Irish exports rise in June despite EU and US declines

The value of Irish imports also increased during June

While export values increased during June, they remain significantly down during the first half of 2026 compared to the same period last year. Picture: David Creedon

Irish goods exports increased by 7.1% to €18.1bn during the month of June as increasing exports to the rest of the world outpaced declines in the US and EU, new data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows.

Overall, Irish exports to the US declined by 1% during the month to just under €4.2bn and exports to the EU saw a decline of €1.186bn to just under €6.6bn during June.

However, exports to Britain increased by €445m to €1.65bn and export values to Northern Ireland increased €25m to €479m. Exports to the rest of the world surged by 62% during the month reaching €5.1bn.

While export values increased during June, they remain significantly down during the first half of 2026 compared to the same period last year.

The value of goods exported has dropped by 30.5%, or €45.4bn, to €103.6bn between January and June largely driven by a significant 65.1% decline in the value of goods exported to the US falling to €26.2bn.

The fall-off in exports to the US was largely due to the fact that prior to the introduction of tariffs by the US in early April last year, numerous companies frontloaded their exports to the country in an effort to avoid the additional taxes.

As a result, Irish exports to the US surged through the early months of last year with export values this year coming back to a more normal level.

Global trade strategy and resilience leader at Deloitte Ireland, Louise Kelly, said comparing this year’s export figures to last year's is “an ongoing challenge, due to the inflated figures from frontloading in light of US tariffs”.

“However, a comparison with June 2024 points to a normalisation of our export figures after an extraordinary 2025 when global trade was totally transformed,” she said.

“Exports to the US are now lower in June 2026 compared to June 2024 — a better comparison than 2025 — which suggests that Irish exporters have diversified to other markets given US trade policy.” 

A significant proportion of Irish exports to the US are medical and pharmaceutical products. The overall value of exports in this category fell by €47.5bn between January and June to €38.8bn compared to the same period last year.

The decline in exports to the US was softened by growth in exports to other regions.

Irish exports to Britain increased by €3.1bn, or 42.6%, during the first half of the year to €10.3bn. Export values to the EU were down 10% to just under €39.5bn. Exports to the rest of the world were up 23% to €24.8bn.

Head of customs and international trade at BDO, Carol Lynch, said while exports may be down for the first half of the year “we are now seeing some normalisation and it is very positive that exports generally increased in June”.

“We are also seeing strong growth in exports to Great Britain which is a positive sign.

“Similar patterns can be seen for exports to the rest of the world outside of the US, EU and Britain. This increase in exports on a global basis is a solid indicator that Irish exporters are navigating the changing global trading environment.” 

The value of Irish imports increased by €2.34bn during June to €14.66bn. During the first half of the year, the value of imports has risen by €8.8bn to €79.1bn compared to last year.

In June, Ireland imported the highest value of goods from the US, Great Britain and China with these countries representing €2.6bn, €1.53bn, and €1.51bn respectively of the total import trade for the month.