This release was compiled during the COVID-19 pandemic. For further information see Information Note on Implications of COVID-19 on Goods Exports and Imports
| Seasonally adjusted | |||
| € million | |||
| Exports | Imports | Surplus | |
| November 2019 | 12,349 | 7,399 | 4,951 |
| December 2019 | 12,264 | 7,520 | 4,743 |
| January 2020 | 13,430 | 7,597 | 5,832 |
| February 2020 | 11,742 | 8,016 | 3,726 |
| March 2020 | 17,013 | 6,569 | 10,444 |
| April 2020 | 11,613 | 5,834 | 5,779 |
Seasonally adjusted goods exports decreased by €5,400 million (-32%) to €11,613 million in April 2020 compared with March 2020, according to preliminary figures.
Seasonally adjusted goods imports decreased by €735 million (-11%) to €5,834 million leading to a decrease of €4,665 million (-45%) in the seasonally adjusted trade surplus to €5,779 million in April 2020 compared with the previous month (see Table 2).
Exports of €11.5 billion in April
The (unadjusted)* value of goods exports for April 2020 was €11,547 million representing a decrease of €1,240 million (-10%) when compared with April 2019. The value of goods exports for the period January to April 2020 was €54,672 million, an increase of €4,315 million (+9%) when compared with the first four months of 2019.
Exports of Organic chemicals decreased by €265 million (-14%) to €1,666 million in April 2020 compared with April 2019.
Exports of Professional, scientific and controlling apparatus decreased by €127 million (-22%) to €446 million.
Exports of Medical and pharmaceutical products increased by €260 million (+6%) to €4,872 million, accounting for 42% of total exports.
Exports of Electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances increased by €182 million (+33%) to €738 million over the same comparative period (see Table 3).
Imports decrease by over €1.5 billion in April
The (unadjusted) value of goods imports for April 2020 was €5,795 million, a decrease of €1,544 million (-21%) when compared with April 2019. The value of goods imports for January to April 2020 was €27,779 million, which is a decrease of €1,397 million (-5%) compared with January to April of 2019.
Imports of Other transport equipment, including aircraft decreased by €1,376 million (-76%) to €432 million in April 2020 compared with April 2019.
Imports of Petroleum decreased by €249 million (-54%) to €211 million.
Imports of Professional, scientific and controlling apparatus increased by €83 million (+51%) to €247 million.
Imports of Organic chemicals increased by €133 million (+46%) to €419 million over the same comparative period (see Table 3).
The value of goods imports for April 2020 excluding SITC 79 (Other transport equipment, including aircraft) was €5,363 million, a decrease of €168 million (-3%) when compared with the corresponding April 2019 figure of €5,531 million.
Exports to Great Britain fall by €300 million in April
Exports to Great Britain decreased by €305 million (-26%) to €865 million in April 2020 compared with April 2019. Exports to Great Britain accounted for 7% of total exports.
The value of goods exports to Great Britain in the first four months of 2020 was €4,140 million, a decrease of €340 million (-8%) on the first four months of 2019.
Imports from Great Britain were relatively unchanged, as they decreased by €2 million (-0.2%) to €1,439 million compared with April 2019. Imports from Great Britain were 25% of the value of total imports in April 2020.
The value of goods imports from Great Britain for January to April 2020 was €6,169 million, a decrease of €204 million (-3%) compared with the first four months of 2019 (see Table 4).
Geographic breakdown of goods exports and imports
The EU accounted for €4,186 million (36%) of total goods exports in April 2020 of which €1,310 million went to Belgium and €1,092 million went to Germany. Total EU exports in April decreased by €114 million (-3%) compared with April 2019. As the UK had exited the EU on January 31st 2020, this data compares EU trade excluding the UK for both periods for comparative purposes.
The USA was the main non-EU destination accounting for €3,834 million (33%) of total exports in April 2020.
The EU accounted for €1,893 million (33%) of total goods imports in April 2020, which is a decrease of €764 million (-29%) compared with April 2019.
The USA with €811 million (14%), China with €433 million (7%) and Switzerland with €200 million (3%) were the other main non-EU sources of imports (see Table 4).
Exports by industrial origin and Imports by main use
Industrial produce accounted for €10,790 million (94%) of total exports in April 2020. This is a decrease of €1,200 million (-10%) when compared with April 2019. There was €3,794 million of this exported to the USA, and €3,904 million to the EU. Agricultural produce accounted for €634 million (5%) of total exports (see Table 6).
Producer capital goods ready for use accounted for €854 million (15%) of total imports in April 2020, a decrease of €1,468 million (-63%) when compared with April 2019.
Consumption goods ready for use represented €1,627 million (28%) of total imports, and Materials for further production accounted for €3,163 million (55%) (see Table 7).
*It should be noted that the detailed data described in Paragraph 3 onwards, and the data in Tables 1, 3, 4 and 5 are not seasonally adjusted. Only the data described in the first two paragraphs and in Table 2 are seasonally adjusted.
|
From February 2020 the EU total no longer includes data from the United Kingdom. The new EU total aggregate is labelled EU27. For data comparability we have published the EU27 and the UK data separately for both the current period and previous time periods. |
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| Table 1 Goods Exports and Imports summary analysis | |||||||||
| Period | Value1 | Volume index2 | Unit value index2 | ||||||
| Exports | Imports | Trade surplus | Base year 2010=100 | ||||||
| €m | €m | €m | Exports | Imports | Exports | Imports | Terms of trade3 | ||
| 2010 | 90,924 | 48,695 | 42,229 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | |
| 2011 | 93,191 | 53,035 | 40,155 | 106.1 | 110.4 | 96.6 | 98.7 | 97.9 | |
| 2012 | 93,507 | 56,179 | 37,328 | 100.6 | 120.2 | 102.2 | 96.0 | 106.5 | |
| 2013 | 89,182 | 55,787 | 33,394 | 101.1 | 123.5 | 97.0 | 92.8 | 104.6 | |
| 2014 | 92,616 | 62,158 | 30,458 | 103.8 | 130.1 | 98.2 | 98.1 | 100.1 | |
| 2015 | 112,407 | 70,111 | 42,296 | 115.5 | 143.6 | 106.8 | 100.3 | 106.5 | |
| 2016 | 119,292 | 74,237 | 45,055 | 125.6 | 158.2 | 102.7 | 93.3 | 110.2 | |
| 2017 | 122,785 | 82,956 | 39,829 | 135.8 | 168.9 | 99.3 | 96.1 | 103.3 | |
| 2018 | 140,645 | 91,952 | 48,693 | 156.2 | 189.2 | 99.1 | 99.5 | 99.6 | |
| 2019 | 152,509 | 90,670 | 61,838 | 168.5 | 192.7 | 99.5 | 96.6 | 103.0 | |
| 2017 | Quarter 1 | 32,179 | 20,985 | 11,194 | 137.0 | 160.2 | 103.3 | 98.4 | 104.9 |
| Quarter 2 | 31,077 | 21,745 | 9,331 | 134.2 | 182.1 | 101.9 | 95.6 | 106.7 | |
| Quarter 3 | 28,983 | 18,550 | 10,433 | 129.1 | 152.0 | 98.1 | 94.9 | 103.4 | |
| Quarter 4 | 30,546 | 21,676 | 8,871 | 141.0 | 176.8 | 93.8 | 95.4 | 98.2 | |
| 2018 | Quarter 1 | 33,843 | 20,088 | 13,755 | 152.3 | 172.2 | 97.9 | 95.9 | 102.1 |
| Quarter 2 | 35,556 | 21,880 | 13,676 | 161.5 | 184.3 | 96.8 | 97.6 | 99.3 | |
| Quarter 3 | 34,163 | 23,214 | 10,949 | 148.2 | 181.9 | 101.4 | 104.0 | 97.6 | |
| Quarter 4 | 37,083 | 26,770 | 10,313 | 163.2 | 218.7 | 100.2 | 100.3 | 99.9 | |
| 2019 | Quarter 1 | 37,570 | 21,838 | 15,732 | 166.5 | 186.7 | 99.3 | 96.1 | 103.3 |
| Quarter 2 | 38,527 | 22,152 | 16,375 | 170.6 | 190.1 | 99.3 | 95.7 | 103.8 | |
| Quarter 3 | 37,640 | 22,028 | 15,612 | 166.5 | 187.9 | 99.4 | 96.3 | 103.3 | |
| Quarter 4 | 38,772 | 24,653 | 14,119 | 170.8 | 208.5 | 99.9 | 97.1 | 102.8 | |
| 2020 | Quarter 1 | 43,125 | 21,984 | 21,141 | 194.2 | 188.7 | 97.4 | 95.7 | 101.7 |
| 2017 | January | 9,907 | 7,198 | 2,708 | 122.8 | 144.7 | 106.4 | 98.9 | 107.6 |
| February | 10,235 | 6,534 | 3,702 | 135.1 | 158.7 | 99.6 | 98.3 | 101.3 | |
| March | 12,037 | 7,253 | 4,784 | 153.0 | 177.2 | 103.9 | 98.1 | 105.8 | |
| April | 9,863 | 6,852 | 3,011 | 122.6 | 167.2 | 106.2 | 98.0 | 108.4 | |
| May | 10,561 | 7,620 | 2,941 | 139.3 | 193.4 | 100.0 | 94.7 | 105.7 | |
| June | 10,653 | 7,274 | 3,379 | 140.6 | 185.6 | 99.6 | 94.0 | 106.0 | |
| July | 9,178 | 5,686 | 3,492 | 117.4 | 140.2 | 103.2 | 95.1 | 108.5 | |
| August | 9,617 | 6,329 | 3,288 | 126.1 | 153.9 | 98.2 | 93.6 | 104.9 | |
| September | 10,188 | 6,534 | 3,654 | 143.8 | 161.8 | 93.0 | 96.1 | 96.8 | |
| October | 9,645 | 7,036 | 2,609 | 143.2 | 180.8 | 88.3 | 92.5 | 95.5 | |
| November | 10,849 | 7,424 | 3,425 | 151.6 | 187.0 | 95.0 | 96.0 | 98.9 | |
| December | 10,053 | 7,216 | 2,837 | 128.3 | 162.7 | 98.0 | 97.7 | 100.3 | |
| 2018 | January | 12,102 | 6,538 | 5,565 | 159.6 | 168.8 | 100.1 | 95.4 | 104.9 |
| February | 10,401 | 6,423 | 3,978 | 138.1 | 163.8 | 99.4 | 96.7 | 102.8 | |
| March | 11,340 | 7,128 | 4,212 | 159.1 | 183.9 | 94.1 | 95.5 | 98.5 | |
| April | 10,980 | 6,603 | 4,377 | 155.4 | 160.9 | 93.4 | 101.1 | 92.4 | |
| May | 11,810 | 6,924 | 4,886 | 160.1 | 182.1 | 97.4 | 93.7 | 103.9 | |
| June | 12,766 | 8,352 | 4,413 | 168.9 | 209.9 | 99.7 | 98.1 | 101.7 | |
| July | 11,075 | 7,718 | 3,357 | 144.6 | 179.8 | 101.1 | 105.8 | 95.6 | |
| August | 11,538 | 7,246 | 4,293 | 152.9 | 176.4 | 99.6 | 100.9 | 98.7 | |
| September | 11,550 | 8,250 | 3,300 | 147.1 | 189.4 | 103.6 | 105.2 | 98.4 | |
| October | 12,255 | 8,990 | 3,265 | 164.1 | 216.5 | 98.6 | 100.8 | 97.8 | |
| November | 12,956 | 8,869 | 4,087 | 173.5 | 219.8 | 98.9 | 99.6 | 99.3 | |
| December | 11,872 | 8,911 | 2,961 | 152.1 | 219.9 | 103.2 | 100.6 | 102.5 | |
| 20194 | January | 13,484 | 7,657 | 5,826 | 179.1 | 196.0 | 99.4 | 96.3 | 103.2 |
| February | 12,412 | 6,504 | 5,908 | 164.9 | 165.8 | 99.3 | 96.6 | 102.8 | |
| March | 11,674 | 7,676 | 3,998 | 155.5 | 198.2 | 99.1 | 95.4 | 103.8 | |
| April | 12,787 | 7,339 | 5,449 | 169.7 | 190.7 | 99.4 | 94.8 | 104.9 | |
| May | 13,694 | 7,355 | 6,339 | 182.1 | 189.2 | 99.3 | 95.8 | 103.6 | |
| June | 12,046 | 7,459 | 4,587 | 160.1 | 190.3 | 99.3 | 96.6 | 102.8 | |
| July | 13,360 | 7,936 | 5,424 | 177.2 | 203.2 | 99.5 | 96.2 | 103.4 | |
| August | 11,755 | 6,732 | 5,023 | 156.2 | 172.8 | 99.3 | 96.0 | 103.5 | |
| September | 12,526 | 7,360 | 5,166 | 166.2 | 187.7 | 99.5 | 96.6 | 102.9 | |
| October | 14,283 | 8,599 | 5,684 | 189.4 | 218.6 | 99.5 | 97.0 | 102.6 | |
| November | 12,837 | 7,707 | 5,130 | 169.5 | 194.7 | 99.9 | 97.5 | 102.5 | |
| December | 11,652 | 8,348 | 3,305 | 153.5 | 212.3 | 100.2 | 96.9 | 103.4 | |
| 20204 | January | 14,762 | 7,128 | 7,634 | 198.4 | 180.3 | 98.2 | 97.4 | 100.8 |
| February | 11,338 | 7,747 | 3,590 | 158.4 | 204.8 | 94.5 | 93.2 | 101.3 | |
| March | 17,025 | 7,108 | 9,917 | 225.9 | 181.1 | 99.4 | 96.6 | 102.9 | |
| April | 11,547 | 5,795 | 5,753 | 158.2 | 148.4 | 96.4 | 94.7 | 101.8 | |
| 1 Trade statistics revised since 2000, see background notes. | |||||||||
| 2 Monthly data have been rescaled to make their average equal to the annual. | |||||||||
| 3 Export unit value index divided by Import unit value index. | |||||||||
| 4 Revised. April 2020 is based on current Intrastat response levels. See background notes. | |||||||||
| Table 2 Goods Exports and Imports seasonally adjusted1 series | ||||||
| Period | Value | Volume index | ||||
| Exports | Imports | Trade surplus | Base year 2010=100 | |||
| €m | €m | €m | Exports | Imports | ||
| 2017 | Quarter 1 | 31,852 | 21,170 | 10,682 | 134.1 | 160.6 |
| Quarter 2 | 30,366 | 21,715 | 8,650 | 131.0 | 182.2 | |
| Quarter 3 | 30,074 | 19,703 | 10,371 | 134.2 | 160.9 | |
| Quarter 4 | 30,890 | 20,425 | 10,466 | 144.0 | 168.1 | |
| 2018 | Quarter 1 | 33,211 | 20,289 | 12,922 | 148.1 | 172.3 |
| Quarter 2 | 34,886 | 21,899 | 12,987 | 157.8 | 184.2 | |
| Quarter 3 | 35,694 | 24,756 | 10,938 | 155.4 | 193.9 | |
| Quarter 4 | 36,789 | 25,019 | 11,770 | 163.6 | 206.4 | |
| 2019 | Quarter 1 | 37,484 | 22,150 | 15,334 | 165.2 | 188.5 |
| Quarter 2 | 37,945 | 22,287 | 15,658 | 166.8 | 191.5 | |
| Quarter 3 | 38,533 | 23,344 | 15,188 | 171.3 | 197.5 | |
| Quarter 4 | 38,661 | 22,660 | 16,001 | 171.5 | 193.2 | |
| 2020 | Quarter 1 | 42,184 | 22,182 | 20,002 | 187.5 | 189.4 |
| 2017 | January | 10,331 | 7,473 | 2,858 | 123.1 | 152.9 |
| February | 10,686 | 7,025 | 3,661 | 143.2 | 167.9 | |
| March | 10,834 | 6,671 | 4,163 | 135.9 | 160.9 | |
| April | 10,412 | 7,260 | 3,151 | 131.5 | 182.0 | |
| May | 10,157 | 7,414 | 2,743 | 131.5 | 189.3 | |
| June | 9,797 | 7,041 | 2,756 | 129.9 | 175.5 | |
| July | 9,973 | 6,189 | 3,784 | 127.3 | 153.3 | |
| August | 10,038 | 6,791 | 3,247 | 131.0 | 164.3 | |
| September | 10,062 | 6,723 | 3,339 | 144.3 | 165.0 | |
| October | 9,970 | 6,677 | 3,294 | 141.6 | 169.7 | |
| November | 10,305 | 6,856 | 3,449 | 144.5 | 171.7 | |
| December | 10,615 | 6,892 | 3,723 | 145.8 | 163.0 | |
| 2018 | January | 11,649 | 6,774 | 4,876 | 151.2 | 175.5 |
| February | 10,855 | 6,877 | 3,978 | 146.1 | 172.1 | |
| March | 10,707 | 6,639 | 4,068 | 147.0 | 169.4 | |
| April | 11,273 | 7,007 | 4,266 | 157.9 | 176.0 | |
| May | 11,542 | 6,599 | 4,943 | 154.7 | 175.7 | |
| June | 12,070 | 8,293 | 3,778 | 161.0 | 201.0 | |
| July | 11,714 | 8,073 | 3,641 | 151.9 | 186.2 | |
| August | 11,722 | 8,173 | 3,549 | 155.9 | 197.0 | |
| September | 12,258 | 8,510 | 3,748 | 158.4 | 198.4 | |
| October | 11,898 | 8,344 | 3,554 | 154.2 | 196.9 | |
| November | 12,146 | 8,277 | 3,869 | 162.3 | 202.8 | |
| December | 12,745 | 8,399 | 4,347 | 174.3 | 219.7 | |
| 2019 | January | 12,934 | 7,779 | 5,155 | 171.9 | 200.7 |
| February | 12,993 | 6,930 | 6,063 | 174.7 | 173.4 | |
| March | 11,557 | 7,442 | 4,116 | 149.1 | 191.6 | |
| April | 12,804 | 7,417 | 5,387 | 164.0 | 194.9 | |
| May | 12,845 | 7,397 | 5,448 | 172.4 | 191.4 | |
| June | 12,296 | 7,473 | 4,823 | 163.9 | 188.3 | |
| July | 13,288 | 8,160 | 5,128 | 177.7 | 203.4 | |
| August | 12,486 | 7,637 | 4,849 | 166.0 | 193.2 | |
| September | 12,759 | 7,547 | 5,212 | 170.3 | 195.8 | |
| October | 14,048 | 7,741 | 6,307 | 182.2 | 195.4 | |
| November | 12,349 | 7,399 | 4,951 | 162.9 | 184.3 | |
| December | 12,264 | 7,520 | 4,743 | 169.4 | 200.0 | |
| 2020 | January | 13,430 | 7,597 | 5,832 | 185.2 | 192.9 |
| February | 11,742 | 8,016 | 3,726 | 167.3 | 207.7 | |
| March | 17,013 | 6,569 | 10,444 | 209.9 | 167.8 | |
| April | 11,613 | 5,834 | 5,779 | 156.5 | 156.7 | |
| 1 Seasonally adjusted data has been revised from January 2010 onwards using X-13-ARIMA methodology, implemented in JDEMETRA+. Previously X-11 methodology was used. | ||||||
| Table 3 Goods Exports and Imports classified by commodity1 | ||||||||||
| €million | ||||||||||
| SITC (Rev 4) | Exports | Imports | ||||||||
| Apr | Apr | Jan-Apr | Jan-Apr | Apr | Apr | Jan-Apr | Jan-Apr | |||
| 2019 | 2020 | 2019 | 2020 | 2019 | 2020 | 2019 | 2020 | |||
| 0 | Food and live animals | 955 | 932 | 3,657 | 3,703 | 599 | 648 | 2,554 | 2,662 | |
| 00 | Live animals other than animals of Division 03 | 21 | 15 | 85 | 63 | 4 | 21 | 37 | 93 | |
| 01 | Meat and meat preparations | 320 | 269 | 1,280 | 1,239 | 82 | 65 | 328 | 311 | |
| 02 | Dairy products and birds' eggs | 237 | 251 | 803 | 824 | 72 | 86 | 286 | 346 | |
| 03 | Fish, crustaceans, molluscs and preparations thereof | 53 | 44 | 227 | 178 | 27 | 24 | 100 | 104 | |
| 04 | Cereals and cereal preparations | 48 | 42 | 181 | 182 | 103 | 88 | 452 | 385 | |
| 05 | Vegetables and fruit | 25 | 25 | 101 | 109 | 113 | 112 | 436 | 442 | |
| 06 | Sugars, sugar preparations and honey | 11 | 9 | 46 | 48 | 30 | 40 | 123 | 146 | |
| 07 | Coffee, tea, cocoa, spices and manufactures thereof | 33 | 37 | 144 | 149 | 47 | 48 | 223 | 216 | |
| 08 | Feeding stuff for animals (excluding unmilled cereals) | 28 | 32 | 123 | 133 | 57 | 100 | 309 | 342 | |
| 09 | Miscellaneous edible products and preparations | 177 | 208 | 668 | 778 | 64 | 65 | 261 | 277 | |
| 1 | Beverages and tobacco | 123 | 73 | 511 | 442 | 74 | 79 | 296 | 286 | |
| 11 | Beverages | 123 | 73 | 511 | 442 | 71 | 74 | 280 | 271 | |
| 12 | Tobacco and tobacco manufactures | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 16 | 15 | |
| 2 | Crude materials, inedible, except fuels | 165 | 102 | 625 | 471 | 92 | 84 | 362 | 332 | |
| 21 | Hides, skins and furskins, raw | 6 | 4 | 28 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 22 | Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 7 | |
| 23 | Crude rubber (including synthetic and reclaimed) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | |
| 24 | Cork and wood | 17 | 10 | 63 | 51 | 20 | 12 | 71 | 58 | |
| 25 | Pulp and waste paper | 4 | 3 | 18 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 23 | 20 | |
| 26 | Textile fibres and their wastes | 11 | 8 | 44 | 39 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5 | |
| 27 | Crude fertilisers and minerals (excluding coal, petroleum and precious stones) | 12 | 11 | 45 | 43 | 19 | 13 | 65 | 53 | |
| 28 | Metalliferous ores and metal scrap | 104 | 58 | 376 | 263 | 16 | 20 | 83 | 82 | |
| 29 | Crude animal and vegetable materials nes | 10 | 7 | 44 | 37 | 27 | 29 | 98 | 104 | |
| 3 | Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials | 140 | 32 | 328 | 298 | 555 | 344 | 1,934 | 1,996 | |
| 32 | Coal, coke and briquettes | 12 | 10 | 48 | 41 | 4 | 6 | 21 | 26 | |
| 33 | Petroleum, petroleum products and related materials | 121 | 20 | 255 | 238 | 460 | 211 | 1,442 | 1,356 | |
| 34 | Gas, natural and manufactured | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 82 | 121 | 418 | 586 | |
| 35 | Electric current | 6 | 2 | 23 | 15 | 10 | 6 | 53 | 28 | |
| 4 | Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes | 5 | 7 | 22 | 26 | 24 | 25 | 90 | 99 | |
| 41 | Animal oils and fats | 4 | 6 | 18 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | |
| 42 | Fixed vegetable fats and oils | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 21 | 22 | 78 | 86 | |
| 43 | Animal or vegetable fats and oils, processed; waxes | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 8 | |
| 5 | Chemicals and related products | 7,663 | 7,581 | 31,316 | 35,181 | 1,294 | 1,416 | 5,354 | 6,641 | |
| 51 | Organic chemicals | 1,932 | 1,666 | 10,397 | 11,414 | 287 | 419 | 1,002 | 2,379 | |
| 52 | Inorganic chemicals | 23 | 37 | 67 | 123 | 28 | 32 | 111 | 121 | |
| 53 | Dyeing, tanning and colouring materials | 11 | 7 | 46 | 36 | 22 | 21 | 88 | 84 | |
| 54 | Medical and pharmaceutical products | 4,612 | 4,872 | 16,613 | 19,252 | 558 | 580 | 2,504 | 2,571 | |
| 55 | Essential oils; perfume materials; toilet and cleansing preparations | 685 | 718 | 2,543 | 2,872 | 105 | 103 | 466 | 410 | |
| 56 | Fertilisers (other than those of Division 27) | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 51 | 45 | 230 | 184 | |
| 57 | Plastics in primary forms | 36 | 27 | 151 | 142 | 92 | 75 | 333 | 296 | |
| 58 | Plastics in non-primary forms | 37 | 38 | 162 | 203 | 68 | 60 | 264 | 244 | |
| 59 | Chemical materials and products nes | 326 | 215 | 1,331 | 1,136 | 82 | 80 | 358 | 352 | |
| 6 | Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material | 191 | 157 | 768 | 751 | 483 | 438 | 2,003 | 1,903 | |
| 61 | Leather; leather manufactures nes; dressed furskins | 2 | 1 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | |
| 62 | Rubber manufactures nes | 9 | 7 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 28 | 127 | 122 | |
| 63 | Cork and wood manufactures (excluding furniture) | 22 | 14 | 103 | 84 | 29 | 18 | 106 | 95 | |
| 64 | Paper, paperboard and articles thereof | 15 | 11 | 56 | 54 | 79 | 80 | 329 | 330 | |
| 65 | Textile yarn, fabrics, made-up articles and related products | 12 | 10 | 52 | 49 | 47 | 52 | 180 | 183 | |
| 66 | Non-metallic mineral manufactures nes | 42 | 23 | 155 | 133 | 52 | 41 | 210 | 200 | |
| 67 | Iron and steel | 15 | 11 | 60 | 55 | 80 | 60 | 330 | 273 | |
| 68 | Non-ferrous metals | 14 | 5 | 43 | 34 | 42 | 40 | 208 | 197 | |
| 69 | Manufactures of metals nes | 61 | 74 | 256 | 298 | 117 | 118 | 508 | 498 | |
| 7 | Machinery and transport equipment | 2,128 | 1,534 | 7,550 | 8,204 | 3,329 | 1,859 | 12,912 | 10,065 | |
| 71 | Power generating machinery and equipment | 70 | 109 | 274 | 444 | 100 | 152 | 392 | 477 | |
| 72 | Machinery specialised for particular industries | 63 | 48 | 238 | 262 | 156 | 137 | 610 | 605 | |
| 73 | Metalworking machinery | 2 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 47 | 48 | |
| 74 | General industrial machinery and equipment nes and parts nes | 184 | 99 | 649 | 614 | 163 | 141 | 641 | 603 | |
| 75 | Office machines and automatic data processing machines (including computers) | 378 | 340 | 1,681 | 1,707 | 399 | 394 | 1,733 | 1,706 | |
| 76 | Telecommunications and sound equipment | 113 | 139 | 496 | 457 | 157 | 160 | 616 | 616 | |
| 77 | Electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances nes and parts | 556 | 738 | 2,239 | 3,387 | 240 | 270 | 998 | 1,041 | |
| 78 | Road vehicles (including air-cushion vehicles) | 32 | 23 | 121 | 120 | 298 | 162 | 1,361 | 1,235 | |
| 79 | Other transport equipment (including aircraft) | 730 | 36 | 1,845 | 1,205 | 1,808 | 432 | 6,515 | 3,734 | |
| 8 | Miscellaneous manufactured articles | 1,336 | 1,053 | 5,265 | 5,252 | 714 | 746 | 2,966 | 3,190 | |
| 81 | Prefab buildings; plumbing and electrical fixtures and fittings | 10 | 5 | 45 | 38 | 21 | 14 | 105 | 88 | |
| 82 | Furniture and parts thereof; bedding, cushions etc | 19 | 14 | 73 | 73 | 47 | 30 | 195 | 180 | |
| 83 | Travel goods, handbags and similar containers | 3 | 1 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 48 | 44 | |
| 84 | Articles of apparel; clothing accessories | 17 | 7 | 70 | 58 | 153 | 140 | 620 | 589 | |
| 85 | Footwear | 3 | 1 | 12 | 10 | 34 | 33 | 149 | 136 | |
| 87 | Professional, scientific and controlling apparatus nes | 573 | 446 | 2,180 | 2,113 | 164 | 247 | 640 | 749 | |
| 88 | Photographic apparatus; optical goods; watches and clocks | 123 | 97 | 468 | 601 | 35 | 36 | 150 | 195 | |
| 89 | Miscellaneous manufactured articles nes | 589 | 481 | 2,405 | 2,348 | 249 | 239 | 1,059 | 1,209 | |
| 9 | Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere | 29 | 14 | 110 | 82 | 26 | 26 | 108 | 99 | |
| Unclassified estimates2 | 52 | 64 | 207 | 261 | 148 | 130 | 598 | 506 | ||
| Total | 12,787 | 11,547 | 50,357 | 54,672 | 7,339 | 5,795 | 29,176 | 27,779 | ||
| 1 Trade statistics revised since 2000. April 2020 is based on current Intrastat response levels. See background notes. | ||||||||||
| 2 Estimates for which a commodity classification is not available. | ||||||||||
| Table 4 Goods Exports and Imports classified by country1 | ||||||||
| €million | ||||||||
| Country | Exports | Imports | ||||||
| Apr | Apr | Jan-Apr | Jan-Apr | Apr | Apr | Jan-Apr | Jan-Apr | |
| 2019 | 2020 | 2019 | 2020 | 2019 | 2020 | 2019 | 2020 | |
| Austria | 30 | 22 | 124 | 158 | 27 | 26 | 117 | 93 |
| Belgium | 1,134 | 1,310 | 6,217 | 5,675 | 156 | 137 | 530 | 796 |
| Bulgaria | 11 | 9 | 41 | 47 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 10 |
| Croatia | 5 | 2 | 22 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 8 |
| Cyprus | 1 | 1 | 25 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Czech Republic | 42 | 22 | 235 | 133 | 56 | 47 | 199 | 237 |
| Denmark | 50 | 45 | 206 | 193 | 38 | 47 | 177 | 183 |
| Estonia | 2 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 |
| Finland | 25 | 19 | 100 | 86 | 13 | 16 | 80 | 55 |
| France | 396 | 366 | 1,870 | 1,847 | 665 | 272 | 3,300 | 2,364 |
| Germany | 1,015 | 1,092 | 3,950 | 5,646 | 821 | 440 | 2,703 | 2,179 |
| Greece | 93 | 25 | 229 | 359 | 5 | 4 | 27 | 19 |
| Hungary | 28 | 15 | 101 | 85 | 9 | 26 | 46 | 94 |
| Italy | 293 | 258 | 1,279 | 1,452 | 106 | 97 | 449 | 546 |
| Latvia | 2 | 4 | 17 | 20 | 4 | 4 | 19 | 18 |
| Lithuania | 4 | 3 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 50 | 33 |
| Luxembourg | 7 | 6 | 29 | 25 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 14 |
| Malta | 4 | 2 | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| Netherlands | 687 | 651 | 2,737 | 2,764 | 219 | 254 | 1,032 | 1,064 |
| Poland | 96 | 73 | 396 | 354 | 69 | 68 | 280 | 280 |
| Portugal | 28 | 20 | 153 | 134 | 23 | 20 | 82 | 82 |
| Romania | 33 | 19 | 132 | 122 | 14 | 6 | 40 | 28 |
| Slovakia | 9 | 5 | 31 | 35 | 5 | 3 | 21 | 14 |
| Slovenia | 18 | 19 | 42 | 49 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 11 |
| Spain | 177 | 138 | 747 | 878 | 133 | 110 | 462 | 441 |
| Sweden | 78 | 50 | 302 | 297 | 66 | 34 | 240 | 211 |
| EU Country not specified2 | 33 | 8 | 80 | 207 | 206 | 259 | 521 | 1,058 |
| Total EU273 | 4,300 | 4,186 | 19,096 | 20,622 | 2,657 | 1,893 | 10,428 | 9,846 |
| Euro-Zone4 | 3,924 | 3,942 | 17,580 | 19,169 | 2,196 | 1,401 | 8,907 | 7,736 |
| Great Britain | 1,170 | 865 | 4,480 | 4,140 | 1,441 | 1,439 | 6,373 | 6,169 |
| Northern Ireland | 197 | 138 | 726 | 673 | 128 | 113 | 538 | 531 |
| Total UK | 1,367 | 1,003 | 5,206 | 4,813 | 1,569 | 1,552 | 6,910 | 6,700 |
| Australia | 42 | 71 | 222 | 276 | 10 | 7 | 38 | 38 |
| Brazil | 32 | 18 | 94 | 105 | 12 | 12 | 62 | 57 |
| Canada | 144 | 106 | 396 | 620 | 48 | 27 | 223 | 145 |
| China5 | 732 | 836 | 2,543 | 3,455 | 422 | 433 | 1,705 | 1,647 |
| India | 46 | 15 | 134 | 118 | 57 | 41 | 245 | 181 |
| Japan | 229 | 286 | 889 | 1,082 | 112 | 108 | 402 | 444 |
| Malaysia | 16 | 18 | 65 | 77 | 40 | 27 | 214 | 140 |
| Mexico | 114 | 242 | 461 | 732 | 33 | 30 | 123 | 142 |
| Norway | 18 | 21 | 77 | 84 | 37 | 31 | 230 | 189 |
| Russia | 52 | 40 | 222 | 179 | 42 | 10 | 195 | 150 |
| Saudi Arabia | 78 | 92 | 216 | 261 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Singapore | 36 | 43 | 166 | 193 | 30 | 37 | 119 | 255 |
| South Africa | 23 | 27 | 117 | 94 | 11 | 10 | 35 | 35 |
| South Korea | 44 | 43 | 184 | 238 | 90 | 84 | 286 | 304 |
| Switzerland | 420 | 116 | 2,321 | 1,041 | 43 | 200 | 210 | 1,341 |
| Taiwan | 37 | 71 | 99 | 176 | 42 | 51 | 146 | 164 |
| Thailand | 9 | 13 | 34 | 44 | 26 | 32 | 144 | 129 |
| Turkey | 57 | 60 | 325 | 271 | 56 | 42 | 236 | 225 |
| USA | 4,176 | 3,834 | 15,041 | 17,133 | 1,413 | 811 | 5,589 | 4,066 |
| Other countries | 382 | 388 | 1,420 | 2,381 | 205 | 192 | 788 | 823 |
| Country unknown6 | 433 | 20 | 1,027 | 677 | 384 | 163 | 845 | 756 |
| Total Non-EU (excl UK) | 7,120 | 6,358 | 26,055 | 29,238 | 3,113 | 2,350 | 11,838 | 11,233 |
| Total | 12,787 | 11,547 | 50,357 | 54,672 | 7,339 | 5,795 | 29,176 | 27,779 |
| 1 Trade statistics revised since 2000. April 2020 is based on current Intrastat response levels. See background notes. | ||||||||
| 2 Includes estimates for traders below the Intrastat threshold and transactions where the EU country was not specified. | ||||||||
| 3 From February 2020 the United Kingdom exited the EU, therefore the EU total is made up of the 27 remaining member states. For data comparability over time the EU are shown separately for both the current and prior periods. | ||||||||
| 4 Euro-zone members from January 2015: Austria, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Finland, France, Luxembourg, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Malta, Cyprus, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. | ||||||||
| 5 China includes Hong Kong and Macao. | ||||||||
| 6 Trade for which the country of origin or country of final destination is unknown. | ||||||||
| Table 5 Goods Exports and Imports classified by commodity and principal countries1 | |||||||||
| €million | |||||||||
| Exports | Imports | ||||||||
| Country by Section level of SITC | Apr | Apr | Jan-Apr | Jan-Apr | Apr | Apr | Jan-Apr | Jan-Apr | |
| 2019 | 2020 | 2019 | 2020 | 2019 | 2020 | 2019 | 2020 | ||
| Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 1,367 | 1,003 | 5,206 | 4,813 | 1,569 | 1,552 | 6,910 | 6,700 | |
| 0 | Food and live animals | 353 | 305 | 1,520 | 1,377 | 282 | 271 | 1,247 | 1,199 |
| 1 | Beverages and tobacco | 20 | 16 | 96 | 79 | 32 | 32 | 131 | 120 |
| 2 | Crude materials, inedible, except fuels | 46 | 26 | 174 | 139 | 27 | 24 | 105 | 93 |
| 3 | Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials | 25 | 9 | 172 | 133 | 213 | 260 | 952 | 1,358 |
| 4 | Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes | 2 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 21 | 22 |
| 5 | Chemicals and related products | 486 | 253 | 1,445 | 1,133 | 225 | 186 | 997 | 755 |
| 6 | Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material | 105 | 58 | 429 | 358 | 188 | 171 | 784 | 801 |
| 7 | Machinery and transport equipment | 181 | 194 | 726 | 883 | 326 | 275 | 1,533 | 1,258 |
| 8 | Miscellaneous manufactured articles | 114 | 104 | 496 | 545 | 181 | 267 | 778 | 838 |
| 9 | Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere | 35 | 36 | 139 | 158 | 89 | 62 | 362 | 257 |
| EU 27 | 4,300 | 4,186 | 19,096 | 20,622 | 2,657 | 1,893 | 10,428 | 9,846 | |
| 0 | Food and live animals | 340 | 303 | 1,214 | 1,227 | 210 | 248 | 854 | 997 |
| 1 | Beverages and tobacco | 25 | 21 | 127 | 120 | 29 | 33 | 112 | 114 |
| 2 | Crude materials, inedible, except fuels | 65 | 46 | 278 | 216 | 28 | 23 | 109 | 94 |
| 3 | Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials | 4 | 7 | 26 | 72 | 69 | 22 | 263 | 157 |
| 4 | Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes | 2 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 50 | 55 |
| 5 | Chemicals and related products | 2,868 | 2,963 | 13,194 | 14,694 | 521 | 531 | 1,992 | 2,306 |
| 6 | Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material | 52 | 45 | 206 | 229 | 157 | 135 | 645 | 580 |
| 7 | Machinery and transport equipment | 462 | 357 | 2,131 | 2,064 | 1,416 | 685 | 5,543 | 4,613 |
| 8 | Miscellaneous manufactured articles | 458 | 409 | 1,816 | 1,863 | 152 | 128 | 621 | 669 |
| 9 | Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere | 23 | 30 | 92 | 121 | 61 | 75 | 240 | 261 |
| USA | 4,176 | 3,834 | 15,041 | 17,133 | 1,413 | 811 | 5,589 | 4,066 | |
| 0 | Food and live animals | 33 | 36 | 107 | 107 | 12 | 35 | 83 | 76 |
| 1 | Beverages and tobacco | 63 | 24 | 229 | 183 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| 2 | Crude materials, inedible, except fuels | 2 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 26 | 20 |
| 3 | Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials | 97 | 0 | 113 | 0 | 225 | 56 | 395 | 342 |
| 4 | Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes | - | - | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 5 | Chemicals and related products | 2,995 | 3,180 | 11,121 | 13,635 | 256 | 287 | 1,309 | 1,279 |
| 6 | Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material | 15 | 38 | 59 | 93 | 40 | 40 | 142 | 148 |
| 7 | Machinery and transport equipment | 432 | 251 | 1,341 | 1,338 | 743 | 278 | 3,141 | 1,713 |
| 8 | Miscellaneous manufactured articles | 537 | 301 | 2,045 | 1,757 | 117 | 98 | 441 | 448 |
| 9 | Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere | 3 | 2 | 17 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 46 | 35 |
| China3 | 732 | 836 | 2,543 | 3,455 | 422 | 433 | 1,705 | 1,647 | |
| 0 | Food and live animals | 82 | 97 | 269 | 294 | 4 | 4 | 18 | 19 |
| 1 | Beverages and tobacco | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | Crude materials, inedible, except fuels | 4 | 5 | 15 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 13 | 11 |
| 3 | Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Chemicals and related products | 191 | 113 | 588 | 544 | 33 | 43 | 124 | 153 |
| 6 | Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material | 2 | 3 | 9 | 11 | 36 | 45 | 176 | 170 |
| 7 | Machinery and transport equipment | 397 | 544 | 1,491 | 2,301 | 247 | 233 | 900 | 851 |
| 8 | Miscellaneous manufactured articles | 54 | 75 | 169 | 286 | 92 | 102 | 450 | 419 |
| 9 | Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 25 | 21 |
| Rest of World | 2,212 | 1,688 | 8,470 | 8,650 | 1,278 | 1,106 | 4,543 | 5,520 | |
| 0 | Food and live animals | 147 | 192 | 547 | 698 | 91 | 90 | 352 | 371 |
| 1 | Beverages and tobacco | 14 | 11 | 58 | 57 | 12 | 12 | 47 | 46 |
| 2 | Crude materials, inedible, except fuels | 49 | 23 | 149 | 96 | 25 | 29 | 109 | 113 |
| 3 | Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials | 14 | 16 | 16 | 93 | 48 | 6 | 324 | 139 |
| 4 | Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 18 | 22 |
| 5 | Chemicals and related products | 1,122 | 1,071 | 4,967 | 5,175 | 258 | 369 | 933 | 2,147 |
| 6 | Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material | 18 | 14 | 65 | 59 | 61 | 47 | 256 | 205 |
| 7 | Machinery and transport equipment | 656 | 188 | 1,861 | 1,619 | 598 | 388 | 1,795 | 1,629 |
| 8 | Miscellaneous manufactured articles | 172 | 164 | 737 | 801 | 172 | 151 | 676 | 816 |
| 9 | Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere | 18 | 10 | 68 | 51 | 8 | 8 | 33 | 32 |
| Total | 12,787 | 11,547 | 50,357 | 54,672 | 7,339 | 5,795 | 29,176 | 27,779 | |
| 1 Trade statistics revised since 2000. April 2020 is based on current Intrastat response levels. See background notes. | |||||||||
| 2 Includes estimates for traders below the Intrastat threshold and transactions where the EU country was not specified. | |||||||||
| 3 China includes Hong Kong and Macao. | |||||||||
| Table 6 Goods Exports by industrial origin and area of destination | |||||
| €million | |||||
| Industrial origin and area | Exports | ||||
| Apr | Apr | Jan-Apr | Jan-Apr | ||
| 2019 | 2020 | 2019 | 2020 | ||
| Agricultural produce | 668 | 634 | 2,523 | 2,510 | |
| Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 264 | 206 | 1,131 | 957 | |
| EU1 | 263 | 227 | 930 | 952 | |
| USA | 33 | 39 | 107 | 106 | |
| Rest of World | 109 | 162 | 356 | 495 | |
| Forestry and fishing produce | 70 | 54 | 292 | 232 | |
| Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 20 | 13 | 81 | 68 | |
| EU1 | 34 | 25 | 129 | 88 | |
| USA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Rest of World | 15 | 16 | 82 | 75 | |
| Industrial produce | 11,990 | 10,790 | 47,304 | 51,601 | |
| Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 1,045 | 746 | 3,840 | 3,616 | |
| EU1 | 3,984 | 3,904 | 17,960 | 19,470 | |
| USA | 4,143 | 3,794 | 14,931 | 17,024 | |
| Rest of World | 2,819 | 2,346 | 10,573 | 11,490 | |
| Unclassified exports | 58 | 69 | 238 | 330 | |
| Total | 12,787 | 11,547 | 50,357 | 54,672 | |
| 1EU excluding Great Britain and Northern Ireland. | |||||
| Table 7 Goods Imports by main use and area of origin | ||||
| €million | ||||
| Main use and area of origin | Imports | |||
| Apr | Apr | Jan-Apr | Jan-Apr | |
| 2019 | 2020 | 2019 | 2020 | |
| Producers capital goods ready for use | 2,322 | 854 | 8,525 | 5,747 |
| Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 141 | 129 | 634 | 592 |
| EU1 | 1,121 | 415 | 4,186 | 3,234 |
| USA | 578 | 47 | 2,550 | 879 |
| Rest of World | 482 | 263 | 1,154 | 1,042 |
| Consumption goods ready for use - food drink and tobacco | 533 | 521 | 2,158 | 2,174 |
| Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 268 | 247 | 1,149 | 1,074 |
| EU1 | 199 | 215 | 791 | 876 |
| USA | 5 | 5 | 16 | 16 |
| Rest of World | 60 | 55 | 202 | 208 |
| Consumption goods ready for use - other | 1,148 | 1,106 | 5,130 | 5,032 |
| Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 334 | 369 | 1,535 | 1,534 |
| EU1 | 326 | 294 | 1,332 | 1,420 |
| USA | 155 | 114 | 881 | 599 |
| Rest of World | 333 | 329 | 1,382 | 1,480 |
| Materials for further production - agriculture | 186 | 213 | 874 | 840 |
| Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 50 | 47 | 202 | 192 |
| EU1 | 71 | 74 | 324 | 307 |
| USA | 16 | 35 | 133 | 94 |
| Rest of World | 48 | 57 | 215 | 247 |
| Materials for further production - other | 2,980 | 2,950 | 11,803 | 13,400 |
| Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 687 | 698 | 3,027 | 3,051 |
| EU1 | 879 | 821 | 3,555 | 3,748 |
| USA | 650 | 604 | 1,973 | 2,453 |
| Rest of World | 765 | 827 | 3,247 | 4,147 |
| Unclassified imports | 170 | 151 | 687 | 586 |
| Total | 7,339 | 5,795 | 29,176 | 27,779 |
| 1EU excluding Great Britain and Northern Ireland. | ||||
Goods Exports and Imports statistics provide data on the movement of goods between countries. The statistics are a combination of Customs-based non-EU trade statistics and data from the Intrastat Survey of Irish traders involved in trade with other EU member states. The collection of trade data is the responsibility of VIMA (a branch of Revenue). The CSO is responsible for processing and disseminating the data.
Since May 2015, significant revisions were incorporated into International Trade in Goods statistics. While the most significant revision is due to recording trade in aircraft on a "transfer of economic ownership" basis, other revisions were incorporated into the Trade data back to 2000.
Along with the aircraft revisions Goods Exports revisions also include upward revisions due to revaluing some products that had previously been recorded on a “transfer of economic ownership” basis, which was not in line with goods statistics methodology. Also Goods Imports revisions include downward revisions due to a change in the estimation methodology for non-response.
The technical note gives more detail on the revised trade in aircraft methodology and explains the impact the revisions will have on Trade in Goods, National Accounts and Balance of Payments.
Trade figures are subject to revision on the incorporation of late Intrastat and VAT returns and corrections made by traders. When the preliminary results for a month are published, the results for months -1 (March 2020 in this publication), -4 (December 2019) and -8 (August 2019) are revised. Following the move to a "transfer of economic ownership" basis for recording exports and imports of aircraft, SITC 79 figures are subject to revision on the incorporation of transactions from quarterly Balance of Payments (BoP) surveys. Such revisions will generally be incorporated into Goods Exports and Imports releases that coincide with quarterly BoP publications, i.e. when initial results are published for January, April, July and October.
The Intrastat system has two components. Firstly, the Intrastat survey (conducted by the Revenue Commissioners), in which traders, above the Intrastat survey trade thresholds, make detailed monthly returns giving information on the quantity and value of all exports to or imports from EU countries.
The total number of traders required to make a detailed import return is around 5,200 while around 2,200 must make a detailed export return. The response rate in terms of number of traders in April 2020 was 56%, covering an estimated 82% of the total value of intra-EU trade (these response rates will have increased by the next time data for April is published).
The second component of the Intrastat system is the regular VAT return, on which all traders are required to record the total value of goods imported from and exported to other EU countries. This information provides the basis for determining total EU trade for those traders below the Intrastat survey thresholds. It is also used to maintain the register of EU traders.
The statistics of trade with non-EU countries are compiled from the documents supplied by importers and exporters to the Customs authorities. The document is the Single Administrative Document (SAD) used for Customs clearance purposes.
The figures in this release include estimates for traders above the Intrastat thresholds who did not make detailed returns for the period and for traders below the thresholds who did not provide aggregate intra-EU trade figures on their VAT returns.
Estimates for Intrastat non-respondents are apportioned to individual commodities and countries whenever previous Intrastat returns are available. Estimates for traders below the Intrastat thresholds are assigned to partner country where possible, but not to commodity.
More information is now being processed on lower value transactions. Prior to January 2012, transactions below €254 were grouped together, this value has now decreased to €127. Therefore, this has resulted in more detail being available at commodity level in Table 3 and at country level in Tables 4 and 5.
The monthly unit value index measures monthly unit value trends relative to the annual levels in the preceding year using value weights relating to that year’s trade (Laspeyres index).
The annual index is compiled using value weights for both the current and previous year (Fisher index) to allow for change in the structure of trade in goods.
The monthly index series should be regarded as interim measures suitable for month-to-month comparisons within a given year. Previous monthly indices are revised when late returns are received.
When the annual unit value index is compiled, the monthly unit value indices are rescaled to make their average equal to the annual index.
The unit value index series has been rebased to 2010 from 1990. In the course of this rebasing, a detailed examination of the series was undertaken. This exercise has produced a number of modifications enabling production of a more robust series.
In the April 2020 release the seasonal adjustment methodology for trade in goods data was updated from X-11 to X-13-ARIMA model. The X-13-ARIMA method is implemented in JDEMETRA+, the standard Eurostat software package for Seasonal Adjustment.
X-13-ARIMA incorporates significant new types of modelling capability for the issues commonly faced in seasonal adjustment, and also produces sophisticated diagnostics to help improve seasonal adjustment.
The seasonally adjusted series have been revised back to January 2010 using the new methodology.
There are methodological differences between the measurement of exports and imports in this release compared with Industrial Production, National Accounts and Balance of Payments statistics. This release records the movement of all goods over the frontier at the valuation placed on the goods at the time of crossing the frontier. Industrial Production, National Accounts and Balance of Payments statistics take account of additional aspects of cross-frontier activities such as goods sent abroad for processing where goods cross the frontier without change of ownership. The CSO releases for those statistics provide more information on their methodology.
The quarterly Balance of Payments (BoP) statistics provide detail on Services exports and imports.
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Show Table 1 Goods Exports and Imports summary analysis
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