The value of Ireland’s exports to the United States declined in June, as US president Donald Trump’s tariffs on the European Union continues to strain economic relations on either side of the Atlantic.
Ireland exported €4.3 billion worth of goods to the US in June, according to provisional figures released on Tuesday by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). Although this is a €300 million decrease from the previous month, it still is the State’s largest trading partner.
Ireland’s trading with the US has seen inconsistency throughout the year, with the value of exported goods peaking in April at €5.1 billion following a low of €3.5 billion in January.
Louise Kelly, Deloitte Ireland’s global trade strategy and resilience leader, said these trade figures “are consistent with what we have seen in previous months” and that “there is a pattern emerging”.
READ MORE
She said the value of Irish exports in the first half of 2026 was “significantly down” from the same time last year, although comparing the difference from 2025 “is an ongoing challenge, due to the inflated figures from front-loading in light of US tariffs”.
“However, a comparison with June 2024 points to a normalisation of our export figures after an extraordinary 2025 when global trade was totally transformed,” Kelly said.
Trump introduced sweeping and steep tariffs in 2025, with “a uniform 15 per cent tariff” applied “to all EU exports to the US from 1 August 2025 – three times the previous average of nearly five per cent,” according to DCU’s Davide Genini.
About €2.1 billion worth of goods were exported from Ireland to the United Kingdom, while exports across the 26 other EU member states amounted to €6.6 billion, according to data from the CSO. A further €3.9 billion worth of goods were exported to the rest of the world.
The value of imports from the US was notably lower than its exports – at €2.6 billion – while the trading balance was more equal with the UK, from which €2 billion worth of goods were imported in June. Ireland imported €3.7 billion worth of goods from the EU last month and €4.4 billion from the rest of the world.
Carol Lynch, the head of customs and international trade services at accountancy and business advisory firm BDO, said an increase in exports to the UK was “a positive sign”.
“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,” she said.
Kelly added: “Ireland’s export performance continues to demonstrate resilience and diversification in the face of difficult geopolitical factors and ongoing changes in US tariff rules.”
Ireland’s highest-value sectors for exports included chemical products (€8.3 billion) and machinery and transport equipment (€4.2 billion), while they accounted for €2.9 billion and €4.8 billion worth of imports into the State last month, respectively.
