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CSO statistical release, , 11am

Goods Exports and Imports

November 2021

Seasonally adjusted
€ million
 ExportsImportsSurplus
October 202115,0768,7696,307
November 202114,5679,1095,458
% change-3.43.9-13.5
Value change-510340-849

Seasonally adjusted goods trade imports increased by €340 million in November

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

Seasonally adjusted goods imports increased by €340 million (+4%) to €9,109 million in November 2021 compared with October 2021, according to preliminary figures.

Seasonally adjusted goods exports decreased by €510 million (-3%) to €14,567 million leading to a decrease of €849 million (-13%) in the seasonally adjusted trade surplus to €5,458 million in November 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 €340 million in November 2021 compared with November 2020

The (unadjusted)* value of goods exports for November 2021 was €15,258 million representing an increase of €340 million (+2%) when compared with November 2020. The value of goods exports for the period January to November 2021 was €151,771 million, an increase of €1,991 million (+1%) when compared with the first eleven months of 2020.

Exports of Electrical machinery, appliances and parts increased by €320 million (+40%) to €1,126 million.

Exports of Organic chemicals increased by €317 million (+16%) to €2,316 million.

Exports of Food and live animals increased by €144 million (+15%) to €1,132 million over the same comparative period.

Exports of Medical and pharmaceutical products decreased by €1,066 million (-15%) to €5,900 million in November 2021 compared with November 2020. This represented 39% of total exports (see Table 3). 

Imports increased by over €500 million in November 2021 compared with November 2020

The (unadjusted) value of goods imports for November 2021 was €9,865 million representing an increase of €522 million (+6%) when compared with November 2020. The value of goods imports for January to November of 2021 was €91,494 million, which is an increase of €13,432 million (+17%) compared with January to November 2020.

Imports of Electrical machinery, appliances and parts increased by €424 million (+127%) to €758 million in November 2021 compared with November 2020.

Imports of Petroleum increased by €180 million (+96%) to €368 million.

Imports of Organic chemicals increased by €280 million (+42%) to €954 million over the same comparative period.

Imports of Other transport equipment, including aircraft decreased by €957 million (-44%) to €1,237 million (see Table 3).

The value of goods imports for November 2021 excluding SITC 79 (Other transport equipment, including aircraft) was €8,628 million, an increase of €1,480 million (+21%) when compared with the corresponding November 2020 figure of €7,148 million (see Table 3). 

Exports to Great Britain increased by €232 million in November 2021 over November 2020

Exports to Great Britain in November 2021 were €1,697 million, an increase of €232 million (+16%) compared with November 2020. The main changes were increases in the exports of Chemicals and related products and Machinery and transport equipment, with a decrease in the exports of Food and live animals (see Table 5). Exports to Great Britain accounted for 11% of total exports in November 2021.

The value of goods exports to Great Britain in the first eleven months of 2021 was €13,381 million, an increase of €2,271 million (+20%) on the first eleven months of 2020.

Imports from Great Britain decreased by €342 million (-18%) to €1,558 million compared with November 2020. The main decreases were in the imports of Chemicals and related products, Food and live animals and Machinery and transport equipment with an increase in the imports of Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials (see Table 5). Imports from Great Britain were 16% of the value of total imports in November 2021.

The value of goods imports from Great Britain for January to November 2021 was €12,501 million, a decrease of €3,272 million (-21%) compared with January to November 2020.

Imports from Northern Ireland of almost €3.7 billion in the first eleven months of 2021

Imports from Northern Ireland in the first eleven months of 2021 increased by €1,440 million (+64%) to €3,679 million when compared with January to November 2020.

Exports to Northern Ireland were €3,305 million in the period January to November 2021, an increase of €1,078 million (+48%) on the same period in 2020 (see Table 5). 

%
NI2.24972135093234
GB11.1197736375138
EU2736.175121339411
US32.3489235496863
Rest of World18.6064601224566
%
NI3.72239183172306
GB15.7949298853063
EU2732.2058997534808
US15.396570816465
Rest of
World
32.8802077130249

Geographic breakdown of goods exports and imports

The EU accounted for €5,520 million (36%) of total goods exports in November 2021 of which €1,535 million went to Germany and €1,279 million went to Belgium. Total EU exports in November 2021 decreased by €502 million (-8%) compared with November 2020.

The USA was the main non-EU destination accounting for €4,936 million (32%) of total exports in November 2021.

The EU accounted for €3,177 million (32%) of total goods imports in November 2021, which is a decrease of €288 million (-8%) compared with November 2020.

The UK with €1,925 million (20%), the USA with €1,519 million (15%), and China with €1,007 million (10%) were the main non-EU sources of imports (see Table 4).

X-axis labelEU 27Rest of WorldUKUS
Jun 20206.185803676232092.8813292671.062124137683483.517776193
Jul 20205.348114540263082.6471967321.14297758426334.479003922
Aug 20205.174296165258912.117162432000011.274205361679994.369607584
Sep 20205.5039265438922.4917830271.270070754553094.724914438
Oct 20204.81805991760172.626554495000011.22090737845893.56454735
Nov 20206.021616263259082.64785531.695028676538974.553828941
Dec 20205.006680192712032.2638800311.37826576046933.701794393
Jan 20214.506236241177442.727520752999991.167737820082784.932282209
Feb 20214.642070998198852.3432532221.093844647384824.252122179
Mar 20215.710691566330182.8987143051.567515562181134.542633046
Apr 20214.879179425403172.421999427000011.338743474531743.534343537
May 20215.413352505930262.6901096661.501455221924273.901386861
Jun 20215.580403313017433.1141768561.762390331460614.281277453
Jul 20214.509189213875862.9915597571.792332387986053.750232916
Aug 20214.831367918579862.785792811.293792145218154.186750605
Sep 20215.84611269813112.7936636961.728775181154254.346289045
Oct 20215.083220157806492.6568815541.399464800677345.714491727
Nov 20215.519640516677742.7627039582.039932514209744.935834974
X-axis labelEU 27Rest of WorldUKUS
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 20203.347811892335542.043576188516462.126101054414981.48609245314246
Jan 20212.221107428981842.146221630934030.8903975935955311.18383990910489
Feb 20212.22163599107962.187923823122181.010200746878811.23044461520128
Mar 20213.223804205724072.97259780150891.463147482581831.56575208213418
Apr 20212.786561155252162.948024361105171.270094109262361.1191577260469
May 20213.38848990211542.590100152895071.329316239762761.34478436970838
Jun 20213.659692046624093.419879098049271.518679018763521.24870491813201
Jul 20212.767096027386632.212151886952281.494433145089181.33404260480141
Aug 20212.186694972073482.427325311484851.604414615794291.45842977330308
Sep 20212.482049357773062.499785237044431.758954641486511.63227354790282
Oct 20212.60814093992542.737033308157511.915034023411791.57039999439675
Nov 20213.177135372244593.243656341584131.925397944888941.51888287943182

Exports by industrial origin and Imports by main use

Industrial produce accounted for €14,229 million (93%) of total exports in November 2021. This is an increase of €221 million (+2%) when compared with November 2020. There was €5,109 million of this exported to the EU, €4,885 million to the USA and €1,652 million to the UK. Agricultural produce accounted for €887 million (6%) of total exports (see Table 6).

Producer capital goods ready for use accounted for €1,972 million (20%) of total imports in November 2021, a decrease of €868 million (-31%) when compared with November 2020.

Consumption goods ready for use represented €2,501 million (25%) of total imports, and Materials for further production accounted for €5,266 million (53%) (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. 

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
2020162,13187,06575,066 188.6  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
          
2020January14,9897,1087,882 207.1  185.4  95.5  94.5  101.1
February11,5707,9713,599 166.4  215.7  91.7  91.1  100.7
March17,6646,66710,997 236.9  175.7  98.4  93.5  105.2
April11,3435,5715,772 160.3  147.7  93.3  93.0  100.4
May12,8756,1536,722 180.3  163.8  94.2  92.6  101.7
June13,6476,7506,897 182.4  175.4  98.7  94.8  104.1
July13,6178,3785,239 191.8  221.6  93.7  93.1  100.5
August12,9355,9996,937 182.8  164.5  93.3  89.9  103.8
September13,9916,4647,527 196.7  166.0  94.0  94.1  99.9
October12,2307,6604,570 173.8  210.0  92.9  89.2  104.1
November14,9189,3435,576 211.3  261.4  92.8  87.7  105.8
December12,3519,0043,347 170.0  252.6  94.8  87.0  108.9
          
20214January13,3346,4426,892 206.8  175.8  85.1  88.6  96.1
February12,3316,6505,681 178.7  181.8  91.1  90.1  101.1
March14,7209,2255,494 225.1  237.4  86.3  95.8  90.1
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
June14,7389,8474,891 223.2  253.5  87.1  95.7  91.1
July13,0437,8085,236 182.8  206.6  94.1  93.1  101.1
August13,0987,6775,421 185.6  187.5  93.1  94.6  98.5
September14,7158,3736,342 199.7  209.0  97.2  98.7  98.5
October14,8548,8316,023 198.1  226.6  98.9  96.0  103.0
 November15,2589,8655,393 215.0  244.8  93.7  99.3  94.3
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. November 2021 is based on current Intrastat response levels. See background notes.
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
February12,8627,5725,290 189.4  205.8
March13,4448,1665,277 199.3  212.6
April12,6198,2534,366 191.0  224.4
May13,6638,5795,084 202.1  237.1
June13,9269,0304,896 207.2  233.1
July13,4558,2895,165 192.2  212.4
August14,0598,6195,441 198.7  211.7
September14,2628,4745,788 197.2  214.5
October15,0768,7696,307 200.4  222.1
 November14,5679,1095,458 199.0  222.6
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.
Table 3 Goods Exports and Imports classified by commodity1
€million
SITC (Rev 4)ExportsImports
NovNovJan-NovJan-NovNovNovJan-NovJan-Nov
20202021202020212020202120202021
0Food and live animals9881,13210,59010,9597697197,1816,582
 00Live animals other than animals of Division 0394663614939680381253
 01Meat and meat preparations3233723,4333,6107476814781
 02Dairy products and birds' eggs2233022,7242,9346869834707
 03Fish, crustaceans, molluscs and preparations thereof42574885532422260234
 04Cereals and cereal preparations45524955171291221,1081,099
 05Vegetables and fruit19332923651111041,2241,109
 06Sugars, sugar preparations and honey10101151133635368323
 07Coffee, tea, cocoa, spices and manufactures thereof33393923916165592545
 08Feeding stuff for animals (excluding unmilled cereals)333835540710786895954
 09Miscellaneous edible products and preparations1651621,9341,5766361706576
1Beverages and tobacco1451851,3241,59699101983923
 11Beverages 1451851,3231,5959798917855
 12Tobacco and tobacco manufactures0001246668
2Crude materials, inedible, except fuels1362241,2881,8797887872941
 21Hides, skins and furskins, raw5850660000
 22Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits 06814222221
 23Crude rubber (including synthetic and reclaimed) 3547512912
 24Cork and wood18231682582022173245
 25Pulp and waste paper473678435333
 26Textile fibres and their wastes1113102130111112
 27Crude fertilisers and minerals (excluding coal, petroleum and precious stones)991081091419153171
 28Metalliferous ores and metal scrap741407051,0281518205197
 29Crude animal and vegetable materials nes11151081222020245250
3Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials87676729062806803,0895,304
 32Coal, coke and briquettes9710213093761198
 33Petroleum, petroleum products and related materials69395076821873682,3553,446
 34Gas, natural and manufactured321320762496081,348
 35Electric current619507472664312
4Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes712771032433272320
 41Animal oils and fats6116489131820
 42Fixed vegetable fats and oils1111141928226275
 43Animal or vegetable fats and oils, processed; waxes1021322825
5Chemicals and related products9,9919,51498,62794,8392,2032,54519,72023,470
 51Organic chemicals1,9992,31629,03024,1496749547,3739,299
 52Inorganic chemicals38493193162627299326
 53Dyeing, tanning and colouring materials11111051252424241260
 54Medical and pharmaceutical products6,9665,90057,93457,7701,0721,0057,7348,795
 55Essential oils; perfume materials; toilet and cleansing preparations6057877,2037,7001491761,2381,337
 56Fertilisers (other than those of Division 27)00882670376465
 57Plastics in primary forms312936030381998181,018
 58Plastics in non-primary forms48704958086178669826
 59Chemical materials and products nes2913523,1743,659891129741,144
6Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material2252532,1472,5665896515,3566,228
 61Leather; leather manufactures nes; dressed furskins343138231826
 62Rubber manufactures nes14221072183643332420
 63Cork and wood manufactures (excluding furniture)25382463833241295364
 64Paper, paperboard and articles thereof17181641818498875867
 65Textile yarn, fabrics, made-up articles and related products151514715311465739583
 66Non-metallic mineral manufactures nes49584275426481588741
 67Iron and steel142014718977100717993
 68Non-ferrous metals814841244763478667
 69Manufactures of metals nes80657947401321571,3141,568
7Machinery and transport equipment1,7942,15120,58022,3064,0583,59629,26835,088
 71Power generating machinery and equipment1021028641,5951571361,4491,940
 72Machinery specialised for particular industries64696696791301691,4831,604
 73Metalworking machinery232538913108130
 74General industrial machinery and equipment nes and parts nes1371611,4981,6372062071,8782,206
 75Office machines and automatic data processing machines (including computers)4083504,3593,5754454544,6284,423
 76Telecommunications and sound equipment79971,0769302342421,8822,121
 77Electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances nes and parts8061,1268,64110,7813347583,1037,340
 78Road vehicles (including air-cushion vehicles)34413173733473792,7163,490
 79Other transport equipment (including aircraft)1612023,1312,6982,1941,23712,02111,835
8Miscellaneous manufactured articles1,4451,65713,66315,9789971,3269,31711,043
 81Prefab buildings; plumbing and electrical fixtures and fittings15141171293047243376
 82Furniture and parts thereof; bedding, cushions etc19151781445570504678
 83Travel goods, handbags and similar containers3330291217111137
 84Articles of apparel; clothing accessories19271982352012611,9842,293
 85Footwear3327295150397456
 87Professional, scientific and controlling apparatus nes6126705,4566,5441902012,0652,040
 88Photographic apparatus; optical goods; watches and clocks1221361,2371,4695260490512
 89Miscellaneous manufactured articles nes6527896,4207,4004056203,5234,551
9Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere613134167298262126
Unclassified estimates294506794722171191,7421,469
           
Total14,91815,258149,780151,7719,3439,86578,06291,494
1 Trade statistics revised since 2000. November 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
NovNovJan-NovJan-NovNovNovJan-NovJan-Nov
20202021202020212020202120202021
Austria34283273232520264277
Belgium1,8881,27916,81112,3551273461,7872,041
Bulgaria1214124120333637
Croatia10105172251722
Cyprus3525380036
Czech Republic37564065646398641902
Denmark48475435064548526564
Estonia251466111118
Finland28312462931412143421
France4855134,9764,8821,6908948,5039,053
Germany1,2781,53515,92816,4546497476,4376,449
Greece150351,6081,060776193
Hungary 23432353081315244237
Italy 4872194,3974,0421711821,5911,886
Latvia11147788574461
Lithuania517641018993108
Luxembourg788575443845
Malta3437675211011
Netherlands8727927,9198,5542463172,8714,035
Poland1221361,0721,2517282761784
Portugal523053436114721270268
Romania4761359506131597104
Slovakia1310107122694987
Slovenia1420136165433042
Spain2852192,3832,1121251601,5691,589
Sweden607172177555115446754
EU Country not specified245422104047056486830
Total EU2736,0225,52059,20756,5213,4653,17727,02830,722
Euro-Zone45,6175,03855,48552,0163,1302,74023,77426,489
         
Great Britain1,4651,69711,11013,3811,9011,55815,77312,501
Northern Ireland2303432,2273,3052233672,2393,679
Total UK1,6952,04013,33716,6862,1241,92518,01216,180
         
Australia736781676491010993
Brazil26712693345422229297
Canada197941,7751,14739951770568
China59011,01910,11110,6306401,0075,9467,484
India40503274904588481771
Japan2692073,2302,5171451381,2481,240
Malaysia171820621138654321,799
Mexico1201331,5131,8673145358401
Norway27272687582936450753
Russia498841455920118272532
Saudi Arabia59675866291165870
Singapore37594854549042460483
South Africa263427635851495142
South Korea63636076131931339931,240
Switzerland3142273,1142,7392315304,0694,616
Taiwan27334383184973508733
Thailand15161301814743373478
Turkey51526236455493550928
USA4,5544,93646,83448,3781,0981,51911,99215,207
Other countries3334194,9784,8142647142,3905,026
Country unknown622023615831161,2381,731
Total Non-EU (excl UK)7,2027,69977,23778,5643,7534,76333,02244,591
         
Total14,91815,258149,780151,7719,3439,86578,06291,494
1 Trade statistics revised since 2000. November 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 SITCNovNovJan-NovJan-NovNovNovJan-NovJan-Nov
20202021202020212020202120202021
Great Britain1,4651,69711,11013,3811,9011,55815,77312,501
0Food and live animals3773363,2513,1343232622,7531,689
1Beverages and tobacco23271772142822251186
2Crude materials, inedible, except fuels32473154231710171107
3Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials48442203311543401,5192,322
4Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes22149643832
5Chemicals and related products6388173,5094,8104112022,2921,810
6Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material74917089061931811,8191,581
7Machinery and transport equipment1551971,6952,2454152973,8692,734
8Miscellaneous manufactured articles941299841,2842672382,2542,023
9Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere2352372587280616
Northern Ireland2303432,2273,3052233672,2393,679
0Food and live animals781228581,2026886653938
1Beverages and tobacco61074901622179204
2Crude materials, inedible, except fuels9148813471378122
3Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials51948901232145312
4Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes121017332827
5Chemicals and related products405536662226107274832
6Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material37493144773440358464
7Machinery and transport equipment15321583102824235262
8Miscellaneous manufactured articles27342012931318130204
9Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere126109681621158315
EU 2726,0225,52059,20756,5213,4653,17727,02830,722
0Food and live animals2853673,5083,5222252432,5512,456
1Beverages and tobacco45613624143836380363
2Crude materials, inedible, except fuels661115618592530260335
3Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials2231631513185277689
4Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes4642601220146183
5Chemicals and related products4,4413,78543,88239,2985698476,6208,527
6Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material56715877451641801,5631,826
7Machinery and transport equipment5465185,0845,7682,0621,37212,43812,805
8Miscellaneous manufactured articles4975504,6555,2662112641,9002,348
9Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere62483644391291018931,191
USA4,5544,93646,83448,3781,0981,51911,99215,207
0Food and live animals22483724542919195259
1Beverages and tobacco5062506602121623
2Crude materials, inedible, except fuels221623674757
3Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials000196692717729
4Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes00000011
5Chemicals and related products3,6203,71137,33237,5854864893,8464,701
6Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material41223482073340383458
7Machinery and transport equipment3094823,5993,9253617395,5737,555
8Miscellaneous manufactured articles5096074,6315,5411091301,1501,384
9Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere223021516440
China39011,01910,11110,6306401,0075,9467,484
0Food and live animals7756758646595666
1Beverages and tobacco118100011
2Crude materials, inedible, except fuels374149252538
3Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials--000001
4Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes1-450001
5Chemicals and related products1561611,6141,81044154451853
6Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material2425305398603811
7Machinery and transport equipment5666796,6316,8593583743,1583,525
8Miscellaneous manufactured articles961131,0291,2221753671,6252,188
9Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere000040281
Rest of World1,7471,74320,29119,5562,0152,23615,08421,901
0Food and live animals1492041,8432,0011201009721,173
1Beverages and tobacco21241972661619157147
2Crude materials, inedible, except fuels24432673912122291282
3Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials121240315151304311,251
4Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes11612365877
5Chemicals and related products1,09698411,92610,7156667466,2376,747
6Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material16161652011111126301,089
7Machinery and transport equipment2042433,4123,2008347903,9948,207
8Miscellaneous manufactured articles2212242,1632,3702223092,2592,895
9Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere227386525532
         
Total14,91815,258149,781151,7729,3439,86578,06291,494
1 Trade statistics revised since 2000. November 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
NovNovJan-NovJan-Nov
2020202120202021
Agricultural produce7508877,6658,396
Great Britain and Northern Ireland3563473,0153,234
EU12253272,7633,108
USA3150393461
Rest of World1381621,4951,593
     
Forestry and fishing produce6182662820
Great Britain and Northern Ireland2229214302
EU12636300352
USA0023
Rest of World1317146162
     
Industrial produce14,00814,229140,665141,973
Great Britain and Northern Ireland1,2801,6529,73113,028
EU15,7095,10955,78952,646
USA4,5234,88546,43247,906
Rest of World2,4962,58328,71328,393
     
Unclassified exports10060789583
     
Total14,91815,258149,780151,771
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
NovNovJan-NovJan-Nov
2020202120202021
Producers capital goods ready for use2,8401,97217,47218,092
Great Britain and Northern Ireland2551852,3911,321
EU11,7211,0788,9009,557
USA1664563,2524,461
Rest of World6982532,9302,753
     
Consumption goods ready for use - food drink and tobacco5625686,0095,509
Great Britain and Northern Ireland2992673,0612,380
EU12062162,3032,231
USA484578
Rest of World5376599820
Consumption goods ready for use - other1,8391,93414,10516,739
Great Britain and Northern Ireland6355723,8734,290
EU14704263,9894,261
USA2101851,8582,056
Rest of World5247514,3856,132
     
Materials for further production - agriculture2382582,1412,347
Great Britain and Northern Ireland7864561520
EU16369764854
USA3021253307
Rest of World68104563666
Materials for further production - other3,6215,00836,38447,267
Great Britain and Northern Ireland7538157,1597,343
EU18761,28810,17812,637
USA6868476,5498,287
Rest of World1,3062,05912,49819,000
     
Unclassified imports2421261,9511,540
     
Total9,3439,86578,06291,494
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 (October 2021 in this publication), -4 (July 2021) and -8 (March 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 November 2021 was 71%, covering an estimated 87% of the total value of intra-EU trade (these response rates will have increased by the next time data for November 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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