Irish exports plunge 35% as pharma shipments fall
Ireland’s goods exports fell by 35% in January 2026 compared with the same month last year, according to the Central Statistics Office.
In January 2026, unadjusted goods exports were €16.2 billion, compared with €24.9 billion in January 2025, a decrease of €8.7 billion.
Along with the value of exports, the CSO data found that Ireland’s top exporting partners were the Netherlands, Great Britain and the US.
In January 2026, the US, the Netherlands and Great Britain accounted for 45.3% of Ireland’s total export goods.
Exports to the US fell by 71% in January 2026, compared to January last year, with exports of chemicals and pharmaceuticals to the US falling to 81%.
Exports to Great Britain increased by 47% to €1.8 billion, with a total increase of €567.5 million.
When it came to imports, the highest value of goods that came into Ireland came from China, the US and Great Britain; with these countries representing 35% of total imports.
Imports from Great Britain fell by 10.4%, with the largest share of imports being Mineral Fuels, Lubricants, and Machinery & Transport Equipment.
Imports from the US declined by 33.9%; the main products imported were Chemicals as well as Machinery and Transport Equipment.
Jane Burmanje of the CSO said: “In January 2026, Ireland’s unadjusted exports of goods decreased by more than a third (€8.7 billion) to €16.2 billion compared with January 2025 (€24.9 billion).
“This fall was largely driven by a decline in the export of pharmaceutical products over this period. A record level of goods (€87.4 billion) was exported in Quarter 1 of 2025; however, exports of goods have declined on average each quarter since Q1 2025.
“Exports of Medical & Pharmaceutical Products more than halved (-61.0%) to €5.9 billion in January 2026 compared with January 2025 (€15.2 billion); nonetheless, pharmaceuticals remain Ireland’s largest export product. More than a third (36.8%) of all goods exported in January 2026 were pharmaceuticals (€5.9 billion).”