9747,395
52Inorganic chemicals32182512332425248257
53Dyeing, tanning and colouring materials1312821002224193210
54Medical and pharmaceutical products5,6275,40046,86645,4586037905,8156,870
55Essential oils; perfume materials; toilet and cleansing preparations5576735,9576,3061291429521,014
56Fertilisers (other than those of Division 27)00772329335367
57Plastics in primary forms393029724775104658803
58Plastics in non-primary forms44663996725985544670
59Chemical materials and products nes2683372,5772,97392105790924
6Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material2202651,6932,0334986584,2254,936
61Leather; leather manufactures nes; dressed furskins552429221320
62Rubber manufactures nes1226791693237259328
63Cork and wood manufactures (excluding furniture)24411932983343229282
64Paper, paperboard and articles thereof18171291428390707673
65Textile yarn, fabrics, made-up articles and related products15131171225456559457
66Non-metallic mineral manufactures nes45533314305981459572
67Iron and steel14181201486588567757
68Non-ferrous metals814689842110383595
69Manufactures of metals nes78796315981281501,0491,252
7Machinery and transport equipment1,6812,69917,07518,0102,3943,16322,43428,429
71Power generating machinery and equipment552016961,398572051,1981,599
72Machinery specialised for particular industries54525445521161441,2191,273
73Metalworking machinery342133121091104
74General industrial machinery and equipment nes and parts nes1271491,2181,3312001941,4831,769
75Office machines and automatic data processing machines (including computers)3863263,5522,9234044213,7323,580
76Telecommunications and sound equipment1121089177561612181,4631,634
77Electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances nes and parts7261,1077,0028,5923517052,4015,946
78Road vehicles (including air-cushion vehicles)35292492962272352,1442,838
79Other transport equipment (including aircraft)1837222,8762,1298671,0318,7029,686
8Miscellaneous manufactured articles1,3241,65510,78812,8198911,0757,3088,584
81Prefab buildings; plumbing and electrical fixtures and fittings1313881022541185278
82Furniture and parts thereof; bedding, cushions etc16131411145269395534
83Travel goods, handbags and similar containers332423101588104
84Articles of apparel; clothing accessories31191541861971971,5711,805
85Footwear3221224338295358
87Professional, scientific and controlling apparatus nes5267094,3185,2271751921,6911,641
88Photographic apparatus; optical goods; watches and clocks1241509891,1984147394401
89Miscellaneous manufactured articles nes6097455,0525,9473474762,6883,462
9Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere1471228922620893
Unclassified estimates244345263121291191,3831,091
           
Total13,98514,540122,581121,2766,4648,25361,06072,495
1 Trade statistics revised since 2000. September 2021 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
CountryExportsImports
SepSepJan-SepJan-SepSepSepJan-SepJan-Sep
20202021202020212020202120202021
Austria27282622662520216232
Belgium1,1951,16514,1079,5261371521,4941,533
Bulgaria9810095332927
Croatia453754231413
Cyprus2220240235
Czech Republic52653274766467505723
Denmark46584484165142417456
Estonia13116011914
Finland242920023913297107395
France4154434,0823,9115964586,0967,277
Germany1,8561,45613,18413,6464914745,2645,211
Greece2591431,2591,005655060
Hungary 21191942431426220201
Italy 5163973,5663,5031491521,2501,519
Latvia885366523748
Lithuania49527910137892
Luxembourg777260433136
Malta3638316671179
Netherlands6278336,1676,9882133262,3903,352
Poland94978381,0267175615616
Portugal26292642691418205224
Romania2733279378877180
Slovakia91181996103872
Slovenia1014111129352334
Spain1831891,8911,6901101241,3161,240
Sweden57656026353758337555
EU Country not specified222261302664256370610
Total EU2735,5045,78248,36745,8162,0762,40121,19024,633
Euro-Zone45,1725,40545,41342,2261,7832,06318,61221,352
         
Great Britain1,0381,4128,62810,6051,4211,45611,8729,435
Northern Ireland2263131,7422,5772082931,7612,822
Total UK1,2641,72510,37013,1821,6291,74913,63312,257
         
Australia896667964914108673
Brazil14192202433529152251
Canada109811,4429201721340495
China57541,0068,2758,6254887664,7035,676
India28622513944781386603
Japan2252332,7602,137771161,012967
Malaysia152116117435593611,674
Mexico1061781,2871,5912841293315
Norway35242116975478395644
Russia32613353971541234337
Saudi Arabia42734675102115726
Singapore39374103411416363419
South Africa313822829572780117
South Korea305449347786104697987
Switzerland4122712,3542,2871692343,4403,604
Taiwan40283822614687378580
Thailand1520991523133292393
Turkey67445205294973442755
USA4,7254,21138,71637,4251,1711,6149,76512,031
Other countries4074664,3234,0052586481,8973,764
Country unknown614123216696228651,893
Total Non-EU (excl UK)7,2177,03363,84462,2772,7584,10326,23735,604
         
Total13,98514,540122,581121,2766,4648,25361,06072,495
1 Trade statistics revised since 2000. September 2021 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 From February 2020 the United Kingdom exited the EU, therefore the EU total is made up of the 27 remaining member states. For data comparability over time the EU are shown separately for both the current and prior periods.
4 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.
5 China includes Hong Kong and Macao.
6 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
  ExportsImports
Country by Section level of SITCSepSepJan-SepJan-SepSepSepJan-SepJan-Sep
20202021202020212020202120202021
Great Britain1,0381,4128,62810,6051,4211,45611,8729,435
0Food and live animals3483642,5562,4732591772,1591,210
1Beverages and tobacco18201351603020196143
2Crude materials, inedible, except fuels2739249338161213786
3Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials17161592221212011,1991,689
4Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes10116442924
5Chemicals and related products2854432,5863,7731743301,5741,400
6Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material74935587251851781,4311,215
7Machinery and transport equipment1632721,3851,8583632912,7552,091
8Miscellaneous manufactured articles941637891,0342132421,7321,570
9Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere121201165616608
Northern Ireland2263131,7422,5772082931,7612,822
0Food and live animals821246499356485525754
1Beverages and tobacco8959702018143161
2Crude materials, inedible, except fuels913731069116290
3Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials4838541443117240
4Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes22814322321
5Chemicals and related products36603045091428172568
6Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material34442433693845292375
7Machinery and transport equipment16221282442221189205
8Miscellaneous manufactured articles31261502231417108159
9Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere5592531123130249
EU 2725,5045,78248,36745,8162,0762,40121,19024,633
0Food and live animals3433612,9072,8242242082,1031,984
1Beverages and tobacco38452713064444307287
2Crude materials, inedible, except fuels42704496642525210269
3Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials7141331481553220518
4Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes4635481417122144
5Chemicals and related products4,1283,53336,05931,9694935795,2556,834
6Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material55794715921491671,2441,476
7Machinery and transport equipment4001,1024,1364,7908489949,56210,419
8Miscellaneous manufactured articles4585413,6464,2061922151,4871,838
9Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere30312592707298681863
USA4,7254,21138,71637,4251,1711,6149,76512,031
0Food and live animals39483133631717146206
1Beverages and tobacco6461404491121319
2Crude materials, inedible, except fuels231318353745
3Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials000196187582538
4Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes--000011
5Chemicals and related products3,7983,20531,06929,1103444953,0473,723
6Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material38242701653080312383
7Machinery and transport equipment3312652,9712,8136157924,6455,961
8Miscellaneous manufactured articles4506043,6494,430961359281,122
9Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere222717435334
China37541,0068,2758,6254887664,7035,676
0Food and live animals6949615541464650
1Beverages and tobacco11780011
2Crude materials, inedible, except fuels443338122130
3Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials--000000
4Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes00350000
5Chemicals and related products471241,3301,47744109373598
6Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material1320234782497623
7Machinery and transport equipment5267345,4425,5122283532,4672,817
8Miscellaneous manufactured articles105908231,0201612141,2751,555
9Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere000020221
Rest of World1,7381,81616,85416,2271,1001,72311,76817,897
0Food and live animals1411971,5461,64976106782993
1Beverages and tobacco25331522161811121115
2Crude materials, inedible, except fuels34432242962223241230
3Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials226121531494125401938
4Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes0159585064
5Chemicals and related products1,0599239,7698,8432973785,0875,387
6Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material172213115950106448864
7Machinery and transport equipment2453043,0122,7913187122,8166,937
8Miscellaneous manufactured articles1862311,7301,9062142531,7782,339
9Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere926946504529
         
Total13,98514,540122,581121,2766,4648,25361,06072,495
1 Trade statistics revised since 2000. September 2021 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.
Table 6 Goods Exports by industrial origin and area of destination
€million
Industrial origin and areaExports
SepSepJan-SepJan-Sep
2020202120202021
Agricultural produce7769256,1346,676
Great Britain and Northern Ireland3223852,3132,522
EU12863322,2842,461
USA3852319364
Rest of World1301551,2171,329
     
Forestry and fishing produce5269549663
Great Britain and Northern Ireland2032172245
EU12630249281
USA0023
Rest of World67127134
     
Industrial produce13,10513,506115,274113,531
Great Britain and Northern Ireland9011,2997,56510,316
EU15,1625,39145,58442,809
USA4,6864,15838,38937,052
Rest of World2,3552,65823,73623,354
     
Unclassified exports5139624407
     
Total13,98514,540122,581121,276
1EU excluding Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Table 7 Goods Imports by main use and area of origin
€million
Main use and area of originImports
SepSepJan-SepJan-Sep
2020202120202021
Producers capital goods ready for use1,3501,57613,02314,574
Great Britain and Northern Ireland1651401,640960
EU15607396,6917,768
USA4444982,7043,421
Rest of World1801991,9882,424
     
Consumption goods ready for use - food drink and tobacco5755314,8714,377
Great Britain and Northern Ireland3072522,4531,851
EU12092061,8921,783
USA473762
Rest of World5666489681
Consumption goods ready for use - other1,2531,53110,74513,012
Great Britain and Northern Ireland3484312,7233,122
EU13413573,1203,471
USA1691951,4951,679
Rest of World3955493,4074,739
     
Materials for further production - agriculture1481811,7161,896
Great Britain and Northern Ireland4239428394
EU15669627741
USA2419201254
Rest of World2655460507
Materials for further production - other2,9924,30829,15737,484
Great Britain and Northern Ireland7008645,5975,669
EU18379338,17910,004
USA5298925,2996,601
Rest of World9251,61910,08315,209
     
Unclassified imports1461261,5481,151
     
Total6,4648,25361,06072,495
1EU excluding Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Background Notes

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 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 (August 2021 in this publication), -4 (May 2021) and -8 (January 2021) 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 5,200 while around 2,200 must make a detailed export return. The response rate in terms of number of traders in September 2021 was 73%, covering an estimated 93% of the total value of intra-EU trade (these response rates will have increased by the next time data for September 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

In the April 2020 release the seasonal adjustment methodology for trade in goods data was updated from X-11 to X-13-ARIMA model. The X-13-ARIMA method is implemented in JDEMETRA+, the standard Eurostat software package for Seasonal Adjustment.

X-13-ARIMA incorporates significant new types of modelling capability for the issues commonly faced in seasonal adjustment, and also produces sophisticated diagnostics to help improve seasonal adjustment.

The seasonally adjusted series have been revised back to January 2010 using the new methodology.

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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