Ireland’s trade balance at €40.2bn, all goods and services exports less all goods and services imports, decreased by €22.5bn 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 | 76.697 | 53.998 |
| Q2 2024 | 79.175 | 54.219 |
| Q3 2024 | 82.218 | 57.91 |
| Q4 2024 | 92.30343 | 57.60731 |
| Q1 2025 | 102.45169 | 87.44521 |
| Q2 2025 | 88.98844 | 61.47569 |
| Q3 2025 | 87.48706 | 60.57838 |
| Q4 2025 | 88.51406 | 49.15234 |
| Q1 2026 | 77.28072 | 49.87053 |
Merchandise exports were €77.2bn in the first quarter of 2026, a decrease of €25.2bn compared with the same quarter of 2025.
| Goods | of which International Trade | |
| Q4 2023 | 42.399 | 36.127 |
| Q1 2024 | 37.217 | 30.437 |
| Q2 2024 | 39.921 | 32.078 |
| Q3 2024 | 38.383 | 32.595 |
| Q4 2024 | 37.80115 | 33.86288 |
| Q1 2025 | 40.22133 | 34.60282 |
| Q2 2025 | 40.39332 | 32.81423 |
| Q3 2025 | 42.81582 | 32.84058 |
| Q4 2025 | 46.21842 | 37.19099 |
| Q1 2026 | 46.44764 | 35.24004 |
Merchandise imports were €46.4bn in the first quarter of 2026, an increase of €6.2bn compared with the same period in 2025.
| Q1 2026 | Q1 2025 | |
| Computer Services | 81.71649 | 74.7126 |
| Business Services | 17.49585 | 17.05459 |
| Other Services n.e.s | 9.81119 | 11.09824 |
| Financial Services | 6.49971 | 5.94503 |
| Insurance | 5.03544 | 4.84962 |
| Royalties/Licences | 3.1145 | 2.90904 |
| Transport | 1.61842 | 1.66631 |
| Tourism and Travel | 1.36795 | 1.17296 |
| Repairs and Processing | 0.21492 | 0.25658 |
| Communications | 0.04408 | 0.04308 |
Service exports, at €126.9bn, increased by €7.2bn compared to the first quarter of 2025, mainly due to increased computer services exports which increased by €7bn.
| Q1 2026 | Q1 2025 | |
| Royalties/Licences | 47.41742 | 42.19178 |
| Business Services | 40.31261 | 50.37631 |
| Other Services n.e.s | 8.13064 | 6.58826 |
| Financial Services | 6.86603 | 6.39938 |
| Computer Services | 4.94818 | 4.06527 |
| Insurance | 3.74845 | 3.94131 |
| Tourism and Travel | 2.25498 | 1.93953 |
| Repairs and Processing | 2.01996 | 1.99475 |
| Transport | 1.65121 | 1.51547 |
| Communications | 0.17605 | 0.17817 |
Service imports, at €117.5bn, decreased by €1.7bn compared to the first quarter of 2025, mainly due to higher imports of both 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 | 2.917 | 0 | 0.95 |
| Q2 2024 | 3.694 | 0 | 0 |
| Q3 2024 | 3.984 | 0 | 1.106 |
| Q4 2024 | 5.43681 | 0.65952 | 0 |
| Q1 2025 | 2.90904 | 0 | 0 |
| Q2 2025 | 3.61544 | 0 | 0 |
| Q3 2025 | 3.74478 | 0 | 1.05785 |
| Q4 2025 | 5.36201 | 0 | 2.48905 |
| Q1 2026 | 3.1145 | 0 | 0 |
Exports of royalties/licences imports were €3.1bn in the first quarter of 2026, €205m higher than Q1 2025.
| Royalties/Licences Imports | of which Pharmaceutical | of which Information and Communication | |
| Q4 2023 | 41.174 | 8.029 | 0 |
| Q1 2024 | 35.716 | 4.831 | 0 |
| Q2 2024 | 39.891 | 5.218 | 0 |
| Q3 2024 | 39.937 | 4.427 | 0 |
| Q4 2024 | 49.03165 | 8.69854 | 0 |
| Q1 2025 | 42.19178 | 5.70416 | 0 |
| Q2 2025 | 44.86733 | 5.96963 | 0 |
| Q3 2025 | 45.85717 | 5.68471 | 0 |
| Q4 2025 | 52.12259 | 6.96646 | 0 |
| Q1 2026 | 47.41742 | 6.27769 | 0 |
Royalties/licences imports were €47.4bn in the first quarter of 2026, up €5.2bn on the same period in 2025.
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