Ireland: Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Ireland's merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) rose 2.7% on 2022 (from US$146.16 billion to US$150.13 billion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +7.1% and a typical year strayed about 10.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 38.8% in 1979 and the biggest yearly fall was 25.8% in 2009. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is upward, about US$7.91 billion a year. A straight line explains 84% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about US$157.1 billion for 2026. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2021 to 2023 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was US$30.07 billion, against US$41.84 billion for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2023, Ireland had the 34th highest value of the 205 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Ireland in the 2023 ranking

• Saudi Arabia — 30th of 205: US$210.68 billion
• Sweden — 31st of 205: US$192.82 billion
• Hungary — 32nd of 205: US$153.87 billion
• Romania — 34th of 205: US$131.92 billion
• Philippines — 35th of 205: US$126.11 billion
• Denmark — 36th of 205: US$120.45 billion

What this measures

Merchandise imports by the reporting economy are the total merchandise imports by the reporting economy from the rest of the world, as reported in the IMF's Direction of trade database. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 64 values

Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) in nearby economies

• Albania — US$8.69 billion (2023)
• Armenia — US$12.46 billion (2023)
• Austria — US$226.25 billion (2023)
• Azerbaijan — US$17.28 billion (2023)
• Belarus — US$57.11 billion (2023)
• Belgium — US$555.3 billion (2023)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — US$15.34 billion (2023)
• Bulgaria — US$53.42 billion (2023)
• Croatia — US$43.25 billion (2023)

More private sector & trade data for Ireland

• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 62.72% (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$159.22 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$293.42 billion (2025)
• Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World (% of total merchandise imports) — 0.82% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from high-income economies (% of total merchandise imports) — 88.24% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside region (% of total merchandise imports) — 10.79% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East Asia & Pacific (% of total merchandise imports) — 7.84% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in Europe & Central Asia (% of total merchandise imports)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Ireland's merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$)?

US$150.13 billion in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 25,537% from US$585.6 million in 1960 (9.2% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$150.13 billion in 2023 and the lowest US$585.6 million in 1960.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator TM.VAL.MRCH.WL.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB); Direction of Trade database, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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