Ireland’s trade balance at €40.5bn, all goods and services exports less all goods and services imports, decreased by €33.3bn in the first quarter of 2026 over the same period in 2025, due mainly to a decrease in merchandise exports and an increase in merchandise imports.
| Goods | of which International Trade | |
| Q4 2023 | 71.923 | 47.355 |
| Q1 2024 | 75.539 | 54.027 |
| Q2 2024 | 78.223 | 54.18 |
| Q3 2024 | 81.402 | 57.993 |
| Q4 2024 | 92.206 | 58.538 |
| Q1 2025 | 113.079 | 88.375 |
| Q2 2025 | 94.591 | 63.139 |
| Q3 2025 | 98.86161 | 61.82797 |
| Q4 2025 | 87.85628 | 49.34029 |
| Q1 2026 | 77.05004 | 49.87053 |
Merchandise exports were €77.1bn in the first quarter of 2026, a decrease of €40bn compared with the same quarter of 2025.
| Goods | of which International Trade | |
| Q4 2023 | 42.399 | 36.127 |
| Q1 2024 | 36.479 | 30.437 |
| Q2 2024 | 39.644 | 32 |
| Q3 2024 | 38.492 | 32.399 |
| Q4 2024 | 37.202 | 33.516 |
| Q1 2025 | 38.86 | 34.197 |
| Q2 2025 | 36.16 | 32.517 |
| Q3 2025 | 43.46394 | 33.23074 |
| Q4 2025 | 45.6217 | 37.1545 |
| Q1 2026 | 46.44764 | 35.24004 |
Merchandise imports were €46.4bn in the first quarter of 2026, an increase of €7.6bn compared with the same period in 2025.
| Q1 2026 | Q1 2025 | |
| Computer Services | 81.71649 | 72.417 |
| Business Services | 17.22437 | 17.557 |
| Other Services n.e.s | 9.81119 | 7.907 |
| Financial Services | 6.64375 | 6.624 |
| Insurance | 5.03544 | 4.509 |
| Royalties/Licences | 3.1145 | 3.238 |
| Transport | 1.61842 | 1.629 |
| Tourism and Travel | 1.36795 | 1.116 |
| Repairs and Processing | 0.21492 | 0.211 |
| Communications | 0.04408 | 0.055 |
Service exports, at €126.8bn, increased by €11.5bn compared to the first quarter of 2025, mainly due to increased computer services exports which increased by €9.3bn.
| Q1 2026 | Q1 2025 | |
| Royalties/Licences | 47.41742 | 42.045 |
| Business Services | 40.22029 | 49.157 |
| Other Services n.e.s | 8.13064 | 4.705 |
| Financial Services | 6.29474 | 5.822 |
| Computer Services | 4.94818 | 4.119 |
| Insurance | 3.74799 | 3.731 |
| Tourism and Travel | 2.25498 | 2.339 |
| Repairs and Processing | 2.01996 | 1.998 |
| Transport | 1.65121 | 1.506 |
| Communications | 0.17605 | 0.216 |
Service imports, at €116.9bn, increased by €1.2bn compared to the first quarter of 2025, mainly due to higher imports of royalties offset by lower imports of business services.
| Royalties/Licences Exports | of which Pharmaceutical | of which Information and Communication | |
| Q4 2023 | 5.089 | 0.111 | 2.309 |
| Q1 2024 | 3.255 | 0 | 0.95 |
| Q2 2024 | 3.777 | 0 | 0 |
| Q3 2024 | 4.047 | 0 | 1.106 |
| Q4 2024 | 5.237 | 0.66 | 0 |
| Q1 2025 | 3.238 | 0 | 0.838 |
| Q2 2025 | 3.545 | 0 | 1.214 |
| Q3 2025 | 3.70173 | 0 | 1.0581 |
| Q4 2025 | 5.11191 | 0 | 2.41711 |
| Q1 2026 | 3.1145 | 0.96889 |
Exports of royalties/licences imports were €3.1bn in the first quarter of 2026, €124m lower than Q1 2025.
| Royalties/Licences Imports | of which Pharmaceutical | of which Information and Communication | |
| Q4 2024 | 41.174 | 8.029 | 0 |
| Q1 2024 | 35.614 | 4.835 | 0 |
| Q2 2024 | 39.791 | 5.222 | 0 |
| Q3 2024 | 39.837 | 4.431 | 0 |
| Q4 2024 | 48.931 | 8.703 | 0 |
| Q1 2025 | 42.045 | 5.702 | 0 |
| Q2 2025 | 44.784 | 5.966 | 0 |
| Q3 2025 | 45.46108 | 5.70635 | 0 |
| Q4 2025 | 51.96936 | 6.93781 | 0 |
| Q1 2026 | 47.41742 | 6.27769 | 0 |
Royalties/licences imports were €47.4bn in the first quarter of 2026, up 5.4bn on the same period in 2025.
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