Ireland’s trade balance at €59.2bn, all goods and services exports less all goods and services imports, increased by €36.8bn in the fourth quarter of 2024 over the same period in 2023, mainly due to an increase in merchandise exports.
| Goods | of which International Trade | |
| Q3 2022 | 94.696 | 53.728 |
| Q4 2022 | 96.381 | 50.001 |
| Q1 2023 | 88.961 | 50.949 |
| Q2 2023 | 74.136 | 50.216 |
| Q3 2023 | 71.383 | 47.651 |
| Q4 2023 | 71.2 | 47.884 |
| Q1 2024 | 75.526 | 53.239 |
| Q2 2024 | 79.293 | 54.173 |
| Q3 2024 | 82.468 | 57.457 |
| Q4 2024 | 92.112 | 57.888 |
Merchandise exports were €92.1bn in the fourth quarter of 2024, an increase of €20.9bn compared with the same quarter of 2023.
| Goods | of which International Trade | |
| Q3 2022 | 37.517 | 35.778 |
| Q4 2022 | 38.181 | 34.453 |
| Q1 2023 | 35.197 | 33.179 |
| Q2 2023 | 38.351 | 34.624 |
| Q3 2023 | 34.54 | 31.096 |
| Q4 2023 | 41.533 | 35.267 |
| Q1 2024 | 36.711 | 29.905 |
| Q2 2024 | 39.76 | 31.957 |
| Q3 2024 | 38.652 | 32.054 |
| Q4 2024 | 37.667 | 33.357 |
Merchandise imports were €37.7bn in the fourth quarter of 2024, a decrease of €3.9bn compared with the same period in 2023.
| Q4 2024 | Q4 2023 | |
| Computer Services | 77.301 | 63.743 |
| Business Services | 21.06 | 18.48 |
| Other Services n.e.s | 10.129 | 7.84 |
| Financial Services | 6.806 | 5.851 |
| Royalties/Licences | 5.637 | 4.883 |
| Insurance | 4.514 | 4.295 |
| Transport | 2.288 | 2.134 |
| Tourism and Travel | 1.558 | 1.615 |
| Repairs and Processing | 0.452 | 0.693 |
| Communications | 0.037 | 0.037 |
Service exports, at €129.8bn, increased by €20.2bn compared to the fourth quarter of 2023, mainly due to higher computer services exports which increased by €13.6bn.
| Q4 2024 | Q4 2023 | |
| Royalties/Licences | 50.046 | 41.073 |
| Business Services | 44.351 | 51.214 |
| Other Services n.e.s | 8.061 | 4.547 |
| Financial Services | 6.022 | 5.126 |
| Computer Services | 4.85 | 3.145 |
| Insurance | 3.81 | 3.707 |
| Tourism and Travel | 3.349 | 2.938 |
| Repairs and Processing | 2.77 | 3.26 |
| Transport | 1.5 | 1.644 |
| Communications | 0.224 | 0.199 |
Service imports, at €125bn, increased by €8.1bn compared to the fourth quarter of 2023, mainly due to higher royalty imports and higher business services imports.
| Royalties/Licences Exports | of which Pharmaceutical | of which Information and Communication | |
| Q3 2022 | 3.266 | 0.057 | 1.089 |
| Q4 2022 | 4.355 | 0.059 | 2.018 |
| Q1 2023 | 3.711 | 0.043 | 1.12 |
| Q2 2023 | 3.229 | 0.085 | 1.193 |
| Q3 2023 | 3.476 | 0.028 | 0 |
| Q4 2023 | 4.883 | 0.111 | 0 |
| Q1 2024 | 3.664 | 0.096 | 0 |
| Q2 2024 | 3.87 | 0.154 | 1.222 |
| Q3 2024 | 4.327 | 0 | 1.102 |
| Q4 2024 | 5.637 | 0 | 0 |
Exports of royalties/licences imports were €5.6bn in the fourth quarter of 2024, up €750m on the same period in 2023.
| Royalties/Licences Imports | of which Pharmaceutical | of which Information and Communication | |
| Q3 2022 | 33.008 | 7.835 | 0 |
| Q4 2022 | 41.592 | 11.36 | 0 |
| Q1 2023 | 36.751 | 6.055 | 0 |
| Q2 2023 | 30.665 | 6.543 | 0 |
| Q3 2023 | 33.295 | 4.463 | 0 |
| Q4 2023 | 41.073 | 7.856 | 0 |
| Q1 2024 | 37.211 | 4.919 | 0 |
| Q2 2024 | 41.647 | 6.405 | 0 |
| Q3 2024 | 40.53 | 4.442 | 0 |
| Q4 2024 | 50.046 | 8.864 | 0 |
Please note: the figures for royalties/licences imports of which information and communication are suppressed due to confidentiality requirements.
Royalties/licences imports were €50bn in the fourth quarter of 2024, up €9bn on the same period in 2023.
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