| € million | |||
| Exports | Imports | Surplus | |
| Jan-Dec 2017 | 122,711 | 79,271 | 43,440 |
| Jan-Dec 2018 | 140,835 | 90,175 | 50,659 |
| % change | + 14.8 | + 13.8 | + 16.6 |
| Seasonally adjusted | |||
| October 2018 | 12,161 | 8,072 | 4,090 |
| November 2018 | 12,131 | 7,605 | 4,526 |
| December 2018 | 13,261 | 8,682 | 4,578 |
Preliminary figures for 2018 show that goods exports were valued at €140,835 million in 2018, the highest total on record. This is an increase of €18,123 million (+15%) over 2017.
The largest category of exports was Medical and pharmaceutical products. Exports of these goods accounted for a third (33%) of all exports, or €46,318 million in 2018. This represents an increase of €10,867 million (+31%) on the 2017 value.
| Exports | |
| Total Exports | 14.7690892713814 |
| Food and live animals | -2.36794672451752 |
| Chemicals and related products | 26.9372380806749 |
| Machinery and transport equipment | -6.05982518015102 |
| Miscellaneous manufactured articles | 5.6295027537241 |
Record level of imports in 2018
Imports in 2018 also grew to a record level, increasing by €10,904 million (+14%) to €90,175 million compared with 2017.
Imports of Other transport equipment, including aircraft were valued at €20,664 million in 2018, or 23% of total imports. This was an increase of €3,710 million (+22%) on the 2017 level of imports.
| Imports | |
| Total Imports | 13.7557612386311 |
| Food and live animals | 7.95002920721755 |
| Mineral fuels | 25.5845220142967 |
| Chemicals and related products | 13.3630618946313 |
| Machinery and transport equipment | 19.0444993337782 |
Seasonally adjusted goods exports increased by 9% in December
The value of seasonally adjusted goods exports increased by €1,130 million (+9%) to €13,261 million in December 2018, according to preliminary figures.
The value of goods imports increased by €1,078 million (+14%) to €8,682 million on a seasonally adjusted basis. This means that there was an increase of €52 million (+1%) in the seasonally adjusted trade surplus to €4,578 million in December 2018 (see Table 2).
Trade exports increased by over €2 billion in December
The (unadjusted) value of goods exports for December 2018 was €12,213 million representing an increase of €2,161 million (+21%) when compared with December 2017.
The biggest category of goods exports in December 2018 was Medical and pharmaceutical products. Exports of these goods accounted for over a quarter (26%) of total goods exports in December 2018 and increased by €553 million (+21%) to €3,145 million when compared with December 2017.
Exports of Organic chemicals increased by €817 million (+44%) to €2,690 million in December 2018 and accounted for 22% of total goods exports.
Exports of Electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances increased by €121 million (+28%) to €552 million over the same comparative period.
Imports grew by 23% in December
The (unadjusted) value of goods imports for December 2018 was €8,613 million representing an increase of €1,608 million (+23%), when compared with December 2017.
Imports of Other transport equipment, including aircraft increased by €1,687 million (+109%) to €3,234 million compared with December 2017, and accounted for 38% of the total value of imports.
Imports of Road vehicles increased by €51 million (+12%) to €473 million in December 2018.
Imports of Organic chemicals fell by €275 million (-48%) to €296 million over the same comparative period.
Trade deficit of €4.2 billion with Great Britain in 2018
Exports to Great Britain in 2018 were €14,085 million, which is a decrease of €441 million (-3%) compared with 2017.
Imports from Great Britain in 2018 were €18,306 million, an increase of €811 million (+5%) when compared with 2017, meaning there was a trade deficit of €4,221 million with Great Britain in 2018.
Exports to Great Britain accounted for 11% of total exports in December 2018. The most significant categories were Chemicals and related products (€389 million) and Food and live animals (€386 million).
Exports to Great Britain increased by €203 million (+17%) to €1,371 million in December 2018, when compared with December 2017. The main increases were in exports of Mineral fuels and Chemicals and related products.
Imports from Great Britain comprised 20% of total imports in December 2018. The largest categories of goods were Mineral fuels (€365 million), Machinery and transport equipment (€328 million) and Food and live animals (€284 million).
Imports from Great Britain increased by €66 million (+4%) to €1,686 million in December 2018 compared with December 2017. The main increases were in the imports of Mineral fuels and Machinery and transport equipment (see Table 5).
Geographic breakdown of goods exports and imports
The EU accounted for €70,984 million (50%) of total exports in 2018, an increase of €8,074 million (+13%) on 2017.
Exports to non-EU countries were valued at €69,851 million in 2018, which is an increase of €10,049 million (+17%) on the 2017 level of exports. The USA was the largest export destination in 2018, accounting for €39,120 million or 28% of total exports.
There were €54,083 million of imports from the EU in 2018, representing 60% of total imports. This was an increase of €7,587 million (+16%) on 2017.
Imports from non-EU countries totalled €36,092 million, an increase of €3,317 million (+10%) on the 2017 level of imports.
There were €6,446 million exports to the EU in December 2018, of which €1,960 million went to Belgium and €976 million went to Germany. Exports to EU countries in December 2018 increased by €859 million (+15%) compared with December 2017.
The USA was the main non-EU destination accounting for €2,513 million (21%) of total exports in December 2018. Imports from the EU were €4,709 million (55%) of total imports in December 2018, which is an increase of €428 million (+10%) over the same month in 2017.
The USA with €1,428 million (17%) and China with €485 million (6%) were the main non-EU sources of imports.
| 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 | 122,711 | 79,271 | 43,440 | 135.8 | 168.9 | 99.3 | 96.1 | 103.3 | |
| 2018 | 140,835 | 90,175 | 50,659 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | |
| 2016 | Quarter 1 | 27,813 | 17,623 | 10,190 | 119.5 | 158.0 | 100.7 | 89.4 | 112.6 |
| Quarter 2 | 30,307 | 18,944 | 11,363 | 129.0 | 159.5 | 102.0 | 94.8 | 107.6 | |
| Quarter 3 | 30,361 | 18,131 | 12,229 | 126.5 | 152.5 | 103.6 | 94.2 | 110.1 | |
| Quarter 4 | 30,812 | 19,538 | 11,273 | 127.6 | 162.8 | 104.6 | 94.7 | 110.5 | |
| 2017 | Quarter 1 | 32,141 | 19,222 | 12,919 | 137.0 | 160.2 | 103.3 | 98.4 | 104.9 |
| Quarter 2 | 31,041 | 21,148 | 9,893 | 134.2 | 182.1 | 101.9 | 95.6 | 106.7 | |
| Quarter 3 | 28,983 | 17,852 | 11,131 | 129.1 | 152.0 | 98.1 | 94.9 | 103.4 | |
| Quarter 4 | 30,546 | 21,049 | 9,497 | 141.0 | 176.8 | 93.8 | 95.4 | 98.2 | |
| 2018 | Quarter 1 | 33,845 | 20,088 | 13,757 | 159.0 | 175.2 | 93.7 | 94.2 | 99.5 |
| Quarter 2 | 35,539 | 21,484 | 14,055 | 168.3 | 183.4 | 92.8 | 96.3 | 96.5 | |
| Quarter 3 | 34,051 | 23,038 | 11,013 | 155.6 | 187.2 | 96.3 | 101.0 | 95.3 | |
| Quarter 4 | 37,399 | 25,565 | 11,835 | 171.7 | 212.7 | 95.8 | 98.7 | 97.0 | |
| 2016 | January | 8,893 | 5,143 | 3,750 | 120.9 | 142.6 | 95.6 | 87.0 | 110.0 |
| February | 8,566 | 5,481 | 3,085 | 105.0 | 144.4 | 106.0 | 91.6 | 115.8 | |
| March | 10,354 | 6,999 | 3,355 | 132.6 | 187.0 | 100.6 | 89.7 | 112.1 | |
| April | 10,053 | 5,593 | 4,460 | 125.8 | 144.6 | 104.1 | 93.4 | 111.5 | |
| May | 9,385 | 6,412 | 2,973 | 123.6 | 164.7 | 99.0 | 94.2 | 105.0 | |
| June | 10,868 | 6,938 | 3,930 | 137.7 | 169.3 | 102.8 | 96.7 | 106.4 | |
| July | 9,411 | 5,738 | 3,672 | 120.4 | 144.2 | 101.9 | 96.2 | 106.0 | |
| August | 10,464 | 5,723 | 4,742 | 130.8 | 146.1 | 103.4 | 93.1 | 111.1 | |
| September | 10,486 | 6,670 | 3,815 | 128.2 | 167.1 | 105.6 | 93.4 | 113.1 | |
| October | 10,199 | 5,710 | 4,489 | 129.3 | 142.6 | 103.1 | 95.9 | 107.5 | |
| November | 11,201 | 7,247 | 3,954 | 140.6 | 183.9 | 104.1 | 94.4 | 110.3 | |
| December | 9,412 | 6,581 | 2,831 | 113.0 | 162.0 | 106.6 | 93.7 | 113.8 | |
| 2017 | January | 9,904 | 5,815 | 4,089 | 122.8 | 144.7 | 106.4 | 98.9 | 107.6 |
| February | 10,200 | 6,340 | 3,860 | 135.1 | 158.7 | 99.6 | 98.3 | 101.3 | |
| March | 12,037 | 7,067 | 4,970 | 153.0 | 177.2 | 103.9 | 98.1 | 105.8 | |
| April | 9,863 | 6,658 | 3,205 | 122.6 | 167.2 | 106.2 | 98.0 | 108.4 | |
| May | 10,561 | 7,437 | 3,124 | 139.3 | 193.4 | 100.0 | 94.7 | 105.7 | |
| June | 10,618 | 7,053 | 3,565 | 140.6 | 185.6 | 99.6 | 94.0 | 106.0 | |
| July | 9,178 | 5,412 | 3,766 | 117.4 | 140.2 | 103.2 | 95.1 | 108.5 | |
| August | 9,617 | 6,099 | 3,518 | 126.1 | 153.9 | 98.2 | 93.6 | 104.9 | |
| September | 10,188 | 6,341 | 3,847 | 143.8 | 161.8 | 93.0 | 96.1 | 96.8 | |
| October | 9,645 | 6,818 | 2,827 | 143.2 | 180.8 | 88.3 | 92.5 | 95.5 | |
| November | 10,849 | 7,226 | 3,623 | 151.6 | 187.0 | 95.0 | 96.0 | 98.9 | |
| December | 10,053 | 7,005 | 3,048 | 128.3 | 162.7 | 98.0 | 97.7 | 100.3 | |
| 20184 | January | 12,103 | 6,538 | 5,565 | 166.7 | 171.8 | 95.8 | 93.8 | 102.2 |
| February | 10,402 | 6,423 | 3,980 | 144.2 | 166.6 | 95.2 | 95.0 | 100.2 | |
| March | 11,340 | 7,128 | 4,212 | 166.1 | 187.1 | 90.1 | 93.9 | 96.0 | |
| April | 11,002 | 6,603 | 4,399 | 162.3 | 163.7 | 89.5 | 99.4 | 90.0 | |
| May | 11,788 | 6,938 | 4,850 | 166.9 | 185.9 | 93.2 | 92.0 | 101.4 | |
| June | 12,749 | 7,943 | 4,806 | 175.7 | 200.7 | 95.7 | 97.6 | 98.1 | |
| July | 11,059 | 7,880 | 3,180 | 151.4 | 189.0 | 96.4 | 102.7 | 93.8 | |
| August | 11,493 | 7,181 | 4,313 | 161.6 | 182.7 | 93.9 | 96.9 | 96.9 | |
| September | 11,499 | 7,978 | 3,521 | 153.9 | 189.9 | 98.6 | 103.5 | 95.3 | |
| October | 12,167 | 8,661 | 3,507 | 170.1 | 215.6 | 94.4 | 99.0 | 95.4 | |
| November | 13,018 | 8,291 | 4,727 | 177.7 | 207.8 | 96.7 | 98.3 | 98.3 | |
| December | 12,213 | 8,613 | 3,601 | 167.4 | 214.6 | 96.3 | 98.9 | 97.3 | |
| 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. December 2018 is based on current Intrastat response levels. See background notes. | |||||||||
| .. Indices not yet available. | |||||||||
| 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 | ||
| 2016 | Quarter 1 | 27,866 | 16,682 | 11,184 | 119.7 | 149.6 |
| Quarter 2 | 29,759 | 19,101 | 10,659 | 126.5 | 161.3 | |
| Quarter 3 | 30,221 | 19,069 | 11,152 | 125.7 | 161.2 | |
| Quarter 4 | 31,010 | 19,294 | 11,716 | 129.0 | 159.6 | |
| 2017 | Quarter 1 | 32,941 | 18,703 | 14,239 | 137.6 | 154.3 |
| Quarter 2 | 30,238 | 21,473 | 8,765 | 131.1 | 186.1 | |
| Quarter 3 | 29,332 | 18,763 | 10,569 | 131.4 | 162.1 | |
| Quarter 4 | 30,544 | 20,600 | 9,943 | 142.2 | 170.7 | |
| 2018 | Quarter 1 | 33,992 | 20,313 | 13,679 | 157.4 | 173.2 |
| Quarter 2 | 34,683 | 21,378 | 13,305 | 165.3 | 183.2 | |
| Quarter 3 | 34,927 | 24,322 | 10,606 | 160.6 | 201.1 | |
| Quarter 4 | 37,553 | 24,358 | 13,195 | 173.2 | 203.1 | |
| 2016 | January | 9,449 | 5,091 | 4,358 | 127.0 | 145.3 |
| February | 8,944 | 5,528 | 3,417 | 108.7 | 143.8 | |
| March | 9,473 | 6,064 | 3,409 | 123.3 | 159.6 | |
| April | 9,875 | 5,721 | 4,154 | 125.3 | 148.7 | |
| May | 9,643 | 6,512 | 3,132 | 124.8 | 167.8 | |
| June | 10,241 | 6,868 | 3,373 | 129.4 | 167.4 | |
| July | 9,202 | 6,196 | 3,006 | 118.3 | 156.8 | |
| August | 10,698 | 5,987 | 4,711 | 132.1 | 155.2 | |
| September | 10,321 | 6,886 | 3,435 | 126.7 | 171.6 | |
| October | 10,356 | 5,801 | 4,555 | 130.1 | 144.4 | |
| November | 10,420 | 6,859 | 3,562 | 130.0 | 171.3 | |
| December | 10,234 | 6,634 | 3,600 | 127.0 | 163.1 | |
| 2017 | January | 10,774 | 5,692 | 5,083 | 129.5 | 140.8 |
| February | 11,123 | 6,815 | 4,308 | 141.8 | 168.3 | |
| March | 11,044 | 6,196 | 4,848 | 141.4 | 153.9 | |
| April | 9,860 | 7,195 | 2,664 | 124.0 | 181.5 | |
| May | 10,559 | 7,277 | 3,282 | 136.6 | 192.1 | |
| June | 9,819 | 6,969 | 2,849 | 132.7 | 184.7 | |
| July | 9,729 | 5,757 | 3,972 | 124.5 | 151.1 | |
| August | 9,690 | 6,421 | 3,268 | 126.4 | 163.3 | |
| September | 9,914 | 6,585 | 3,329 | 143.3 | 172.0 | |
| October | 9,839 | 6,568 | 3,271 | 141.9 | 172.4 | |
| November | 9,962 | 6,793 | 3,169 | 140.5 | 172.9 | |
| December | 10,743 | 7,239 | 3,504 | 144.3 | 166.7 | |
| 2018 | January | 12,515 | 6,933 | 5,582 | 169.4 | 175.9 |
| February | 11,016 | 6,993 | 4,022 | 149.9 | 178.7 | |
| March | 10,462 | 6,387 | 4,075 | 152.9 | 164.9 | |
| April | 11,151 | 6,886 | 4,265 | 168.3 | 173.4 | |
| May | 11,750 | 6,583 | 5,167 | 163.8 | 180.0 | |
| June | 11,782 | 7,909 | 3,873 | 163.7 | 196.2 | |
| July | 11,887 | 8,174 | 3,713 | 164.8 | 198.5 | |
| August | 11,387 | 7,765 | 3,622 | 160.8 | 202.3 | |
| September | 11,654 | 8,383 | 3,272 | 156.3 | 202.4 | |
| October | 12,161 | 8,072 | 4,090 | 163.5 | 198.4 | |
| November | 12,131 | 7,605 | 4,526 | 167.3 | 192.7 | |
| December | 13,261 | 8,682 | 4,578 | 188.8 | 218.1 | |
| 1 Based on seasonal patterns up to December 2017. Accordingly all values in this table may have been revised. | ||||||
| Table 3 Goods Exports and Imports classified by commodity1 | ||||||||||
| €million | ||||||||||
| SITC (Rev 4) | Exports | Imports | ||||||||
| Dec | Dec | Jan-Dec | Jan-Dec | Dec | Dec | Jan-Dec | Jan-Dec | |||
| 2017 | 2018 | 2017 | 2018 | 2017 | 2018 | 2017 | 2018 | |||
| 0 | Food and live animals | 966 | 962 | 11,375 | 11,105 | 642 | 636 | 7,183 | 7,754 | |
| 0 | Live animals other than animals of Division 03 | 58 | 67 | 448 | 428 | 77 | 57 | 303 | 251 | |
| 1 | Meat and meat preparations | 379 | 357 | 3,846 | 3,920 | 92 | 83 | 983 | 1,026 | |
| 2 | Dairy products and birds' eggs | 182 | 223 | 2,393 | 2,589 | 66 | 65 | 785 | 839 | |
| 3 | Fish, crustaceans, molluscs and preparations thereof | 66 | 48 | 617 | 579 | 22 | 22 | 291 | 287 | |
| 4 | Cereals and cereal preparations | 35 | 37 | 419 | 427 | 102 | 99 | 1,103 | 1,261 | |
| 5 | Vegetables and fruit | 22 | 21 | 299 | 319 | 101 | 103 | 1,252 | 1,325 | |
| 6 | Sugars, sugar preparations and honey | 11 | 12 | 157 | 149 | 29 | 23 | 377 | 361 | |
| 7 | Coffee, tea, cocoa, spices and manufactures thereof | 25 | 25 | 374 | 382 | 43 | 49 | 595 | 612 | |
| 8 | Feeding stuff for animals (excluding unmilled cereals) | 28 | 33 | 320 | 345 | 56 | 82 | 780 | 1,057 | |
| 9 | Miscellaneous edible products and preparations | 159 | 138 | 2,502 | 1,967 | 54 | 53 | 714 | 735 | |
| 1 | Beverages and tobacco | 115 | 137 | 1,363 | 1,436 | 65 | 79 | 907 | 897 | |
| 11 | Beverages | 114 | 137 | 1,358 | 1,435 | 65 | 76 | 822 | 848 | |
| 12 | Tobacco and tobacco manufactures | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 85 | 48 | |
| 2 | Crude materials, inedible, except fuels | 162 | 144 | 1,815 | 1,929 | 66 | 77 | 904 | 933 | |
| 21 | Hides, skins and furskins, raw | 10 | 6 | 132 | 105 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | |
| 22 | Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 33 | 30 | |
| 23 | Crude rubber (including synthetic and reclaimed) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 11 | |
| 24 | Cork and wood | 8 | 10 | 149 | 171 | 15 | 14 | 167 | 187 | |
| 25 | Pulp and waste paper | 6 | 5 | 74 | 60 | 2 | 4 | 54 | 46 | |
| 26 | Textile fibres and their wastes | 9 | 9 | 129 | 133 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 13 | |
| 27 | Crude fertilisers and minerals (excluding coal, petroleum and precious stones) | 9 | 10 | 131 | 146 | 12 | 13 | 170 | 170 | |
| 28 | Metalliferous ores and metal scrap | 103 | 95 | 1,051 | 1,176 | 17 | 27 | 243 | 257 | |
| 29 | Crude animal and vegetable materials nes | 17 | 8 | 139 | 130 | 14 | 16 | 211 | 219 | |
| 3 | Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials | 90 | 153 | 993 | 1,201 | 423 | 529 | 4,770 | 5,990 | |
| 32 | Coal, coke and briquettes | 8 | 8 | 98 | 104 | 5 | 5 | 170 | 176 | |
| 33 | Petroleum, petroleum products and related materials | 65 | 41 | 755 | 719 | 315 | 297 | 3,745 | 4,401 | |
| 34 | Gas, natural and manufactured | 0 | 0 | 14 | 18 | 92 | 125 | 795 | 1,102 | |
| 35 | Electric current | 16 | 104 | 127 | 360 | 11 | 101 | 60 | 311 | |
| 4 | Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes | 7 | 4 | 91 | 64 | 18 | 17 | 260 | 259 | |
| 41 | Animal oils and fats | 6 | 3 | 79 | 52 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 16 | |
| 42 | Fixed vegetable fats and oils | 1 | 1 | 11 | 10 | 15 | 15 | 222 | 223 | |
| 43 | Animal or vegetable fats and oils, processed; waxes | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 20 | |
| 5 | Chemicals and related products | 5,425 | 6,731 | 67,829 | 86,100 | 1,463 | 1,082 | 17,484 | 19,820 | |
| 51 | Organic chemicals | 1,873 | 2,690 | 19,757 | 26,756 | 571 | 296 | 3,746 | 3,517 | |
| 52 | Inorganic chemicals | 18 | 18 | 156 | 186 | 17 | 31 | 321 | 337 | |
| 53 | Dyeing, tanning and colouring materials | 9 | 8 | 328 | 136 | 15 | 14 | 245 | 235 | |
| 54 | Medical and pharmaceutical products | 2,592 | 3,145 | 35,452 | 46,318 | 502 | 429 | 8,814 | 11,282 | |
| 55 | Essential oils; perfume materials; toilet and cleansing preparations | 586 | 524 | 7,592 | 7,788 | 128 | 111 | 1,489 | 1,350 | |
| 56 | Fertilisers (other than those of Division 27) | 1 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 23 | 29 | 373 | 460 | |
| 57 | Plastics in primary forms | 27 | 31 | 361 | 453 | 70 | 64 | 939 | 992 | |
| 58 | Plastics in non-primary forms | 35 | 30 | 487 | 479 | 56 | 45 | 625 | 677 | |
| 59 | Chemical materials and products nes | 285 | 285 | 3,689 | 3,974 | 80 | 62 | 931 | 970 | |
| 6 | Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material | 156 | 192 | 2,277 | 2,360 | 366 | 379 | 5,058 | 5,374 | |
| 61 | Leather; leather manufactures nes; dressed furskins | 3 | 2 | 43 | 26 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 19 | |
| 62 | Rubber manufactures nes | 5 | 6 | 79 | 91 | 20 | 23 | 297 | 327 | |
| 63 | Cork and wood manufactures (excluding furniture) | 17 | 18 | 285 | 308 | 17 | 19 | 284 | 295 | |
| 64 | Paper, paperboard and articles thereof | 12 | 11 | 159 | 161 | 68 | 76 | 875 | 918 | |
| 65 | Textile yarn, fabrics, made-up articles and related products | 12 | 49 | 152 | 195 | 38 | 38 | 483 | 510 | |
| 66 | Non-metallic mineral manufactures nes | 32 | 31 | 473 | 475 | 44 | 47 | 565 | 597 | |
| 67 | Iron and steel | 13 | 12 | 172 | 182 | 49 | 47 | 732 | 825 | |
| 68 | Non-ferrous metals | 7 | 8 | 107 | 116 | 47 | 32 | 598 | 578 | |
| 69 | Manufactures of metals nes | 55 | 56 | 807 | 805 | 82 | 96 | 1,203 | 1,305 | |
| 7 | Machinery and transport equipment | 1,906 | 2,603 | 21,087 | 19,809 | 3,058 | 4,895 | 32,124 | 38,242 | |
| 71 | Power generating machinery and equipment | 67 | 64 | 786 | 872 | 84 | 98 | 1,017 | 983 | |
| 72 | Machinery specialised for particular industries | 93 | 44 | 756 | 755 | 150 | 142 | 1,337 | 1,855 | |
| 73 | Metalworking machinery | 2 | 1 | 33 | 28 | 9 | 16 | 118 | 148 | |
| 74 | General industrial machinery and equipment nes and parts nes | 165 | 139 | 1,857 | 1,918 | 129 | 150 | 1,585 | 1,822 | |
| 75 | Office machines and automatic data processing machines (including computers) | 404 | 363 | 3,562 | 4,297 | 325 | 372 | 3,350 | 4,469 | |
| 76 | Telecommunications and sound equipment | 100 | 107 | 1,031 | 1,293 | 181 | 178 | 1,651 | 1,842 | |
| 77 | Electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances nes and parts | 431 | 552 | 6,435 | 5,365 | 212 | 232 | 2,553 | 2,818 | |
| 78 | Road vehicles (including air-cushion vehicles) | 21 | 23 | 317 | 331 | 421 | 473 | 3,558 | 3,640 | |
| 79 | Other transport equipment (including aircraft) | 621 | 1,309 | 6,312 | 4,949 | 1,547 | 3,234 | 16,954 | 20,664 | |
| 8 | Miscellaneous manufactured articles | 1,148 | 1,193 | 14,874 | 15,711 | 709 | 742 | 8,306 | 8,647 | |
| 81 | Prefab buildings; plumbing and electrical fixtures and fittings | 12 | 8 | 148 | 147 | 24 | 24 | 272 | 293 | |
| 82 | Furniture and parts thereof; bedding, cushions etc | 14 | 12 | 182 | 183 | 41 | 44 | 480 | 533 | |
| 83 | Travel goods, handbags and similar containers | 2 | 2 | 25 | 22 | 14 | 14 | 150 | 148 | |
| 84 | Articles of apparel; clothing accessories | 19 | 17 | 266 | 224 | 158 | 162 | 1,846 | 1,888 | |
| 85 | Footwear | 4 | 4 | 41 | 39 | 38 | 37 | 415 | 418 | |
| 87 | Professional, scientific and controlling apparatus nes | 438 | 468 | 6,025 | 6,282 | 139 | 143 | 1,720 | 1,828 | |
| 88 | Photographic apparatus; optical goods; watches and clocks | 100 | 100 | 1,344 | 1,363 | 32 | 35 | 426 | 422 | |
| 89 | Miscellaneous manufactured articles nes | 560 | 583 | 6,842 | 7,451 | 263 | 284 | 2,997 | 3,118 | |
| 9 | Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere | 29 | 34 | 389 | 465 | 39 | 43 | 433 | 495 | |
| Unclassified estimates2 | 50 | 59 | 619 | 653 | 156 | 134 | 1,842 | 1,763 | ||
| Total | 10,053 | 12,213 | 122,711 | 140,835 | 7,005 | 8,613 | 79,271 | 90,175 | ||
| 1 Trade statistics revised since 2000. December 2018 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 | ||||||
| Dec | Dec | Jan-Dec | Jan-Dec | Dec | Dec | Jan-Dec | Jan-Dec | |
| 2017 | 2018 | 2017 | 2018 | 2017 | 2018 | 2017 | 2018 | |
| Austria | 35 | 25 | 389 | 416 | 29 | 21 | 287 | 317 |
| Belgium | 1,616 | 1,960 | 13,333 | 18,406 | 94 | 107 | 1,394 | 1,632 |
| Bulgaria | 6 | 11 | 85 | 105 | 2 | 2 | 25 | 47 |
| Croatia | 4 | 4 | 39 | 47 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 12 |
| Cyprus | 3 | 1 | 25 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 22 |
| Czech Republic | 50 | 31 | 418 | 571 | 76 | 57 | 444 | 725 |
| Denmark | 62 | 49 | 653 | 730 | 32 | 38 | 433 | 507 |
| Estonia | 1 | 2 | 23 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 19 |
| Finland | 24 | 15 | 322 | 290 | 14 | 12 | 167 | 152 |
| France | 391 | 408 | 5,348 | 5,350 | 1,115 | 1,345 | 10,500 | 11,363 |
| Germany | 768 | 976 | 10,099 | 10,552 | 552 | 595 | 6,890 | 10,571 |
| Great Britain | 1,168 | 1,371 | 14,526 | 14,085 | 1,620 | 1,686 | 17,495 | 18,306 |
| Greece | 14 | 50 | 331 | 535 | 4 | 3 | 62 | 67 |
| Hungary | 27 | 39 | 292 | 340 | 54 | 18 | 163 | 353 |
| Italy | 225 | 236 | 2,620 | 3,638 | 120 | 99 | 1,564 | 1,573 |
| Latvia | 3 | 5 | 63 | 85 | 3 | 5 | 47 | 48 |
| Lithuania | 3 | 2 | 24 | 31 | 6 | 8 | 76 | 106 |
| Luxembourg | 13 | 19 | 121 | 185 | 2 | 2 | 28 | 62 |
| Malta | 2 | 3 | 32 | 123 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 10 |
| Netherlands | 510 | 607 | 5,929 | 7,628 | 203 | 193 | 2,434 | 2,948 |
| Northern Ireland | 151 | 150 | 1,929 | 2,012 | 115 | 120 | 1,374 | 1,477 |
| Poland | 159 | 82 | 1,329 | 1,157 | 45 | 63 | 627 | 676 |
| Portugal | 32 | 36 | 456 | 442 | 13 | 14 | 252 | 202 |
| Romania | 22 | 41 | 314 | 388 | 8 | 7 | 101 | 93 |
| Slovakia | 5 | 7 | 58 | 78 | 5 | 7 | 50 | 59 |
| Slovenia | 9 | 9 | 84 | 84 | 2 | 2 | 31 | 27 |
| Spain | 215 | 216 | 2,596 | 2,564 | 102 | 95 | 1,317 | 1,441 |
| Sweden | 64 | 82 | 762 | 922 | 55 | 44 | 512 | 665 |
| EU country not specified2 | 6 | 10 | 708 | 175 | 6 | 162 | 186 | 602 |
| Total EU | 5,588 | 6,446 | 62,909 | 70,984 | 4,281 | 4,709 | 46,496 | 54,083 |
| of which United Kingdom | 1,319 | 1,521 | 16,455 | 16,097 | 1,735 | 1,806 | 18,868 | 19,783 |
| Euro-Zone3 | 3,868 | 4,577 | 41,855 | 50,452 | 2,266 | 2,511 | 25,125 | 30,620 |
| Australia | 76 | 40 | 889 | 835 | 10 | 5 | 98 | 106 |
| Brazil | 13 | 11 | 182 | 293 | 15 | 24 | 222 | 245 |
| Canada | 121 | 65 | 1,091 | 1,351 | 78 | 39 | 642 | 526 |
| China4 | 296 | 652 | 5,077 | 5,473 | 422 | 485 | 4,527 | 5,361 |
| India | 24 | 26 | 353 | 327 | 128 | 33 | 811 | 560 |
| Japan | 263 | 843 | 2,617 | 4,033 | 129 | 96 | 1,209 | 1,440 |
| Malaysia | 20 | 18 | 233 | 208 | 98 | 38 | 473 | 427 |
| Mexico | 98 | 83 | 1,427 | 1,416 | 19 | 30 | 268 | 351 |
| Norway | 28 | 21 | 395 | 349 | 58 | 58 | 1,131 | 987 |
| Russia | 28 | 31 | 497 | 521 | 14 | 34 | 313 | 557 |
| Saudi Arabia | 60 | 44 | 705 | 546 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 18 |
| Singapore | 46 | 64 | 685 | 700 | 10 | 10 | 309 | 445 |
| South Africa | 22 | 18 | 243 | 276 | 6 | 7 | 102 | 113 |
| South Korea | 47 | 31 | 635 | 591 | 86 | 109 | 976 | 857 |
| Switzerland | 414 | 506 | 6,212 | 6,480 | 92 | 69 | 602 | 724 |
| Taiwan | 34 | 12 | 267 | 319 | 25 | 43 | 297 | 375 |
| Thailand | 7 | 13 | 165 | 150 | 34 | 39 | 385 | 438 |
| Turkey | 47 | 31 | 530 | 565 | 54 | 77 | 572 | 611 |
| USA | 2,538 | 2,513 | 33,284 | 39,120 | 1,046 | 1,428 | 16,368 | 15,759 |
| Other countries | 281 | 269 | 3,946 | 3,963 | 134 | 173 | 2,402 | 2,402 |
| Country unknown5 | 1 | 473 | 368 | 2,334 | 264 | 1,106 | 1,060 | 3,790 |
| Total Non-EU | 4,465 | 5,767 | 59,802 | 69,851 | 2,724 | 3,904 | 32,775 | 36,092 |
| Total | 10,053 | 12,213 | 122,711 | 140,835 | 7,005 | 8,613 | 79,271 | 90,175 |
| 1 Trade statistics revised since 2000. December 2018 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 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. | ||||||||
| 4 China includes Hong Kong and Macao. | ||||||||
| 5 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 | Dec | Dec | Jan-Dec | Jan-Dec | Dec | Dec | Jan-Dec | Jan-Dec | |
| 2017 | 2018 | 2017 | 2018 | 2017 | 2018 | 2017 | 2018 | ||
| Great Britain | 1,168 | 1,371 | 14,526 | 14,085 | 1,620 | 1,686 | 17,495 | 18,306 | |
| 0 | Food and live animals | 385 | 386 | 4,003 | 4,085 | 306 | 284 | 3,010 | 3,149 |
| 1 | Beverages and tobacco | 16 | 19 | 212 | 210 | 22 | 31 | 276 | 304 |
| 2 | Crude materials, inedible, except fuels | 26 | 34 | 398 | 442 | 13 | 12 | 186 | 199 |
| 3 | Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials | 31 | 129 | 366 | 575 | 312 | 365 | 2,710 | 3,251 |
| 4 | Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes | 1 | 1 | 14 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 47 | 43 |
| 5 | Chemicals and related products | 319 | 389 | 4,890 | 4,142 | 222 | 209 | 3,029 | 2,675 |
| 6 | Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material | 64 | 66 | 962 | 1,007 | 134 | 147 | 1,817 | 1,967 |
| 7 | Machinery and transport equipment | 200 | 224 | 2,194 | 2,050 | 286 | 328 | 3,097 | 3,351 |
| 8 | Miscellaneous manufactured articles | 99 | 95 | 1,169 | 1,233 | 225 | 229 | 2,230 | 2,320 |
| 9 | Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere | 27 | 29 | 318 | 325 | 96 | 77 | 1,092 | 1,047 |
| Other EU2 | 4,419 | 5,075 | 48,383 | 56,899 | 2,662 | 3,024 | 29,001 | 35,777 | |
| 0 | Food and live animals | 373 | 381 | 4,267 | 4,389 | 249 | 249 | 3,043 | 3,223 |
| 1 | Beverages and tobacco | 30 | 35 | 387 | 417 | 29 | 37 | 452 | 439 |
| 2 | Crude materials, inedible, except fuels | 99 | 66 | 977 | 1,040 | 24 | 27 | 313 | 325 |
| 3 | Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials | 36 | 24 | 276 | 351 | 52 | 47 | 460 | 856 |
| 4 | Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes | 5 | 3 | 73 | 45 | 11 | 10 | 163 | 165 |
| 5 | Chemicals and related products | 2,802 | 3,580 | 28,501 | 37,233 | 379 | 373 | 5,677 | 10,315 |
| 6 | Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material | 61 | 62 | 887 | 940 | 133 | 128 | 1,852 | 1,906 |
| 7 | Machinery and transport equipment | 547 | 470 | 7,202 | 6,345 | 1,570 | 1,936 | 14,340 | 15,780 |
| 8 | Miscellaneous manufactured articles | 432 | 414 | 5,387 | 5,659 | 135 | 141 | 1,775 | 1,844 |
| 9 | Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere | 33 | 42 | 428 | 480 | 78 | 77 | 925 | 925 |
| USA | 2,538 | 2,513 | 33,284 | 39,120 | 1,046 | 1,428 | 16,368 | 15,759 | |
| 0 | Food and live animals | 26 | 20 | 482 | 316 | 27 | 25 | 225 | 284 |
| 1 | Beverages and tobacco | 54 | 70 | 577 | 614 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 17 |
| 2 | Crude materials, inedible, except fuels | 4 | 3 | 44 | 38 | 4 | 4 | 51 | 51 |
| 3 | Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials | 0 | 0 | 169 | 104 | 24 | 48 | 198 | 421 |
| 4 | Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 5 | Chemicals and related products | 1,309 | 1,597 | 20,526 | 28,522 | 350 | 240 | 5,889 | 3,415 |
| 6 | Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material | 12 | 11 | 224 | 174 | 28 | 30 | 390 | 414 |
| 7 | Machinery and transport equipment | 721 | 346 | 5,728 | 3,459 | 499 | 967 | 8,242 | 9,774 |
| 8 | Miscellaneous manufactured articles | 409 | 464 | 5,475 | 5,840 | 104 | 102 | 1,249 | 1,249 |
| 9 | Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere | 2 | 3 | 59 | 54 | 9 | 11 | 106 | 134 |
| China3 | 296 | 652 | 5,077 | 5,473 | 422 | 485 | 4,527 | 5,361 | |
| 0 | Food and live animals | 62 | 55 | 902 | 753 | 3 | 3 | 38 | 44 |
| 1 | Beverages and tobacco | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Crude materials, inedible, except fuels | 5 | 3 | 73 | 54 | 3 | 4 | 43 | 40 |
| 3 | Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials | 0 | 0 | 1 | 51 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Chemicals and related products | 65 | 177 | 906 | 1,619 | 19 | 102 | 286 | 673 |
| 6 | Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material | 4 | 2 | 32 | 39 | 33 | 34 | 470 | 482 |
| 7 | Machinery and transport equipment | 129 | 367 | 2,623 | 2,346 | 228 | 222 | 2,213 | 2,613 |
| 8 | Miscellaneous manufactured articles | 31 | 47 | 533 | 606 | 131 | 116 | 1,409 | 1,444 |
| 9 | Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 68 | 64 |
| Rest of World | 1,630 | 2,602 | 21,441 | 25,257 | 1,256 | 1,990 | 11,880 | 14,972 | |
| 0 | Food and live animals | 120 | 121 | 1,720 | 1,562 | 57 | 74 | 866 | 1,055 |
| 1 | Beverages and tobacco | 14 | 14 | 183 | 192 | 13 | 10 | 161 | 136 |
| 2 | Crude materials, inedible, except fuels | 27 | 38 | 323 | 355 | 22 | 31 | 311 | 318 |
| 3 | Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials | 23 | 0 | 180 | 120 | 35 | 70 | 1,401 | 1,462 |
| 4 | Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 49 | 50 |
| 5 | Chemicals and related products | 929 | 988 | 13,006 | 14,584 | 493 | 158 | 2,604 | 2,742 |
| 6 | Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material | 15 | 51 | 173 | 201 | 38 | 40 | 528 | 606 |
| 7 | Machinery and transport equipment | 309 | 1,195 | 3,340 | 5,610 | 475 | 1,442 | 4,232 | 6,725 |
| 8 | Miscellaneous manufactured articles | 177 | 174 | 2,310 | 2,374 | 114 | 154 | 1,644 | 1,791 |
| 9 | Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere | 16 | 20 | 203 | 259 | 6 | 8 | 83 | 87 |
| Total | 10,053 | 12,213 | 122,711 | 140,835 | 7,005 | 8,613 | 79,271 | 90,175 | |
| 1 Trade statistics revised since 2000. December 2018 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. | |||||||||
Introduction
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.
Revisions to the Trade in Goods statistics
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.
Standard Revisions
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 (November 2018 in this publication), -4 (August 2018) and -8 (April 2018) 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.
Intrastat System
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 December 2018 was 71%, covering an estimated 95% of the total value of intra-EU trade (these response rates will have increased by the next time data for December 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.
Extrastat System
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.
Estimation
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.
Unit Value Indices
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.
Seasonally Adjusted Series
Monthly exports, imports, trade surplus and the volume series for exports and imports have been seasonally adjusted using the US Bureau of the Census X-11 Variant of the Census Method 11 Seasonal Adjustment Program. In the main, monthly projections are based on series recalculated at the end of the previous year.
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.
Services Exports and Imports
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
Hide Table 1 Goods Exports and Imports summary analysis