New figures from the Central Statistics Office show that the value of exports rose by 12.5% to €18.9 billion in July from €16.8 billion the same time last year.
The CSO noted that while exports of Medical & Pharmaceutical Products rose slightly by 0.3% to €6.9 billion, exports of Office Machines & Automatic Data Processing Machines soared by 188% to €2.3 billion in July compared to the same time last year.
Ireland’s top exporting partners were the US, with exports worth €5 billion going there, followed by the Netherlands (€1.9 billion) and Britain (€1.7 billion).
Exports to Great Britain jumped by 33.7% to €1.7 billion in July of this year from €1.2 billion in July of this year, the CSO noted.
Meanwhile, the value of imports rose by 7.5% to total €13.6 billion in July 2026 compared with €12.7 billion in July of last year.
The CSO noted that imports of Petroleum, Petroleum Products & Related Materials increased by 15.9% to €536.1m in July 2026 compared with €462.7m in July 2025.
Ireland imported the highest value of goods from the US, China and Great Britain with these countries representing 14.8%, 11% and 10.4% respectively of the total import trade for July.
Louise Kelly, Global Trade Strategy & Resilience Leader at Deloitte Ireland, said today’s CSO figures show how geopolitical developments are impacting Irish businesses.
She said this was particularly clear in the increased costs of oil. Imports of petroleum, petrol products and related materials increased by €73m (15.9%) to €536.1m in July 2026, compared with €462.7m in July 2025.
“Movements in this category remain important for Irish businesses given the influence of global energy markets on operating costs, supply chains, and competitiveness.,” she added.
Louise Kelly noted that chemical and related products remained the country’s largest export category, although exports decreased by 3.4% to €9.18 billion in July.
“The monthly figures suggest a relatively stable underlying performance when compared with the exceptionally high levels recorded during parts of 2025,” she stated.
“There was an increase in exports to the US in July 2026 compared to July 2025 but more importantly, also compared to July 2024, as 2025 saw some unusual trade activity due to stockpiling,” she said.