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International comparison:
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For more information on this release:
E-mail: Trade@cso.ie Ciarán Counihan +353 1 4984215 Damian Malone +353 1 4984206
For general information on CSO statistics:
information@cso.ie (+353) 21 453 5000 On-line ISSN 2009-5155
CSO statistical release, , 11am

Goods Exports and Imports

September 2017

Seasonally adjusted
€ million
ExportsImportsSurplus
April 20179,8476,9812,866
May 201710,5467,0193,527
June 20179,8426,5943,248
July 20179,4005,3194,081
August 20179,2315,9283,303
September 20179,3435,7483,595

Seasonally adjusted goods exports increase marginally in September

Goods Exports and Imports seasonally adjusted
go to full release

Seasonally adjusted goods exports increased by €112 million (+1%) to €9,343 million in September 2017, compared with August 2017, according to preliminary figures.

Seasonally adjusted goods imports decreased by €180 million (-3%) to €5,748 million leading to an increase of €292 million (+9%) in the seasonally adjusted trade surplus to €3,595 million in September 2017 (see Table 2).

Exports of Organic chemicals decrease in September

The (unadjusted) value of goods exports for September 2017 was €9,601 million, a decrease of €885 million (-8%) when compared with September 2016.  The value of goods exports for the period January to September 2017 was €90,110 million, an increase of €1,630 million (+2%) when compared with the first nine months of 2016.
 
Exports of Organic chemicals decreased by €546 million (-29%) to €1,337 million in September 2017 compared with September 2016.
 
Exports of Electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances decreased by €115 million (-19%) to €485 million.
 
Exports of Medical and pharmaceutical products increased by €332 million (+13%) to €2,882 million.
 
Exports of Food and live animals increased by €48 million (+5%) to €1,002 million over the same comparative period.  This increase was almost entirely attributable to an increase in the exports of Dairy products and birds’ eggs.

Imports of Medical and pharmaceutical products increase in September

The (unadjusted) value of goods imports for September 2017 was €5,535 million, a decrease of €1,126 million (-17%) when compared with September 2016.  The value of goods imports for January to September 2017 was €55,095 million, which is an increase of €470 million (+1%) compared with the first nine months of 2016. 

Imports of Medical and pharmaceutical products increased by €147 million (+32%) to €609 million in September 2017 compared with September 2016.

Imports of Food and live animals increased by €58 million (+11%) to €599 million.
 
Imports of Petroleum increased by €38 million (+14%) to €313 million over the same comparative period.
 
The value of goods imports for September 2017 excluding SITC 79 (Other transport equipment, including aircraft) was €4,789 million, a decrease of €1 million when compared with the corresponding September 2016 figure of €4,790 million.  The corresponding figure for January to September 2017 was €45,474 million, an increase of €3,184 million (+8%) compared with the first nine months of 2016.  

Exports and imports with Great Britain increase in September

Exports to Great Britain increased by €120 million (+10%) to €1,297 million in September 2017 compared with September 2016.  The majority of this increase was in the exports of Chemicals and related products (see Table 5).  Exports to Great Britain increased in January to September 2017 by €1,060 million (+11%) compared with the first nine months of 2016.

Imports from Great Britain increased by €54 million (+4%) to €1,411 million in September 2017 compared with September 2016.  The main increase was in the imports of Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials.   Imports from Great Britain for the first nine months of 2017 increased by €953 million (+8%) to €12,423 million compared with the first nine months of 2016. 

Geographic breakdown of goods exports and imports

The EU accounted for €5,036 million (52%) of total goods exports in September 2017, a decrease of €274 million (-5%) compared with September 2016.  Exports to Belgium were €935 million and to Germany were €728 million.

The USA was the main non-EU destination accounting for €2,866 million (30%) of total exports in September 2017. 

The EU accounted for 62% of the value of goods imports in September 2017.  Total EU imports of €3,453 million represents a decrease of €516 million (-13%) compared with September 2016.
 
The USA with €865 million (16%) and China with €389 million (7%) were the main non-EU sources of imports. The total value of imports from non-EU countries in September 2017 was €2,083 million, a decrease of €610 million (-23%) compared with September 2016.

 

NOTE on revised data: This release includes significant revisions to 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 have been incorporated into the Trade data back to 2000. 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. 

 

 

This map is © Ordnance Survey Ireland. All rights reserved. License number 01/05/001.
This map is © Ordnance Survey Ireland. All rights reserved. License number 01/05/001.
Table 1 Goods Exports and Imports summary analysis
PeriodValue1Volume index2Unit value index2 
ExportsImportsTrade surplusBase year 2010=100
€m€m€mExportsImportsExportsImportsTerms of trade3
2010 90,92448,69542,229 100.0  100.0  100.0  100.0  100.0
2011 93,19153,03540,155 106.1  110.4  96.6  98.7  97.9
2012 93,50756,17937,328 100.6  120.2  102.2  96.0  106.5
2013 89,18255,78733,394 101.1  123.5  97.0  92.8  104.6
2014 92,61662,15830,458 103.8  130.1  98.2  98.1  100.1
2015 112,40770,11142,296 115.5  143.6  106.8  100.3  106.5
2016 119,29274,13145,162 125.6  158.2  102.7  93.3  110.2
          
2014Quarter 121,76515,2276,538 102.1  129.8  93.7  96.5  97.2
 Quarter 223,55914,7458,814 105.9  127.7  97.8  94.9  103.0
 Quarter 323,27115,3457,926 103.6  127.5  98.9  98.9  100.0
 Quarter 424,02116,8407,180 103.3  139.1  102.3  99.5  102.9
2015Quarter 126,04316,8649,179 110.0  138.6  104.0  99.9  104.2
 Quarter 228,70516,98311,721 114.7  134.9  110.1  103.6  106.4
 Quarter 327,47716,73810,739 114.5  134.9  105.5  102.1  103.5
 Quarter 430,18319,52610,657 123.6  168.1  107.4  95.4  112.5
2016Quarter 127,81317,60010,214 119.5  158.0  100.7  89.4  112.6
 Quarter 230,30718,91911,388 129.0  159.5  102.0  94.8  107.6
 Quarter 330,36118,10612,254 126.5  152.5  103.6  94.2  110.1
 Quarter 430,81219,50611,306 127.6  162.8  104.6  94.7  110.5
2017Quarter 131,43918,62312,816 135.1  155.9  102.4  98.2  104.2
 Quarter 231,04020,30610,734 136.7  177.0  99.9  94.3  106.0
 Quarter 327,63116,16611,464 129.7  144.0  94.0  92.2  102.4
          
2014January7,0855,1811,904 99.6  131.8  93.9  96.9  96.9
 February6,9594,6112,348 98.9  116.3  92.9  97.7  95.1
 March7,7205,4342,286 107.9  141.3  94.4  94.8  99.6
 April7,3224,8662,455 102.7  129.3  94.1  92.7  101.5
 May8,1584,9723,187 109.6  130.1  98.2  94.2  104.2
 June8,0804,9073,172 105.4  123.6  101.2  97.9  103.4
 July7,2525,2671,984 96.3  133.1  99.4  97.5  101.9
 August7,7734,7952,978 104.8  118.7  97.9  99.6  98.3
 September8,2475,2832,964 109.6  130.8  99.3  99.6  99.7
 October7,9325,5862,347 102.7  139.0  101.9  99.0  102.9
 November7,8645,5842,280 99.1  138.2  104.7  99.5  105.2
 December8,2245,6712,553 108.1  140.0  100.4  99.8  100.6
          
2015January8,2905,3682,922 106.3  131.7  102.9  100.5  102.4
 February8,3485,1363,212 106.9  129.5  103.0  97.8  105.4
 March9,4056,3603,045 116.8  154.6  106.2  101.4  104.8
 April9,6145,6373,977 115.0  131.8  110.3  105.4  104.6
 May9,1805,5353,645 109.5  127.7  110.6  106.8  103.6
 June9,9115,8114,099 119.5  145.3  109.4  98.5  111.0
 July9,4135,7653,648 115.1  138.3  107.9  102.7  105.0
 August8,6265,2093,416 112.1  122.5  101.6  104.8  97.0
 September9,4385,7633,675 116.3  143.8  107.1  98.7  108.5
 October10,7546,3364,418 128.0  164.7  110.9  94.8  116.9
 November10,1796,1963,983 128.2  158.0  104.8  96.6  108.4
 December9,2516,9942,256 114.5  181.6  106.6  94.9  112.3
          
2016January8,8935,1363,757 120.9  142.6  95.6  87.0  110.0
 February8,5665,4733,093 105.0  144.4  106.0  91.6  115.8
 March10,3546,9913,364 132.6  187.0  100.6  89.7  112.1
 April10,0535,5854,468 125.8  144.6  104.1  93.4  111.5
 May9,3856,4042,982 123.6  164.7  99.0  94.2  105.0
 June10,8686,9303,938 137.7  169.3  102.8  96.7  106.4
 July9,4115,7313,680 120.4  144.2  101.9  96.2  106.0
 August10,4645,7154,750 130.8  146.1  103.4  93.1  111.1
 September10,4866,6613,824 128.2  167.1  105.6  93.4  113.1
 October10,1995,7004,499 129.3  142.6  103.1  95.9  107.5
 November11,2017,2363,965 140.6  183.9  104.1  94.4  110.3
 December9,4126,5702,842 113.0  162.0  106.6  93.7  113.8
          
20174January9,7055,7243,981 122.6  143.1  104.5  98.5  106.0
 February9,9386,1283,810 132.6  152.9  98.9  98.8  100.1
 March11,7976,7715,026 150.2  171.6  103.7  97.2  106.6
 April9,8506,4593,391 127.4  164.7  102.0  96.6  105.6
 May10,5487,1743,374 140.2  188.9  99.3  93.6  106.1
 June10,6436,6733,969 142.5  177.4  98.5  92.7  106.3
 July8,8685,0013,868 116.9  140.7  100.1  87.6  114.3
 August9,1615,6313,531 130.5  151.4  92.6  91.6  101.1
 September9,6015,5354,066 141.7  139.9  89.4  97.5  91.7
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. September 2017 is based on current Intrastat response levels. See background notes.
Table 2 Goods Exports and Imports seasonally adjusted1 series
PeriodValueVolume index
ExportsImportsTrade surplusBase year 2010=100
€m€m€mExportsImports
2013Quarter 121,73113,4748,257 93.8  121.8
 Quarter 222,02313,9668,057 102.1  122.5
 Quarter 322,93514,0938,841 105.9  123.8
 Quarter 422,66014,3198,342 104.5  127.0
2014Quarter 121,80714,4487,359 102.0  124.2
Quarter 223,18314,8348,349 105.1  128.0
Quarter 323,36916,2647,105 104.0  134.1
Quarter 424,62416,8047,820 105.5  138.8
2015Quarter 126,28616,06210,224 112.0  130.9
 Quarter 228,46017,27111,189 112.9  134.8
 Quarter 327,21117,6129,599 113.7  143.5
 Quarter 430,82319,20511,618 125.8  167.6
2016Quarter 127,86616,66011,206 119.7  149.6
 Quarter 229,75919,07510,684 126.5  161.3
 Quarter 330,22119,04211,178 125.7  161.2
 Quarter 431,01019,26211,749 129.0  159.6
2017Quarter 132,21818,12614,092 135.7  150.2
 Quarter 230,23520,5949,641 133.6  181.0
 Quarter 327,97316,99510,978 132.0  153.7
      
2013January6,9774,4572,520 93.6  124.6
 February7,1704,5972,574 93.3  122.4
March7,5844,4203,164 94.6  118.3
April7,5314,6032,928 98.8  121.5
May7,2464,5892,657 101.2  121.4
June7,2464,7752,472 106.2  124.7
July7,5684,6662,902 110.5  122.2
August7,8764,9322,944 105.0  128.9
September7,4904,4952,995 102.3  120.2
October7,5014,7652,736 105.7  125.9
November7,2334,9082,325 99.4  130.7
December7,9274,6463,281 108.5  124.5
2014January7,2734,7132,560 102.9  121.7
 February7,4154,6122,803 104.2  117.9
 March7,1195,1231,996 99.0  133.0
 April7,0804,5722,508 100.6  123.0
 May8,1715,2642,907 109.9  134.6
 June7,9324,9982,934 104.8  126.4
 July6,9515,5911,360 92.7  140.2
 August8,3885,3843,004 113.3  131.3
 September8,0305,2892,741 105.9  130.7
 October7,8735,5092,364 100.2  135.3
 November7,4085,7991,609 94.1  144.6
 December9,3435,4963,848 122.2  136.4
 
2015January8,6415,0073,633 110.1  126.5
 February8,9665,3163,650 115.2  130.5
 March8,6795,7392,941 110.6  135.6
 April9,7405,6784,061 117.7  129.0
 May9,3765,8873,489 107.8  133.7
 June9,3455,7063,639 113.3  141.7
 July9,0766,1022,974 113.6  147.5
 August9,1505,7253,425 117.8  137.4
 September8,9865,7863,200 109.6  145.7
 October10,8206,2504,570 128.0  165.5
 November9,5216,1083,413 120.4  158.1
 December10,4826,8463,635 129.0  179.1
   
2016January9,4495,0844,365 127.0  145.3
 February8,9445,5203,424 108.7  143.8
 March9,4736,0563,417 123.3  159.6
 April9,8755,7124,163 125.3  148.7
 May9,6436,5033,140 124.8  167.8
 June10,2416,8603,381 129.4  167.4
 July9,2026,1883,014 118.3  156.8
 August 10,6985,9784,720 132.1  155.2
 September10,3216,8763,444 126.7  171.6
 October10,3565,7914,565 130.1  144.4
 November10,4206,8483,572 130.0  171.3
 December10,2346,6233,612 127.0  163.1
      
2017January10,5585,6024,955 129.2  139.4
 February10,8376,5874,250 139.1  162.2
March10,8245,9374,887 138.8  149.0
April9,8476,9812,866 128.9  178.8
May10,5467,0193,527 137.5  187.7
June9,8426,5943,248 134.5  176.5
July9,4005,3194,081 124.0  151.7
August9,2315,9283,303 130.8  160.7
 September9,3435,7483,595 141.1  148.7
1 Based on seasonal patterns up to December 2016. Accordingly all values in this table may have been revised.
Table 3 Goods Exports and Imports classified by commodity1
€million
SITC (Rev 4)ExportsImports
SepSepJan-SepJan-SepSepSepJan-SepJan-Sep
20162017201620172016201720162017
0Food and live animals9541,0027,3258,4025425994,8485,186
00Live animals other than animals of Division 0369472012761216108116
01Meat and meat preparations3393462,6182,7868078700705
02Dairy products and birds' eggs1792391,2701,8104160449578
03Fish, crustaceans, molluscs and preparations thereof39423974642123195213
04Cereals and cereal preparations33342773058995760799
05Vegetables and fruit242521222997103918947
06Sugars, sugar preparations and honey25131761173134285283
07Coffee, tea, cocoa, spices and manufactures thereof37342882775858409427
08Feeding stuff for animals (excluding unmilled cereals)26282022356571554596
09Miscellaneous edible products and preparations1841941,6831,9034962469523
1Beverages and tobacco1421349669749699682654
11Beverages 1401339329719075608584
12Tobacco and tobacco manufactures203545247471
2Crude materials, inedible, except fuels1301511,1251,3186769620664
21Hides, skins and furskins, raw111194980000
22Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits 11117232225
23Crude rubber (including synthetic and reclaimed) 00111179
24Cork and wood13101231051312112114
25Pulp and waste paper674857464246
26Textile fibres and their wastes121110097111111
27Crude fertilisers and minerals (excluding coal, petroleum and precious stones)91098991213104123
28Metalliferous ores and metal scrap68935587602020166181
29Crude animal and vegetable materials nes9893941412155155
3Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials52925227903504022,7173,349
32Coal, coke and briquettes6679732010109143
33Petroleum, petroleum products and related materials42633886182753132,0692,652
34Gas, natural and manufactured1110115575526523
35Electric current4224487041331
4Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes71058782124182205
41Animal oils and fats695168221517
42Fixed vegetable fats and oils11581719147174
43Animal or vegetable fats and oils, processed; waxes0021222015
5Chemicals and related products5,5005,15049,31750,5791,3011,29311,09313,190
51Organic chemicals1,8831,33717,84214,3014873053,2982,549
52Inorganic chemicals27111311021724202244
53Dyeing, tanning and colouring materials27351802831921172187
54Medical and pharmaceutical products2,5502,88221,87426,5654626094,4737,015
55Essential oils; perfume materials; toilet and cleansing preparations6375206,0505,8171211201,0121,059
56Fertilisers (other than those of Division 27)004931219263289
57Plastics in primary forms34292732626871612706
58Plastics in non-primary forms43373643714547432457
59Chemical materials and products nes2992992,5982,7867079629683
6Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material1911821,6301,6724274233,5693,721
61Leather; leather manufactures nes; dressed furskins672929221614
62Rubber manufactures nes6762582523234223
63Cork and wood manufactures (excluding furniture)25241942162423194216
64Paper, paperboard and articles thereof14141181167680645649
65Textile yarn, fabrics, made-up articles and related products14121281103741344353
66Non-metallic mineral manufactures nes39363443475046389403
67Iron and steel14141231276066489541
68Non-ferrous metals7862775344420428
69Manufactures of metals nes656057159210098838894
7Machinery and transport equipment2,1361,43415,99914,2612,9671,74223,34620,582
71Power generating machinery and equipment50944965758358560768
72Machinery specialised for particular industries66655385329282956975
73Metalworking machinery221825888486
74General industrial machinery and equipment nes and parts nes1571651,2761,4211411181,1881,152
75Office machines and automatic data processing machines (including computers)3482752,7582,5032742422,4642,442
76Telecommunications and sound equipment85986777521221211,1191,118
77Electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances nes and parts6004855,0565,1822161991,8411,882
78Road vehicles (including air-cushion vehicles)22252442361591672,8002,538
79Other transport equipment (including aircraft)8062254,9373,0361,87174612,3349,621
8Miscellaneous manufactured articles1,3051,27310,89711,2007086885,9865,945
81Prefab buildings; plumbing and electrical fixtures and fittings13131211062222175189
82Furniture and parts thereof; bedding, cushions etc15131441383939320353
83Travel goods, handbags and similar containers2220201011101108
84Articles of apparel; clothing accessories28222432011751571,3791,317
85Footwear4336283535292296
87Professional, scientific and controlling apparatus nes5345204,4994,5921421391,2761,270
88Photographic apparatus; optical goods; watches and clocks1111129171,0183233304320
89Miscellaneous manufactured articles nes5995884,9195,0962542522,1392,094
9Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere15811712823132269308
Unclassified estimates254934715531511631,3141,292
           
Total10,4869,60188,48090,1106,6615,53554,62555,095
1 Trade statistics revised since 2000. September 2017 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
CountryExportsImports
SepSepJan-SepJan-SepSepSepJan-SepJan-Sep
20162017201620172016201720162017
Austria28262732802019195214
Belgium1,19493511,0549,701120971,0321,026
Bulgaria656264223018
Croatia23302920258
Cyprus2225200023
Czech Republic33322762842222315283
Denmark58664514585439368317
Estonia32351622119
Finland15321832451113120121
France4214263,7833,8321,2635737,1706,580
Germany7127285,9877,3824536165,1265,124
Great Britain1,1761,2979,69410,7531,3571,41111,47012,423
Greece2349206233443649
Hungary 252223022610912087
Italy 2171911,8181,9081151011,0481,183
Latvia864646232738
Lithuania322717444958
Luxembourg6105085232322
Malta2335241096
Netherlands6365084,3814,3252181981,9641,740
Northern Ireland1431721,2161,45386104777929
Poland1051281,0959384366419464
Portugal47353263572519188194
Romania24282172491078371
Slovakia656240754732
Slovenia696059223022
Spain3242062,3671,9798585814968
Sweden66605765603035328347
EU country not specified221492655071814220214
Total EU5,3115,03644,83046,0733,9683,45332,05132,551
  of which United Kingdom1,3201,46910,91012,2071,4421,51512,24713,351
Euro-Zone33,6493,17430,69030,5512,3311,74517,84517,390
         
Australia222691,210669788161
Brazil19121751266122252148
Canada71797048033773414471
China42793412,3333,9923513893,0003,220
India25232142584747425489
Japan1631771,9381,6377573940888
Malaysia20171551352028226240
Mexico1181151,0211,0952917262210
Norway261918129210488776865
Russia29412663641217121254
Saudi Arabia39366365390086
Singapore9157472528499345140
South Africa2221163171897583
South Korea63337715008854622710
Switzerland5812214,4824,492186391,182429
Taiwan18251641862325280222
Thailand13131541313924329288
Turkey45323923733531369412
USA2,8222,86623,59424,4561,24486510,38411,010
Other countries4523454,2213,0492032111,6341,751
Country unknown553204062407253850649
Total Non-EU5,1754,56443,65044,0372,6932,08322,57422,545
         
Total10,4869,60188,48090,1106,6615,53554,62555,095
1 Trade statistics revised since 2000. September 2017 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.
4China 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
  ExportsImports
 Country by Section level of SITCSepSepJan-SepJan-SepSepSepJan-SepJan-Sep
20162017201620172016201720162017
Great Britain1,1761,2979,69410,7531,3571,41111,47012,423
0Food and live animals3773742,6582,8612342481,9792,083
1Beverages and tobacco18221581563723243204
2Crude materials, inedible, except fuels33312792891414117138
3Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials27353412741802561,4921,860
4Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes1189443337
5Chemicals and related products3164262,7583,7452072161,7672,298
6Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material85777117061541541,2951,337
7Machinery and transport equipment1911991,6791,5802502282,1962,188
8Miscellaneous manufactured articles99988478761921851,5751,544
9Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere28352542598582773733
Other EU24,1343,74035,13735,3202,6122,04220,58120,128
0Food and live animals3503942,6763,1762122492,0542,247
1Beverages and tobacco46353152753958304324
2Crude materials, inedible, except fuels66855877042125208230
3Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials1023932301821220213
4Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes6845651415115129
5Chemicals and related products2,3122,09421,02020,9703874613,7904,311
6Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material72746246441621531,3251,340
7Machinery and transport equipment7465165,0434,9431,52682210,5989,355
8Miscellaneous manufactured articles4934404,4353,9251551441,3261,297
9Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere35702983867795639682
USA2,8222,86623,59424,4561,24486510,38411,010
0Food and live animals37432803801920176156
1Beverages and tobacco5958367406221413
2Crude materials, inedible, except fuels322933433637
3Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials1433841533014170155
4Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes--000010
5Chemicals and related products1,5701,87514,14915,6233133992,5024,635
6Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material20151591793433289296
7Machinery and transport equipment6323564,8333,4207432896,2054,738
8Miscellaneous manufactured articles4834813,6644,2189399927902
9Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere342842756477
China3 2793412,3333,9923513893,0003,220
0Food and live animals6467627667322327
1Beverages and tobacco11440000
2Crude materials, inedible, except fuels746856422932
3Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials0001-000
4Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes00210000
5Chemicals and related products50666256693131253224
6Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material2219223839311354
7Machinery and transport equipment1201376702,1511461771,4051,571
8Miscellaneous manufactured articles3563317421124132931963
9Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere0000554748
Rest of World2,0731,35717,72415,5891,0978299,1918,316
0Food and live animals1251241,0841,3187481616672
1Beverages and tobacco18191221341716121112
2Crude materials, inedible, except fuels22291622362525230228
3Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials0041321221108351,120
4Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes0022443339
5Chemicals and related products1,25368910,7659,5713641872,7811,721
6Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material12131171213844348394
7Machinery and transport equipment4462263,7732,1683022262,9412,729
8Miscellaneous manufactured articles1941911,6351,7601441281,2271,239
9Commodities and transactions not classified elsewhere26661148785960
          
Total10,4869,60188,48090,1106,6615,53554,62555,095
1 Trade statistics revised since 2000. September 2017 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.

Background Notes

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 (August 2017 in this publication), -4 (May 2017) and -8 (January 2017) 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 September 2017 was 66%, covering an estimated 91% of the total value of intra-EU trade (these response rates will have increased by the next time data for September 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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