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Economic Overview

For the latest updates on the key economic responses from governments to address the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, please consult the IMF's policy tracking platform Policy Responses to COVID-19.

Since the end of the EU-IMF bailout in late 2013, Ireland has enjoyed steady economic growth, and positioned itself as the fastest growing European economy. The national economy has been supported by strong domestic demand and by the activities of multinational companies operating in the country. After recording an exceptional growth in 2021 (+13.6%), Ireland’s economy grew at a slower pace in 2022 (+9%) but remained very dynamic. Economic growth is supported by strong interior demand boosted by the full relaxation of the pandemic-related restrictions and dynamic exports from multinational-dominated sectors (IMF). The IMF expects GDP growth to ease to 4% in 2023 and 2024. The war in Ukraine, persistent inflationary pressures fuelled by supply bottlenecks and layoffs in the multinational tech sector will negatively affect growth (IMF and The Economist Intelligence Unit).

Despite the war in Ukraine and the global energy crisis, the Irish economy remained resilient in 2022. In addition to the strong financial performance of multinational companies, consumer and domestic firms’ spending were stimulated by the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions. The government implemented various measures to deal with the consequences of the war in Ukraine, including lower VAT on gas and electricity, discounted fuel prices, reduced public transport fares and allowances for less well-off households (Coface). The wide package adopted in September to support households and SMEs against inflation in 2022-2023 represented 2.6% GDP (OECD). As a result of the various fiscal packages, Ireland's previously balanced budget was pushed into deficit in 2020 (-5.1% GDP) and 2021 (-1.7% GDP), but it returned to a small surplus in 2022 (0.4% GDP) due to the surge in corporate tax revenues (IMF). According to IMF estimates, the budget should remain in surplus in 2023 (0.5% GDP) and 2024 (0.7% GDP). Taking into account the  to the transient nature of corporate tax revenues, the government decided to put EUR 6 billion of windfall tax gains in the National Reserve Fund by 2023 (OECD). Public debt, which is relatively modest compared to the Eurozone average, is expected to continue to decrease, from 47.0% GDP in 2022 to 42.8% GDP in 2023 and 39.2% GDP in 2024 (IMF). In addition to the pandemic-related supply chain delays, the war in Ukraine led to the surge in the prices of many commodities (oil, gas, metals, cereals) in 2022. From 2.4% in 2021, inflation soared to 8.4% in 2022 (IMF). It is expected to remain high in 2023 (6.5%) before declining to 3% in 2024 (IMF). The Budget 2023, coined as a ‘cost of living’ budget, aims at tackling inflation and supporting households and businesses. In addition to these short-term objectives, the priorities are also to ensure sustainable tax receipts, to reinforce the country’s resilience against future shocks, to address housing and health issues and to tackle climate change. Measures include tax credits, refunds, changes in tax rates and rate bands, extension of incentive schemes etc. (PwC) Global economic uncertainty over the war in Ukraine, high inflation, and the volatility of tax revenues that are highly dependent on the activity of multinationals are the main challenges. In the medium term, higher corporate tax rates and tensions around the implementation of the agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom could deteriorate business climate (OECD).

According to data from the National Statistics Office (CSO), after soaring due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment rate decreased to 4.3% in December 2022. IMF figures indicate an unemployment rate of 4.7% in 2022, and forecast a slight increase to 4.8% in 2023 and 2024. In November 2020, the COVID-19 Adjusted Measure of Unemployment (considering all claimants of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) classified as unemployed) indicated a rate as high as 20.4% (CSO).

 
Main Indicators 202020212022 (E)2023 (E)2024 (E)
GDP (billions USD) 425.51504.52529.66594.10633.70
GDP (Constant Prices, Annual % Change) 6.213.612.05.64.0
GDP per Capita (USD) 85,234100,145103,176114,581121,010
General Government Balance (in % of GDP) -1.30.42.72.31.3
General Government Gross Debt (in % of GDP) 58.455.445.239.936.1
Inflation Rate (%) -0.52.48.15.03.2
Unemployment Rate (% of the Labour Force) 5.96.34.54.54.5
Current Account (billions USD) -29.1171.7946.6248.6747.47
Current Account (in % of GDP) -6.814.28.88.27.5

Source: IMF – World Economic Outlook Database , October 2021

Country Risk

See the country risk analysis provided by La Coface.

 

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Main Sectors of Industry

Agriculture remains a key sector as the government seeks to strengthen its role in the economy by modernising it and transforming the food processing industries (beef, dairy, potatoes, barley, wheat). The beef and dairy categories are the largest and account for nearly 70% of Gross Agricultural Output (GAO). Other sectors to have a share in GAO include pig, sheep and cereals. Agriculture represents 1% of GDP and employs 4% of the labour force (World Bank, 2021).

Ireland's recent industrial development was achieved through a deliberate policy of promoting advanced export-oriented enterprises, and partly through attractive offers for investors. The sector accounts for 37.8% of GDP and employs 19% of the active population (World Bank). Textiles, chemicals and electronics perform particularly well.

The service sector accounts for 55.4% of GDP and employs more than three-quarters of the labour force (77%) (World Bank). Banking and finance have grown to such an extent that Dublin counts now as an important international financial centre, while tourism has become an important source of foreign exchange earnings. In 2021, tourism contributed to 1.2% of total GDP or EUR 5.1 billion, with 127,900 people employed according to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).

In 2022, despite the global crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Irish economic sectors remained resilient. The govenment put in place an energy support scheme to help businesses tackle inflation.

 
Breakdown of Economic Activity By Sector Agriculture Industry Services
Employment By Sector (in % of Total Employment) 4.4 18.8 76.8
Value Added (in % of GDP) 1.0 37.8 55.4
Value Added (Annual % Change) 0.4 20.3 7.0

Source: World Bank - Latest available data.

 
Monetary Indicators 20162017201820192020
Euro (EUR) - Average Annual Exchange Rate For 1 USD 0.940.890.850.890.88

Source: World Bank - Latest available data.

 

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Foreign Trade

Ireland is a very open economy, and therefore very dependent on the international economic situation and vulnerable to external shocks. Trade accounted for 229% of GDP in 2021 (World Bank). Ireland’s main imports are aircrafts, biological materials, medicine, automatic data-processing machines, oil and petroleum products and automobiles. The country exports mainly biological materials, medicines, industrial raw materials, electronic parts and medical devices. In 2022, despite the war in Ukraine, the volume of exports of goods and services increased by 10.6% compared to 2020. Similarly, imports increased by 10% (IMF). The IMF forecasts a more moderate increase of exports in 2023 (+5.8%) and 2024 (+5%) and a similar trend for imports (+6.4% in 2023 and +5.4% in 2024).

Ireland's main trading partners are the European Union (the United Kingdom is the main market for imports and the forth largest for exports), the United States, China and Switzerland. The UK’s withdrawal from the EU (Brexit) raises many questions around the future relations between Ireland and its main trade partner. Irish exports are expected to slow down and to suffer from a depreciated sterling pound. The recently introduced higher corporate tax rates may also prompt multinational companies to delocalise.

The Irish trade balance is structurally in surplus. According to the WTO, in 2021 Ireland exported goods with a record total value of USD 190.3 billion, while it imported goods worth USD 119.5 billion. The country exported for 337.8 billion USD of services in 2021, and imported for a value of 341.5 billion USD. According to the Central Statistics Office data, trade balance in goods reached a surplus of EUR 64.8 billion during the 11 months from January to November 2022.

 
Foreign Trade Values 20172018201920202021
Imports of Goods (million USD) 93,198107,669101,10498,750119,496
Exports of Goods (million USD) 137,359164,794169,625179,772190,319
Imports of Services (million USD) 200,597241,804332,092295,688341,456
Exports of Services (million USD) 179,545222,127247,408262,309337,759

Source: World Trade Organisation (WTO) ; Latest available data

Foreign Trade Indicators 20172018201920202021
Foreign Trade (in % of GDP) 220.0217.1252.2247.8229.4
Trade Balance (million USD) 123,714129,048133,368162,352197,982
Trade Balance (Including Service) (million USD) 75,812110,47949,33482,115199,483
Imports of Goods and Services (Annual % Change) 1.22.542.3-2.1-8.3
Exports of Goods and Services (Annual % Change) 9.69.811.811.214.1
Imports of Goods and Services (in % of GDP) 99.094.3124.4114.495.0
Exports of Goods and Services (in % of GDP) 121.0122.8127.9133.3134.4

Source: World Bank ; Latest available data

Foreign Trade Forecasts 20222023 (e)2024 (e)2025 (e)2026 (e)
Volume of exports of goods and services (Annual % change) 15.07.96.05.04.0
Volume of imports of goods and services (Annual % change) 19.07.06.35.55.0

Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook ; Latest available data

Note: (e) Estimated Data

 
International Economic Cooperation
Ireland is a member of the following international economic organisations: IMF, European Union, ICC, European Economic Area, WTO, Organization of American States (OAS) (observer), OECD, among others. For the full list of economic and other international organisations in which participates Ireland click here. International organisation membership of Ireland is also outlined here.
Free Trade Agreements
The complete and up-to-date list of Free Trade Agreements signed by Ireland can be consulted here.
 

Main Partner Countries

Main Customers
(% of Exports)
2021
United States 31.7%
United Kingdom 11.0%
Germany 10.7%
Belgium 8.2%
China 6.8%
See More Countries 31.7%
Main Suppliers
(% of Imports)
2021
United Kingdom 18.8%
United States 17.5%
France 9.9%
China 8.1%
Germany 7.0%
See More Countries 38.6%

Source: Comtrade, Latest Available Data

 

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Political Outline

Current Political Leaders
President: Michael D. Higgins (since 29 October 2011, re-elected in October 2018)
Prime Minister: Leo Varadkar (since 16 December 2022)
Next Election Dates
Presidential elections: November 2025
Senate: 2025
House of Representatives: 2025
Current Political Context
General elections were held in February 2020, in which no party secured a majority but Fianna Fáil won the most seats. After months of coalition negotiations disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, traditional rival parties Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael formed a coalition government for the first time, along with the Green Party. The Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin was elected as Ireland’s Taoiseach (prime minister) in June 2020, succeeding to Fine Gael’s leader Leo Varadkar. The nationalist party Sinn Féin made a historic breakthrough at these elections, and in July 2022, it took advantage of the loss of the government's majority in the Dáil to launch a motion of censure. However, the motion of no confidence was largely rejected (Coface). This strategic weakness of the government, leaves the opposition well placed to condemn the coalition for its alleged failures on housing, health and mitigating the cost-of-living crisis (The Economist). In 2022, after two years of restrictions measures including mandatory lockdowns, hotel quarantine and masks-wearing, all COVID-19 restrictions were removed, but the government had to face the new challenge of high inflation triggered by the war in Ukraine. According to the rotating leadership agreement, Leo Varadkar returned to power in December 2022 for the second part of the mandate.

After three years of conflict, the British Parliament voted in December 2019 in favor of the plan to leave the EU proposed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. In December 2020 on Christmas Eve, a 'thin deal' was signed, leaving much topics unsettled, to avoid a catastrophic exit without a deal. The stakes were crucial for Ireland because of its privileged trade relations with the United Kingdom and its land border with Northern Ireland. Besides the Brexit issue, Ireland adopted an international tax reform increasing the corporate tax rate, as agreed with the OECD. In December 2022, the Finance Minister announced that Ireland's corporation tax rate would be increased to 15% for large companies in 2024.

Main Political Parties
Historically, the Fianna Fail and Fine Gael parties have dominated politics.
- Fine Gael: centre-right, socially moderate and fiscally conservative
- Fianna Fail: centre/centre-right, populist
- Labour: centre-left
- Sinn Fein: left-wing
- Green Party: centre-left, driven by green politics.

-Renua Ireland
-Social Democrats
-Socialist Party

- Aontú


-Workers and unemployed Action: left

-Independents 4 Change: left

Executive Power
The President, who serves as the Head of State in a largely ceremonial role, is elected for a 7-year term and can be re-elected only once. The Prime Minister (Taoiseach) is the Head of the Government. He is appointed by the president after being appointed by the lower house.
Legislative Power
Bicameral national Parliament (Oireachtas): House of Representatives (Dail) and Senate (Seanad). The Chamber of Deputies has 166 members elected by universal suffrage and the Senate is composed of 60 members (one part elected by the national universities and the other part by a representative panel of the civil society).
 

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COVID-19 Country Response

COVID-19 epidemic evolution
To find out about the latest status of the COVID-19 pandemic evolution and the most up-to-date statistics on the COVID-19 disease in the Republic of Ireland, please visit the Irish government website COVID-19 (Coronavirus) with the official data, as well as the "Latest updates on COVID-19" section on the platform Gov.ie.
For the international outlook you can consult the latest situation reports published by the World Health Organisation as well as the global daily statistics on the coronavirus pandemic evolution including data on confirmed cases and deaths by country.
Sanitary measures
To find out about the latest public health situation in the Republic of Ireland and the current sanitary measures in vigour, please consult the Irish government webpage Public health measures in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19  including the up-to-date information on the containment measures put in place and public health recommendations.
Travel restrictions
The COVID-19 situation, including the spread of new variants, evolves rapidly and differs from country to country. All travelers need to pay close attention to the conditions at their destination before traveling. Regularly updated information for all countries with regards to Covid-19 related travel restrictions in place including entry regulations, flight bans, test requirements and quarantine is available on TravelDoc Infopage.
It is also highly recommended to consult COVID-19 Travel Regulations Map provided and updated on the daily basis by IATA.
The US government website of Centers of Disease Control and Prevention provides COVID-19 Travel Recommendations by Destination.
The UK Foreign travel advice also provides travelling abroad advice for all countries, including the latest information on coronavirus, safety and security, entry requirements and travel warnings.
Import & export restrictions
For the up-to-date information on all the measures applicable to movement of goods during the period of sanitary emergency due to the COVID-19 outbreak (including eventual restrictions on imports and exports, if applicable), please consult the dedicated page on the website of the Irish Tax and Customs Authority.
For a general overview of trade restrictions due to COVID-19 pandemic, please consult the section dedicated to the Republic of Ireland on the International Trade Centre's COVID-19 Temporary Trade Measures webpage.
Economic recovery plan
For information on the economic recovery scheme put in place by the Irish government to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the national economy, please visit the webpage Ireland's response to COVID-19 (Coronavirus) on the gov.ie website. Further details are available on the website of the Central Bank of Ireland.
For the general overview of the key economic policy responses to the COVID-19 outbreak (fiscal, monetary and macroeconomic) taken by the Irish government to limit the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, please consult the section dedicated to Ireland in the IMF’s Policy Tracker platform.
Support plan for businesses
For information on the local business support scheme established by the Irish government to help small and medium-sized companies to deal with the economic impacts of the COVID-19 epidemic on their activity, please consult the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation's website and the webpage of the Central Bank of Ireland. Further information is available on Enterprise Ireland’s Covid-19 Business Response website.
For a general overview of international SME support policy responses to the COVID-19 outbreak refer to the OECD's SME Covid-19 Policy Responses document.
You can also consult the World Bank's Map of SME-Support Measures in Response to COVID-19.
Support plan for exporters
To find out about the support plan for the Irish exporting companies put in place by the Irish government, please consult Enterprise Ireland’s Covid-19 Business Response website.
 

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