Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased by 10.2% in Quarter 2 (Q2) 2026 (See Editor’s Note below).
Multinational-dominated sectors expanded by 11.2% in Q2 2026 while Domestic sectors grew by 0.7%.
Total Exports increased by 17.1% in Q2 2026 (+35.0 billion), while total Imports rose by 4.0% (+€6.6 billion).
Modified Domestic Demand (MDD), a broad measure of underlying domestic activity that covers personal, government, and investment spending, fell by 0.8% in Q2 2026.
Personal spending on goods and services, a key measure of domestic economic activity, grew by 1.0% in Q2 2026.
The Balance of Payments Current Account recorded a surplus of €19.7 billion in transactions with the rest of the world in Q2 2026.
The updated estimated GDP figure for Q2 2026 is 10.2%. This compares with a Preliminary GDP Estimate for Q2 2026 of 3.9% published on 29 July 2026. Note that the updated GDP estimate for Q2 2026 of 10.2% is based on both Expenditure and Output data, while the Preliminary estimate was based predominantly on economic Output data.
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (04 September 2026) published Quarterly National Accounts and International Accounts results for Quarter 2 (Q2) 2026, following on from the Preliminary GDP Estimate for Q2 2026 issued on 29 July 2026 (See Editor’s Note below).
Summary Results
Assistant Director General with responsibility for National Accounts & Price Statistics, Chris Sibley, said:
“In today’s release, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is estimated to have grown by 10.2% in April, May, and June (Q2) 2026, driven by growth in the multinational-dominated sectors of the economy.
The globalised Industry sector expanded by 22.1% in Q2 2026 when compared with Q1 2026 while the Information & Communication sector posted an increase of 2.3% over the same period. Overall, the multinational-dominated sector rose by 11.2% in the quarter.
There was a mixed picture for the domestic economy in Q2 2026. Personal spending increased by 1.0% while the non-multinational-dominated sector grew by 0.7% over the same period. Modified domestic demand (MDD) decreased by 0.8% in Q2 2026, driven by a decline in investment. However, looking at the first six months of the year, we can see that MDD grew by 3.1% with personal spending increasing by 2.8%.”
Domestic Economy as measured by GDP
Looking at the results in more detail, National Accounts Statistician Justin Flannery said:
“Overall, the sectors focused on the domestic market expanded by 0.7% in Q2 2026. The largest contributions to growth were recorded in the Professional, Administrative & Support (+2.3%) and Public Administration, Education & Health (+1.7%) sectors. However, there were contractions in Real Estate Activities (-0.6%) and the Distribution, Transport, Hotels & Restaurants (-0.2%) sectors.
Expenditure in the Economy
Looking at expenditure in the economy, exports increased by 17.1% in Q2 2026 while Imports rose by 4.0% over the same period. As a result, net exports rose by 77.1% in the quarter. Capital Investment fell by 28.3% or €10.6bn compared with Q1 2026 reflecting a decrease in the value of physical changes in stocks. Personal spending on goods and services increased by 1.0% in Q2 2026, while Government spending on goods and services was up 0.1% over the same period.
Impact of Globalisation Activities and the Indicators of Underlying Domestic Activity
Final Domestic Demand (FDD), a measure of personal, government, and investment spending, decreased by 0.1% in Q2 2026. Modified Domestic Demand, a broad measure of underlying domestic demand that excludes IPP and aircraft-related globalisation effects, fell by 0.8% in the quarter, driven by a decline in investment.
Compensation of Employees
Compensation of Employees (CoE), which includes wages as well other payments such as bonuses and allowances, increased by 1.3% in Q2 2026 compared with Q1 2026.
GDP and GNP results
Overall, GDP is estimated to have grown by 10.2% in Q2 2026. Gross National Product (GNP), a measure of economic activity that excludes the profits of multinationals, decreased 5.0% in the quarter, reflecting an increase of €19.6bn in factor income outflows.”