The value of Irish exports reached a record high of €260.3bn in 2025, with medical and pharmaceutical products accounting for just over 53% of the total figure, new data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows.
Irish exports experienced a very strong start to 2025 as companies frontloaded delivery of goods to the US during the first quarter in anticipation of tariffs being implemented by US president Donald Trump.
Despite the tariffs, Irish exports to the US alone were up 52% to just under €117.7bn, of which €82bn was medicinal and pharmaceutical products.
This is up from €76.2bn throughout all of 2024, with exports of medicinal and pharmaceutical products accounting for just over €44bn of that.
Overall, the value of Irish exports increased by €36.6bn, or 16.4%, during the year to €260.3bn. In December, the value of exports stood at €16bn, up 1.7% compared to last year.
In 2025, exports of medical and pharmaceutical products increased by €38.9bn, or 39%, to €138.6bn compared with 2024.
Throughout 2025, Ireland’s top export trading partner was the US, followed by the Netherlands, with exports valued at €25.7bn, and Belgium, with exports valued at €15.8bn.
Senior client portfolio manager at global financial services firm Ebury Robert Purdue said the strength of the export figures “needs to be viewed in context”.
“A significant driver was multinationals front-loading goods exports into the US ahead of tariffs. That helped push exports to the US up 52% across the year, but this momentum may prove difficult to sustain into 2026 as a more restrictive trade environment takes hold,” he said.
“Indeed, the sharp 41.1% year-on-year fall in exports to the US in December highlights how quickly flows can shift. Combined with the recent appreciation of the euro, making Irish goods more expensive overseas, trading conditions could become more challenging in the months ahead.”
Global trade strategy and resilience lead at Deloitte Ireland Louise Kelly added many would be watching the US Supreme Court very closely this week as it is may rule on whether president Donald Trump had the authority to unilaterally impose tariffs on countries around the world.
“The US administration will have prepared for both outcomes of the case, so the ruling may still call everything into question and could see volatility stretching into the summer. US tariff policy is a paradigm shift, one that is unlikely to change anytime soon,” she said.
“Meanwhile, the European Union is expanding its trade relationships. The recent India and Mercosur trade agreements, alongside negotiations for a free trade agreement with Australia being reopened, signal a strategic shield being formed to prevent the bloc from future shocks. As 2026 unfolds, Ireland and the EU must continue to prepare for an even more complex trade environment.”
The value of imported goods also rose in 2025 by €9.4bn, or 7%, year-on-year to €144bn.
The top import category was machinery and transport equipment, which was valued at just over €59bn. Within that, “other transport equipment”, which includes aircraft, accounted for €18.5bn owing to the large aircraft leasing sector with operations here.
The country also imported €22.8bn worth of medicinal and pharmaceutical products during the year, as well as €11.35bn worth of food and live animals.
Ireland imported €52.1bn worth of goods from the rest of the EU — within the bloc Germany was the country’s largest market for imports at €16bn — while the US accounted for €22.66bn and the UK accounted for €21.8bn.
