Preliminary figures from the Central Statistics Office show the value of exports rose by 16.4% to a record level of €260.3 billion in 2025 on the back of a surge of frontloaded exports during the first half of the year due to threatened US tariffs.
The value of imports also rose in 2025 by 7% to €144 billion when compared with 2024, the CSO added.
Today's CSO figures show that exports to the US sank by 41.1% to €3.3 billion in December last year compared with €5.7 billion in December 2024.
Ireland's top export trading partners last year were the US, the Netherlands, and Belgium, with Ireland exporting 42.9% (€111.7 billion), 9.9% (€25.7 billion), and 6.1% (€15.8 billion) of total exports respectively to these countries.
The CSO said that exports of medical and pharmaceutical products increased by 39% in 2025 to €138.6 billion compared with €99.7 billion in 2024, with these products representing 53.2% of total export goods last year.
Today's CSO figures also show that the unadjusted value of exports grew by 1.7% to €16 billion in December 2025 compared with December 2024's total of €15.7 billion.
The seasonally adjusted trade surplus increased by 19.7% to €4.9 billion in December from €4.1 billion in November, the CSO added.
Commenting on today's figures, Carol Lynch, Head of Customs and International Trade Services at BDO, said that while they are impressive, they are also slightly skewed by the significant level of US pharmaceutical and related exports, particularly in early 2025.
"These exports were at their height before the imposition of the Trump tariffs, particularly in the January to March period, in order to avoid any risk of a 25% or 50% tariff or worse being imposed," Carol Lynch said.
"We are now seeing US exports re-adjust in December 2025, reducing by 41% in December 2025 versus December 2024, with the reduction particularly occurring in Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals (over 50%) following the trend from November," she said.
She also said the scale of Ireland's exposure to US trade policy and its knock-on impact on Global Trade Rules remains "stark".
Ms Lynch also noted that almost 43% of Irish exports in 2025 were to the US. Between January and December 2025, the value of Irish exports to the EU of Chemicals and related products was almost €60 billion, while at the same time, tthe same product exports to the US were almost €95 billion.
"While some of the uplift reflected stockpiling ahead of anticipated tariff changes in early 2025, the figures nonetheless underline a central truth - Ireland's economic performance is heavily dependent on the US market," she said.
