United Kingdom (GBR) and Ireland (IRL) Trade

2022

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Exports $32.6BRnk 5 / 224

2022

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About

United Kingdom-Ireland Trade: In 2022, United Kingdom exported $32.6B to Ireland. The main products that United Kingdom exported to Ireland were Petroleum Gas ($4.73B), Refined Petroleum ($4.05B), and Nitrogen Heterocyclic Compounds ($3.76B). Over the past 5 years the exports of United Kingdom to Ireland have increased at an annualized rate of 5.92%, from $24.4B in 2017 to $32.6B in 2022.

In 2019, United Kingdom exported services to Ireland worth $17.6B, with Other business services ($14.6B), Travel ($1.74B), and Transportation ($985M) being the largest in terms of value.

Ireland-United Kingdom Trade: In 2022, Ireland exported $19B to United Kingdom. The main products that Ireland exported to United Kingdom were Nitrogen Heterocyclic Compounds ($1.41B), Packaged Medicaments ($1.22B), and Vaccines, blood, antisera, toxins and cultures ($997M). Over the past 5 years the exports of Ireland to United Kingdom have increased at an annualized rate of 0.038%, from $18.8B in 2017 to $19B in 2022.

In 2020, Ireland exported services to United Kingdom worth $18.3B, with Financial services ($7.99B), Other business services ($5.29B), and Insurance services ($2.22B) being the largest in terms of value.

Comparison: In 2022, United Kingdom ranked 12 in the Economic Complexity Index (ECI 1.42), and 14 in total exports ($469B). That same year, Ireland ranked 18 in the Economic Complexity Index (ECI 1.27), and 31 in total exports ($236B).

Latest Trends

August, 2024

About

Overview In August 2024, United Kingdom exported £1.79B and imported £1.4B from Ireland, resulting in a positive trade balance of £399M. Between August 2023 and August 2024 the exports of United Kingdom have decreased by £-541M (-23.2%) from £2.34B to £1.79B, while imports decreased by £-56.2M (-3.87%) from £1.45B to £1.4B.

Trade In August 2024, the top exports of United Kingdom to Ireland were Petroleum Gas (£237M), Refined Petroleum (£234M), Nitrogen Heterocyclic Compounds (£168M), Gas Turbines (£94.2M), and Packaged Medicaments (£80.1M). In August 2024 the top imports of United Kingdom from Ireland were Nitrogen Heterocyclic Compounds (£289M), Gas Turbines (£77.5M), Cheese (£64.6M), Bovine Meat (£52.5M), and Packaged Medicaments (£52.1M).

Origins In August 2024 the exports of United Kingdom were mainly from Holyhead (£513M), Liverpool (£326M), Milford (£124M), Heysham (£57.9M), and East Midlands Airport (£49.4M), while imports destinations were mainly Holyhead (£425M), Liverpool (£220M), Milford (£123M), and East Midlands Airport (£52.6M).

Growth In August 2024, the decrease in United Kingdom's year-by-year exports to Ireland was explained primarily by an decrease in product exports in Nitrogen Heterocyclic Compounds (£-75.4M or -30.9%), Petroleum Gas (£-41.4M or -14.9%), and Ceramic Bricks (£-5.24M or -93.2%). In August 2024, the decrease in United Kingdom's year-by-year imports from Ireland was explained primarily by an decrease in product imports in Nitrogen Heterocyclic Compounds (£-69.4M or -19.4%), Electricity (£-18.8M or -71.6%), and Glass Bottles (£-15.9M or -73.5%).

Latest Trade

Time Scale

Year

Quarter

Month

Flow

Exports

Imports

Value

Trade Value

Growth

Growth (%)

Depth

HS2

HS4

HS6

EXPORT GROWTH (August 2023 - August 2024)£-541M(-23.2%)

IMPORT GROWTH (August 2023 - August 2024)£-56.2M(-3.87%)

MAIN EXPORTER (August 2024)Holyhead£513M

This section shows exports and imports data at subnational level for United Kingdom. Click any date in the line plot, any subnational region in the geomap or any product to explore the exports or imports behavior of United Kingdom over time.

To check Ireland and United Kingdom trade dynamics, check the bilateral page.

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Historical Data

Bilateral Trade by Products

Depth

HS2

HS4

HS6

Value

Trade

Growth

Growth (%)

Year

In 2022, United Kingdom exported $32.6B to Ireland. The main products exported from United Kingdom to Ireland were Petroleum Gas ($4.73B), Refined Petroleum ($4.05B), and Nitrogen Heterocyclic Compounds ($3.76B). During the last 5 years the exports of United Kingdom to Ireland have increased at an annualized rate of 5.92%, from $24.4B in 2017 to $32.6B in 2022.

In 2017, Ireland exported $19B to United Kingdom. The main products exported from Ireland to United Kingdom were Nitrogen Heterocyclic Compounds ($1.41B), Packaged Medicaments ($1.22B), and Vaccines, blood, antisera, toxins and cultures ($997M). During the last 5 years the exports of Ireland to United Kingdom have increased at an annualized rate of 0.038%, from $18.8B in 2022 to $19B in 2017.

Exports from United Kingdom () to Ireland () (2022)

Exports from Ireland () to United Kingdom () (2022)

Market Competitiveness

Color

Exports

Export Growth

Section

Year

United Kingdom
Top DestinationUnited States$61.8B

Ireland
Top DestinationUnited States$70.7B

This map shows whether countries import more from United Kingdom or Ireland. Each country is colored based on the difference in imports they receive from United Kingdom and Ireland or the difference in the growth in imports.

In 2022, countries that imported more from United Kingdom than Ireland included Netherlands ($41.9B), France ($30.2B), and China ($35.4B).

In 2022, countries that imported more from Ireland than United Kingdom included United States ($70.7B), Vietnam ($1.61B), and Mexico ($2.17B).

Difference in imports from Ireland () and United Kingdom () (2022)

Comparative Advantage United Kingdom - Ireland

Flow

Section

HS2

HS4

Scale

Log

Linear

Year

This chart compares trade between United Kingdom and Ireland by product, considering products traded by both, United Kingdom and Ireland.

During 2022, United Kingdom had a large net trade with Ireland in the exports of Mineral Products ($9.24B), Chemical Products ($7.19B), and Machines ($4.95B).

During 2017, Ireland had a large net trade with United Kingdom in the exports of Chemical Products ($5.26B), Animal Products ($2.76B), and Foodstuffs ($2.71B).

Potential Exports

Depth

Section

HS2

HS4

View

Top 20

Top 15

Top 10

Sort By

Highest Potential

Most Saturated

Section

Top Product Potential United Kingdom Ireland+$212MCars

Top Product Potential Ireland United Kingdom+$742MPackaged Medicaments

We estimate the export potential of an economy for each product and destination using an extension of the bilateral relatedness model of Jun et al. (2019).This extended gravity model considers similarities among products and geographies and explains more than 50% of the variance in future trade flows.

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Bilateral Service Trade

Irl Year

Gbr Year

In 2019, United Kingdom exported services to Ireland worth $17.6B, with Other business services ($14.6B), Travel ($1.74B), and Transportation ($985M) being the largest in terms of value.

Service trade data is presented based on availability.

Services Exports from United Kingdom () to Ireland () (2019)

Services Exports from Ireland () to United Kingdom () (2020)

Service Trade

Economic Complexity

Competitive Landscape

Year

This visualization shows the product space at the HS4 level with the flags of United Kingdom and Ireland. This means that a dot/product with the flag of United Kingdom indicates it has a comparative advantage over Ireland. Similarly, a dot/product with the flag of Ireland indicates it has a comparative advantage over United Kingdom.

Product Space of United Kingdom () and Ireland () (2022)

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