Updated / Wednesday, 17 Jun 2026 12:03
New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that Ireland’s exports decreased by 13.2% to €18.5 billion in April compared to the same time last year when exports were dominated by frontloading of pharmaceutical exports to the US.
The annual drop had been expected, but today’s CSO figures show that exports also fell compared to the April 2024 total of €19.4 billion.
The CSO said that exports to the US fell by 45.1% to €5.1 billion in April from €9.4 billion in April 2025. Exports of Chemicals & Related Products, which include pharmaceuticals, fell by almost €5 billion to €3.3 billion in April compared with €8.1 billion the same month last year.
But in contrast, exports to Great Britain jumped by 51.7% to €1.9 billion in April of this year compared with €1.2 billion in April last year.
The CSO said the main driver of the increase was a rise in exports of goods related to Machinery & Transport Equipment to the UK, which more than doubled to €724.2m in April compared with €236.1m the same month last year.
Meanwhile, imports in April were valued at €13.2 billion, an increase of €2.4 billion on April last year, the CSO said.
Ireland’s top exporting partners were the US, the Netherlands and Great Britain in April, with Ireland exporting 27.8%, 14.1% and 10.2% of total export goods respectively to these countries.
Ireland imported the highest value of goods in April 2026 from the US, Great Britain and Germany with these countries representing 12.1%, 10.9% and 9.3% respectively of the total import trade for April.
Commenting on today’s CSO figures, Carol Lynch, Head of Customs and International Trade Services at BDO, said they show a continuation of last month’s trajectory with exports continuing to decline year on year.
“Interestingly, however, while we can see US exports reducing, we are also seeing a significant percentage increase in exports to Great Britain – up to almost €1.9 billion versus €1.2 billion in 2025; a 52% change. This is to be welcomed considering the tenth anniversary of Brexit on June 23 and the second EU-UK summit taking place on July 22,” Ms Lynch said.
She said the timing of this increase was very positive given Ireland’s forthcoming Presidency of the EU.
“While the immediate post-Brexit period was defined by separation, what is now emerging is something more pragmatic: a gradual recalibration towards cooperation, driven by economic reality,” she said.
“Ireland is uniquely positioned within that reset. As the EU member state with the closest economic ties to the UK, Ireland has both an interest in – and an ability to influence – how this relationship evolves,” she added.
