Ireland’s trade surplus narrowed to EUR 2.94 billion in August 2026, down from EUR 4.55 billion in the same month a year earlier. Imports rose by 12.4% year-on-year to EUR 12.9 billion, driven largely by higher purchases of medical and pharmaceutical products (up 44.6%), office machines and automatic data-processing equipment (up 63.4%), and petroleum, petroleum products and related materials (up 68.8%).
By trading partner, imports from Great Britain increased 11.9%, while imports from the United States declined 21%. On the export side, total shipments fell 1.2% year-on-year to EUR 15.9 billion, reflecting lower exports of medical and pharmaceutical products (down 6.7%) and organic chemicals (down 28.6%).
These declines were partly offset by robust gains elsewhere: exports of office machines and automatic data-processing equipment surged 141.5%, and exports of petroleum, petroleum products and related materials climbed 122.9%. Exports to Great Britain and Northern Ireland rose by 23.9% and 7%, respectively, while exports to the United States fell 9%.
