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For more information on this release:
E-mail: Trade@cso.ie Damian Malone (+353) 1 498 4206 Bernie Ryan (+353) 1 498 4235
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

July 2019

Seasonally adjusted
€ million
 ExportsImportsSurplus
February 201913,1837,2675,916
March 201910,9717,4683,503
April 201912,6207,2825,338
May 201913,4547,1946,259
June 201911,5987,1444,454
July 201913,6717,3966,276

Seasonally adjusted goods exports increase in July

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

Seasonally adjusted goods exports increased by €2,073 million (+18%) to €13,671 million in July 2019 compared with June 2019, according to preliminary figures.

Seasonally adjusted goods imports also increased by €252 million (+4%) to €7,396 million leading to an increase of €1,821 million (+41%) in the seasonally adjusted trade surplus to €6,276 million in July 2019 compared with the previous month (see Table 2).

Increase of over €2 billion in exports

The (unadjusted)* value of goods exports for July 2019 was €13,176 million representing an increase of €2,101 million (+19%) when compared with July 2018. The value of goods exports for the period January to July 2019 was €89,778 million, an increase of €9,280 million (+12%) when compared with the first seven months of 2018.

The biggest change in exports was Medical and pharmaceutical products which increased by €661 million (+18%) to €4,314. This represents 33% of the value of total exports.

Organic chemicals increased by €642 million (+35%) to €2,479 million in July 2019 compared with July 2018.

Exports of Electrical machinery and equipment increased by €314 million (+70%) to €765 million. Office machinery and automatic data processing machines increased by €144 million (+49%) to €441 million over the same comparative period.

Imports decrease by over €400 million in July

The (unadjusted) value of goods imports for July 2019 was €7,274 million representing a decrease of €445 million (-6%) when compared with July 2018. The value of goods imports for January to July 2019 was €50,349 million, which is an increase of €663 million (+1%) compared with January to July 2018.

Imports of Medical and pharmaceutical products decreased by €646 million (-52%) to €606 million in July 2019 compared with July 2018.

Imports of Other transport equipment, including aircraft decreased by €306 million (-18%) to €1,439 million.

Imports of Petroleum increased by €102 million (+31%) to €431 million, and imports of Road vehicles increased by €36 million (+19%) to €231 million.

The value of goods imports for July 2019 excluding SITC 79 (Other transport equipment, including aircraft) was €5,834 million, a decrease of €139 million (-2%) when compared with the corresponding July 2018 figure of €5,973 million.

Exports to Great Britain decrease in July

Exports to Great Britain decreased by €66 million (-6%) to €1,108 million in July 2019 compared with July 2018. The main fall was in the exports of Chemicals and related products, with a smaller increase in the exports of Mineral fuels, lubricants and related products. Exports to Great Britain accounted for 8% of total exports.

The value of goods exports to Great Britain in the first seven months of 2019 was €8,369 million, an increase of €403 million (+5%) on the first seven months of 2018.

Imports from Great Britain increased by €51 million (+3%) to €1,526 million in July 2019 compared with July 2018. The main increase was in the imports of Machinery and transport equipment (see Table 5). Imports from Great Britain were 21% of the value of total imports in July 2019.

The value of goods imports from Great Britain for the period January to July 2019 was €11,206 million, an increase of €905 million (+9%) on January to July 2018.

Geographic breakdown of goods exports and imports

The EU accounted for €6,524 million (50%) of total goods exports in July 2019 of which €1,445 million went to Belgium and €1,370 million was exported to Germany. Total EU exports in July increased by €895 million (+16%) compared with July 2018.

The USA was the main non-EU destination accounting for €4,048 million (31%) of total exports in July 2019.

The EU accounted for €4,083 million (56%) of total goods imports in July 2019, which is a decrease of €816 million (-17%) compared with July 2018.

The USA with €1,296 million (18%) and China with €512 million (7%) were the main non-EU sources of imports.

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

This map is © Ordnance Survey Ireland. All rights reserved. License number 01/05/001.
This map is © Ordnance Survey Ireland. All rights reserved. License number 01/05/001.
Table 1 Goods Exports and Imports summary analysis
PeriodValue1Volume index2Unit value index2 
ExportsImportsTrade surplusBase year 2010=100
€m€m€mExportsImportsExportsImportsTerms of trade3
2010 90,92448,69542,229 100.0  100.0  100.0  100.0  100.0
201193,19153,03540,155 106.1  110.4  96.6  98.7  97.9
2012 93,50756,17937,328 100.6  120.2  102.2  96.0  106.5
201389,18255,78733,394 101.1  123.5  97.0  92.8  104.6
201492,61662,15830,458 103.8  130.1  98.2  98.1  100.1
2015112,40770,11142,296 115.5  143.6  106.8  100.3  106.5
2016119,29274,23745,055 125.6  158.2  102.7  93.3  110.2
2017122,78582,95639,829 135.8  168.9  99.3  96.1  103.3
2018140,73292,09848,635 156.2  189.2  99.1  99.5  99.6
         
2016Quarter 127,81317,62310,190 119.5  158.0  100.7  89.4  112.6
 Quarter 230,30718,94411,363 129.0  159.5  102.0  94.8  107.6
 Quarter 330,36118,13112,229 126.5  152.5  103.6  94.2  110.1
 Quarter 430,81219,53811,273 127.6  162.8  104.6  94.7  110.5
2017Quarter 132,17920,98511,194 137.0  160.2  103.3  98.4  104.9
 Quarter 231,07721,7459,331 134.2  182.1  101.9  95.6  106.7
 Quarter 328,98318,55010,433 129.1  152.0  98.1  94.9  103.4
 Quarter 430,54621,6768,871 141.0  176.8  93.8  95.4  98.2
2018Quarter 133,84520,08813,757 152.3  172.2  97.9  95.9  102.1
 Quarter 235,57921,88013,699 161.5  184.3  96.8  97.6  99.3
 Quarter 334,16423,21410,950 148.2  181.9  101.4  104.0  97.6
 Quarter 437,14526,91610,229 163.2  218.7  100.2  100.3  99.9
2019Quarter 137,95521,28516,669 166.6  186.0  100.5  93.9  107.0
 Quarter 238,64721,79016,858 174.5  192.6  97.5  92.9  104.9
         
2016January8,8935,1433,750 120.9  142.6  95.6  87.0  110.0
 February8,5665,4813,085 105.0  144.4  106.0  91.6  115.8
 March10,3546,9993,355 132.6  187.0  100.6  89.7  112.1
 April10,0535,5934,460 125.8  144.6  104.1  93.4  111.5
 May9,3856,4122,973 123.6  164.7  99.0  94.2  105.0
 June10,8686,9383,930 137.7  169.3  102.8  96.7  106.4
 July9,4115,7383,672 120.4  144.2  101.9  96.2  106.0
 August10,4645,7234,742 130.8  146.1  103.4  93.1  111.1
 September10,4866,6703,815 128.2  167.1  105.6  93.4  113.1
 October10,1995,7104,489 129.3  142.6  103.1  95.9  107.5
 November11,2017,2473,954 140.6  183.9  104.1  94.4  110.3
 December9,4126,5812,831 113.0  162.0  106.6  93.7  113.8
      
2017January9,9077,1982,708 122.8  144.7  106.4  98.9  107.6
 February10,2356,5343,702 135.1  158.7  99.6  98.3  101.3
March12,0377,2534,784 153.0  177.2  103.9  98.1  105.8
April9,8636,8523,011 122.6  167.2  106.2  98.0  108.4
May10,5617,6202,941 139.3  193.4  100.0  94.7  105.7
June10,6537,2743,379 140.6  185.6  99.6  94.0  106.0
July9,1785,6863,492 117.4  140.2  103.2  95.1  108.5
August9,6176,3293,288 126.1  153.9  98.2  93.6  104.9
September10,1886,5343,654 143.8  161.8  93.0  96.1  96.8
October9,6457,0362,609 143.2  180.8  88.3  92.5  95.5
November10,8497,4243,425 151.6  187.0  95.0  96.0  98.9
December10,0537,2162,837 128.3  162.7  98.0  97.7  100.3
        
20184January12,1036,5385,565 159.6  168.8  100.1  95.4  104.9
 February10,4026,4233,980 138.1  163.8  99.4  96.7  102.8
 March11,3407,1284,212 159.1  183.9  94.1  95.5  98.5
 April11,0026,6034,399 155.4  160.9  93.4  101.1  92.4
 May11,8116,9244,886 160.1  182.1  97.4  93.7  103.9
 June12,7668,3524,414 168.9  209.9  99.7  98.1  101.7
 July11,0757,7183,356 144.6  179.8  101.1  105.8  95.6
 August11,5387,2464,293 152.9  176.4  99.6  100.9  98.7
 September11,5518,2503,301 147.1  189.4  103.6  105.2  98.4
 October12,2518,9933,258 164.1  216.5  98.6  100.8  97.8
 November13,0278,9374,090 173.5  219.8  98.9  99.6  99.3
 December11,8678,9862,881 152.1  219.9  103.2  100.6  102.5
      
20194January13,6166,7736,842 174.8  183.4  102.8  91.0  113.0
 February12,5796,6705,909 176.0  175.9  94.4  93.4  101.0
 March11,7607,8423,918 149.0  198.7  104.2  97.2  107.1
 April12,6837,1855,497 166.0  192.9  100.8  91.8  109.8
 May13,7917,3186,473 188.5  192.3  96.6  93.8  103.0
 June12,1737,2864,887 168.9  192.6  95.1  93.2  102.0
July13,1767,2745,902 182.2  193.9  95.4  92.4  103.3
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. July 2019 is based on current Intrastat response levels. See background notes.
Table 2 Goods Exports and Imports seasonally adjusted1 series
PeriodValueVolume index
ExportsImportsTrade surplusBase year 2010=100
€m€m€mExportsImports
2016Quarter 127,86616,68211,184 119.7  149.6
 Quarter 229,75919,10110,659 126.5  161.3
 Quarter 330,22119,06911,152 125.7  161.2
 Quarter 431,01019,29411,716 129.0  159.6
2017Quarter 132,98320,42812,555 137.6  154.3
 Quarter 230,27022,0488,222 131.1  186.1
 Quarter 329,33219,4989,835 131.4  162.1
 Quarter 430,54421,2149,329 142.2  170.7
2018Quarter 133,99220,31313,679 150.7  170.2
 Quarter 234,72121,77212,949 158.6  184.0
 Quarter 335,04224,51010,531 152.9  195.3
 Quarter 437,26825,63611,632 164.2  208.8
2019Quarter 137,89521,43916,456 166.5  187.1
 Quarter 237,67221,62116,052 169.5  190.3
      
2016January9,4495,0914,358 127.0  145.3
 February8,9445,5283,417 108.7  143.8
 March9,4736,0643,409 123.3  159.6
 April9,8755,7214,154 125.3  148.7
 May9,6436,5123,132 124.8  167.8
 June10,2416,8683,373 129.4  167.4
 July9,2026,1963,006 118.3  156.8
 August 10,6985,9874,711 132.1  155.2
 September10,3216,8863,435 126.7  171.6
 October10,3565,8014,555 130.1  144.4
 November10,4206,8593,562 130.0  171.3
 December10,2346,6343,600 127.0  163.1
       
2017January10,7777,0463,731 129.5  140.8
 February11,1627,0234,138 141.8  168.3
 March11,0446,3594,685 141.4  153.9
 April9,8607,4052,454 124.0  181.5
 May10,5597,4563,104 136.6  192.1
 June9,8527,1882,664 132.7  184.7
 July9,7296,0493,680 124.5  151.1
 August9,6906,6643,026 126.4  163.3
 September9,9146,7863,129 143.3  172.0
 October9,8396,7783,061 141.9  172.4
 November9,9626,9792,982 140.5  172.9
 December10,7437,4573,286 144.3  166.7
       
2018January12,5156,9335,582 162.2  172.9
 February11,0166,9934,022 143.5  175.7
 March10,4626,3874,075 146.4  162.0
 April11,1516,8864,265 161.2  170.4
 May11,7726,5705,202 157.2  176.3
 June11,7988,3163,482 157.3  205.3
 July11,9038,0063,897 157.3  188.8
 August11,4317,8353,596 152.1  195.3
 September11,7078,6693,038 149.3  201.9
 October12,2458,3813,864 157.7  199.2
 November12,1398,1973,942 163.4  203.8
 December12,8859,0583,826 171.5  223.4
       
2019January13,7406,7037,037 176.3  188.4
 February13,1837,2675,916 185.4  185.9
 March10,9717,4683,503 137.8  187.1
 April12,6207,2825,338 165.4  196.4
 May13,4547,1946,259 182.1  186.7
 June11,5987,1444,454 160.9  187.7
July13,6717,3966,276 191.3  197.6
1 Based on seasonal patterns up to December 2018. Accordingly all values in this table may have been revised.
Table 3 Goods Exports and Imports classified by commodity1
€million
SITC (Rev 4)ExportsImports
JulJulJan-JulJan-JulJulJulJan-JulJan-Jul
20182019201820192018201920182019
0Food and live animals9269846,4136,6796176174,3274,422
00Live animals other than animals of Division 03332917617513367599
01Meat and meat preparations2953162,2182,2348681589578
02Dairy products and birds' eggs2472801,5121,6807561514498
03Fish, crustaceans, molluscs and preparations thereof46463513692526167175
04Cereals and cereal preparations36432383089199669756
05Vegetables and fruit2529199183116113775786
06Sugars, sugar preparations and honey101185822831211216
07Coffee, tea, cocoa, spices and manufactures thereof31352152304850329363
08Feeding stuff for animals (excluding unmilled cereals)25311942137766550508
09Miscellaneous edible products and preparations1781631,2251,2045856447443
1Beverages and tobacco1221657218898488472533
11Beverages 1221657218887984454505
12Tobacco and tobacco manufactures0010541828
2Crude materials, inedible, except fuels1501411,1311,0327775544615
21Hides, skins and furskins, raw8763470000
22Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits 11510221717
23Crude rubber (including synthetic and reclaimed) 00011167
24Cork and wood15141011101717101128
25Pulp and waste paper543631362841
26Textile fibres and their wastes111277781179
27Crude fertilisers and minerals (excluding coal, petroleum and precious stones)11118283141592112
28Metalliferous ores and metal scrap91826885992320148150
29Crude animal and vegetable materials nes8978731614143152
3Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials801746401,1014305583,2353,762
32Coal, coke and briquettes7769724611835
33Petroleum, petroleum products and related materials511014444043294312,4492,471
34Gas, natural and manufactured321258749582606
35Electric current1964115620107386651
4Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes4541402222155155
41Animal oils and fats34343321109
42Fixed vegetable fats and oils11661919133134
43Animal or vegetable fats and oils, processed; waxes0011211213
5Chemicals and related products6,6427,99349,91855,5491,8921,45012,10110,028
51Organic chemicals1,8372,47915,30119,2062274211,9402,410
52Inorganic chemicals16221241322834188203
53Dyeing, tanning and colouring materials111181782222146152
54Medical and pharmaceutical products3,6534,31426,87028,3181,2526067,1834,508
55Essential oils; perfume materials; toilet and cleansing preparations7027034,6534,781101102771773
56Fertilisers (other than those of Division 27)11882826302332
57Plastics in primary forms37382612738680591571
58Plastics in non-primary forms45422952985770392468
59Chemical materials and products nes3393832,3272,4559188587610
6Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material1921981,3711,3594625113,1193,540
61Leather; leather manufactures nes; dressed furskins231517121111
62Rubber manufactures nes8955573031198218
63Cork and wood manufactures (excluding furniture)24241851762532167192
64Paper, paperboard and articles thereof141491987681520616
65Textile yarn, fabrics, made-up articles and related products141396924346295321
66Non-metallic mineral manufactures nes38372732705259334373
67Iron and steel14161081106990486564
68Non-ferrous metals101572855149352358
69Manufactures of metals nes6967476454116121757888
7Machinery and transport equipment1,5161,99910,60613,0023,2182,98119,64120,869
71Power generating machinery and equipment697052348079103527686
72Machinery specialised for particular industries70624744431721221,0231,010
73Metalworking machinery44181611128081
74General industrial machinery and equipment nes and parts nes1581591,1111,2021641611,0481,103
75Office machines and automatic data processing machines (including computers)2974412,4312,8494875082,3063,176
76Telecommunications and sound equipment941256988641371641,0081,050
77Electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances nes and parts4517652,8874,3712282411,5651,694
78Road vehicles (including air-cushion vehicles)26312042021952312,2222,242
79Other transport equipment (including aircraft)3463422,2602,5741,7451,4399,8629,826
8Miscellaneous manufactured articles1,3191,4139,0499,4867248124,7405,207
81Prefab buildings; plumbing and electrical fixtures and fittings121288762627163180
82Furniture and parts thereof; bedding, cushions etc15171101194551309338
83Travel goods, handbags and similar containers22131713168292
84Articles of apparel; clothing accessories17161131291571819951,096
85Footwear3322213644234263
87Professional, scientific and controlling apparatus nes5495913,5914,0471641671,0731,099
88Photographic apparatus; optical goods; watches and clocks1171368008363738233253
89Miscellaneous manufactured articles nes6046354,3134,2412482891,6511,885
9Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere70372512214335279215
Unclassified estimates254673574221501251,0751,002
           
Total11,07513,17680,49889,7787,7187,27449,68650,349
1 Trade statistics revised since 2000. July 2019 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
JulJulJan-JulJan-JulJulJulJan-JulJan-Jul
20182019201820192018201920182019
Austria34392692282626194195
Belgium1,4431,44510,29210,386115132956956
Bulgaria11156183261823
Croatia55293712612
Cyprus221531102126
Czech Republic37473233683356332388
Denmark61664184053536301300
Estonia131213261214
Finland1923187171191192100
France3844643,1713,2161,2619075,9146,065
Germany7241,3705,8057,9221,0135596,4584,465
Great Britain1,1741,1087,9678,3691,4761,52610,30111,206
Greece9322305373833741
Hungary 25351971975717222109
Italy 3403892,0092,2631161191,025788
Latvia1074239522828
Lithuania331920676474
Luxembourg161491113573935
Malta43109511058
Netherlands6377714,4095,0932882401,8151,838
Northern Ireland1641871,1381,242127108864871
Poland951006116695873354478
Portugal35312582541924125146
Romania3237210232794966
Slovakia674660443030
Slovenia984771231621
Spain1862201,4981,403105112908844
Sweden68835265676246465407
EU country not specified21319972894442267674
Total EU5,6296,52440,16144,1664,8994,08330,91630,208
  of which United Kingdom1,3381,2959,1049,6121,6021,63411,16412,077
Euro-Zone33,9444,82228,58431,7092,9972,16217,73815,675
        
Australia7472499440575756
Brazil22341781821613114110
Canada1141258308172657316391
China44117432,8844,8735295122,8053,051
India22421902524346361388
Japan3512021,9931,565156109869720
Malaysia21141211184142216354
Mexico1271328448802828202219
Norway21222191367640490337
Russia41563153975024312290
Saudi Arabia42513394071154
Singapore69544083204619290190
South Africa265716423312126772
South Korea47463623506159391530
Switzerland2572914,0813,73978213376921
Taiwan20382032103458179267
Thailand131385704870240289
Turkey46323994274056318411
USA3,1674,04822,64926,2609411,2968,2617,853
Other countries3454162,4062,6741632331,3591,407
Country unknown52111621,1701,2634252961,5422,281
Total Non-EU5,4466,65240,33845,6122,8193,19118,77020,140
         
Total11,07513,17680,49889,7787,7187,27449,68650,349
1 Trade statistics revised since 2000. July 2019 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.
4 China 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
  ExportsImports
Country by Section level of SITCJulJulJan-JulJan-JulJulJulJan-JulJan-Jul
20182019201820192018201920182019
Great Britain1,1741,1087,9678,3691,4761,52610,30111,206
0Food and live animals3173132,2572,2132572751,7611,819
1Beverages and tobacco16181101262834159194
2Crude materials, inedible, except fuels39302662361716122133
3Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials641222677712322461,7232,005
4Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes111110332523
5Chemicals and related products3662562,4162,3612321981,5901,531
6Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material84825925621661791,1291,296
7Machinery and transport equipment1491601,1601,1942623261,9002,391
8Miscellaneous manufactured articles109967017011861881,2451,300
9Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere27301871969161646515
Other EU24,4555,41632,19435,7973,4232,55620,61619,002
0Food and live animals3743902,5792,7132672391,8521,816
1Beverages and tobacco38392202574341228249
2Crude materials, inedible, except fuels82866085392729183224
3Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials15211551327668579620
4Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes33282613139799
5Chemicals and related products2,8843,73820,83624,0581,0014866,5743,563
6Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material76785595541711701,1281,233
7Machinery and transport equipment4464733,6553,7381,5891,2608,3819,531
8Miscellaneous manufactured articles4965423,2993,4921621761,0591,136
9Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere41472552887473534531
USA3,1674,04822,64926,2609411,2968,2617,853
0Food and live animals34461682271913137133
1Beverages and tobacco468429139012910
2Crude materials, inedible, except fuels332317432738
3Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials007713733147125637
4Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes--000011
5Chemicals and related products2,2542,97316,62119,4552752832,0272,196
6Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material1515971043637241252
7Machinery and transport equipment3514012,0402,2474486794,9083,732
8Miscellaneous manufactured articles4595213,3023,653110118705779
9Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere56303214138275
China34117432,8844,8735295122,8053,051
0Food and live animals7177445514352333
1Beverages and tobacco01130000
2Crude materials, inedible, except fuels543126222320
3Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials005010000
4Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes01120000
5Chemicals and related products111738861,01514639316241
6Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material2228154351269312
7Machinery and transport equipment1645471,0832,9932162671,3981,595
8Miscellaneous manufactured articles5639358304114142737809
9Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere0000563940
Rest of World1,8681,86014,80514,4781,3491,3837,7039,236
0Food and live animals1291589631,0117185554621
1Beverages and tobacco22239911211117580
2Crude materials, inedible, except fuels21182042152625189200
3Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials13190608996808500
4Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes0012553133
5Chemicals and related products1,0269539,1598,6612384431,5942,496
6Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material1422941244674350447
7Machinery and transport equipment4064172,6682,8307044493,0543,619
8Miscellaneous manufactured articles1992151,3891,3351521879951,182
9Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere5122136127775257
         
Total11,07513,17680,49889,7787,7187,27449,68650,349
1 Trade statistics revised since 2000. July 2019 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.

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 (June 2019 in this publication), -4 (March 2019) and -8 (November 2018) 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 July 2019 was 59%, covering an estimated 91% of the total value of intra-EU trade (these response rates will have increased by the next time data for July 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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