Ireland’s trade surplus widened to €11.1 billion in April 2025, up from €8.6 billion a year earlier. Exports rose 12.7% year-on-year to €21.9 billion, driven mainly by a 23.6% surge in medical and pharmaceutical products to €10.9 billion. In the first four months of the year, pharmaceutical exports soared, making up 60.2% of total shipments—largely to the US, as American multinationals rushed to get ahead of Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs. Meanwhile, imports dipped 0.2% to €10.8 billion, weighed down by sharp declines in organic chemicals (-30.1% to €0.5 billion) and office machines/data processing equipment (-3.9% to €0.8 billion). These were partly offset by a 106.3% jump in medical and pharmaceutical imports to €1.8 billion, which accounted for 17% of total imports. Imports from Great Britain rose 4.8%, representing 12.4% of the total.
