New CSO figures record two-thirds decrease in Irish exports to US – BDO Ireland analysis

 
Carol Lynch, Partner & Head of Customs and International Trade Services, was featured in Business Plus with her commentary on the latest update from CSO.


Preliminary CSO statistics for June reveal Irish exports to the United States fell dramatically by almost two-thirds from €48.9 billion (-65.1%) to €26.2 billion from January to June 2026 when compared to the same period in 2025 (€75.1 billion). This is an expected reflection of the initial surge in Irish-US exports to bolster stockpiles in anticipation of new US tariff regimes in early 2025.

Exports to the UK in the first half of 2026 also increased by 42.6% compared to the same period in 2025. This demonstrates the continued growth of the Irish-UK trading relationship, despite regulatory divergences post-Brexit. This represents a €3.1 billion increase in exports to €10.3 billion when compared to 2025. In total, Ireland’s export of goods increased by €1.2 billion (+7.1%) to €18.1 billion when compared to June 2025 (€16.9 billion).

Notably, Irish imports of Office Machines & Automatic Data Processing Machine increased by €905.2 million (+102.3%) to €1.8 billion in June 2026 compared with June 2025 (€885.2 million).
 


READ FULL COMMENTARY

Ireland's export performance continues to demonstrate resilience and diversification in the face of difficult geopolitical factors and ongoing changes in US tariff rules. While exports for the first half of the year are down by around 1/3rd on H1 2025 this is primarily related to US exports (down almost 2/3rd) and was to be expected following last year's stock piling in the early months. We are now seeing some normalisation and it is very positive that exports generally increased in June 2026 compared to June 2025 (+7.1%).

Carol LynchPartner and Head of Customs & International Trade Services, BDO Ireland

We are also seeing strong growth in exports to Great Britain which is a positive sign - particularly in chemical and related products and machinery and transport. Particularly notable is that exports to China have increased considerably, rising from €697m in June 2025 to €1,297m in June 2026. This is particularly in the chemicals/Pharma and machinery/transport categories. Similar patterns can be seen for exports to the rest of the world outside of the US, EU and GB. This increase in exports on a global basis is a solid indicator that Irish exporters are navigating the changing global trading environment.

Carol LynchPartner and Head of Customs & International Trade Services, BDO Ireland

Find out how BDO experts can help your business

Learn moreOpens in a new window/tab