Ireland’s trade balance at €48.6bn, all goods and services exports less all goods and services imports, increased by €72.5bn in the first quarter of 2021 over the same period in 2020, due to a decrease in R&D related IP imports.
Goods | of which International Trade | |
Q4 2018 | 56.063 | 37.071 |
Q1 2019 | 56.594 | 37.577 |
Q2 2019 | 53.367 | 38.54 |
Q3 2019 | 57.16 | 37.629 |
Q4 2019 | 58.823 | 38.789 |
Q1 2020 | 62.528 | 44.206 |
Q2 2020 | 57.033 | 37.848 |
Q3 2020 | 61.349 | 40.54 |
Q4 2020 | 63.899 | 39.3 |
Q1 2021 | 68.821 | 40.454 |
Merchandise exports were €68.8bn in the first quarter of 2021, an increase of €6.3bn compared with the same quarter of 2020.
Goods | of which International Trade | |
Q4 2018 | 30.562 | 25.929 |
Q1 2019 | 26.043 | 20.98 |
Q2 2019 | 26.238 | 21.286 |
Q3 2019 | 25.912 | 21.21 |
Q4 2019 | 29.635 | 24.01 |
Q1 2020 | 24.872 | 20.894 |
Q2 2020 | 22.756 | 17.714 |
Q3 2020 | 23.454 | 19.659 |
Q4 2020 | 28.774 | 24.755 |
Q1 2021 | 25.164 | 20.583 |
Merchandise imports were €25.2bn in the first quarter of 2021, an increase of just €0.3bn compared with the same period in 2020.
Q1 2021 | Q1 2020 | |
Computer Services | 36.747 | 30.633 |
Business Services | 10.298 | 11.681 |
Financial Services | 5.491 | 3.936 |
Insurance | 3.145 | 2.767 |
Royalties/Licences | 2.761 | 2.723 |
Other Services n.e.s | 2.863 | 1.479 |
Transport | 0.162 | 1.088 |
Tourism and Travel | 0.125 | 0.769 |
Repairs and Processing | 0.56 | 0.609 |
Communications | 0.06 | 0.071 |
Service exports, at €62.2bn, increased by €6.5bn compared to the first quarter of 2020, mainly due to higher Computer services exports (which increased by €6.1bn).
Q1 2021 | Q1 2020 | |
Business Services | 22.56 | 86.528 |
Royalties/Licences | 22.461 | 18.935 |
Financial Services | 4.537 | 3.691 |
Insurance | 2.499 | 2.479 |
Repairs and Processing | 1.963 | 1.53 |
Computer Services | 1.623 | 1.471 |
Transport | 1.053 | 0.987 |
Other Services n.e.s | 0.339 | 0.381 |
Tourism and Travel | 0.114 | 1.227 |
Communications | 0.11 | 0.108 |
Service imports, at €57.3bn, were down €60bn compared to the first quarter of 2020, mainly due to lower R&D related IP imports.
Royalties/Licences Exports | of which Pharmaceutical | of which Information and Communication | |
Q4 2018 | 3.02 | 0.093 | 1.206 |
Q1 2019 | 2.069 | 0.037 | 1.048 |
Q2 2019 | 2.618 | 0.038 | 1.249 |
Q3 2019 | 2.652 | 0.032 | 1.234 |
Q4 2019 | 3.143 | 0.033 | 1.253 |
Q1 2020 | 2.723 | 0.02 | 1.714 |
Q2 2020 | 2.847 | 0.03 | 1.672 |
Q3 2020 | 3.004 | 0.023 | 1.717 |
Q4 2020 | 4.511 | 0.045 | 3.004 |
Q1 2021 | 2.761 | 0.025 | 1.685 |
Royalties/Licences Imports | of which Pharmaceutical | of which Information and Communication | |
Q4 2018 | 19.926 | 4.292 | 11.749 |
Q1 2019 | 19.014 | 4.519 | 11.111 |
Q2 2019 | 20.794 | 6.059 | 11.677 |
Q3 2019 | 21.61 | 5.489 | 0 |
Q4 2019 | 24.433 | 5.873 | 0 |
Q1 2020 | 18.935 | 2.936 | 0 |
Q2 2020 | 18.468 | 3.726 | 0 |
Q3 2020 | 16.2 | 2.936 | 0 |
Q4 2020 | 30.818 | 4.793 | 0 |
Q1 2021 | 22.461 | 3.201 | 0 |
Please note: The Q3 2019, Q4 2019, Q1 - Q4 2020 and Q1 2021 figures for royalties/licences imports of which information and communication are suppressed due to confidentiality requirements.
Royalties/licences imports were €22.5bn in the first quarter of 2021, up €3.5bn on the same period in 2020.
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