The country’s export levels reached record levels last year, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office.
More than €152.5 billion worth of goods were exported last year, an increase of 8.5% on 2018 and the highest total on record.
The CSO noted that the largest category of exports was medical and pharmaceutical products. Exports of these accounted for 33% of all exports, or €49.655 billion last year, an increase of €3.454 billion on 2018.
The CSO also said today that a total of €89.2 billion worth of goods were imported last year – a fall of 3% on 2018.
That left the country with a trade surplus of almost €63.4 billion, 30% bigger year on year.
The CSO said that during the year exports to Britain fell by 4% to €13.524 billion, with the country now representing around 8.8% of sales, down from almost 10% in 2018.
The largest product categories exported last year were food and live animals, and chemicals and related products.
Meanwhile, imports from the UK last year rose by 2% to €18.746 billion, which meant there was a trade deficit of €5.221 billion with the UK.
The biggest product categories imported last year were machinery and transport equipment and food and live animals.
Today’s figures show that the EU accounted for 48% of total exports in 2019, an increase of 3% on 2018.
Exports to non-EU countries were valued at €79.972 billion in 2019, an increase of 14% on 2018’s total exports.
The US was the largest export destination in 2019, accounting for 31% of total exports.
Meanwhile, Ireland imported €52.97 billion worth of goods from the EU in 2019, representing 59% of total imports. This was a decrease of 3% on 2018.
Imports from non-EU countries totalled €36.218 billion, a fall of 4% on 2018.
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