Aeronautical products and medicines were among the 20 highest value Irish import products in 2016.
The most valuable Irish imports also include phone system devices (including smartphones) and computers. Processed petroleum oils and crude oil represent other items where Ireland’s domestic supply lags demand, as is the case for Ireland’s imported cars and trucks.
The following list shows on which product categories Irish importers spent the most. Unlike most information currently available on the web, the items below are detailed at the 4-digit tariff code level. This can help entrepreneurs identify more precisely which products in which Ireland has strong demand but competitive disadvantages compared with other nations. Innovation can transform these disadvantages into lucrative business opportunities.
Highest Value Irish Import Products
Below are the 20 highest value import products delivered to Irish importers in 2016. Shown within brackets is the change in value for each imported product over the 7-year period starting in 2009 when effects from the Global Recession kicked in.
- Aircraft, spacecraft: US$12.6 billion (Up 147.7% from 2009 to 2016)
- Medication mixes in dosage: $2.9 billion (Up 32.3%)
- Cars: $2.7 billion (Up 306.3%)
- Computers, optical readers: $2.5 billion (Up 17.1%)
- Blood fractions (including antisera): $2 billion (Up 301.4%)
- Processed petroleum oils: $2 billion (Down -36.2%)
- Heterocyclics, nucleic acids: $1.5 billion (Up 94.5%)
- Phone system devices including smartphones: $1.3 billion (Up 19.9%)
- Miscellaneous heterocyclics: $1.1 billion (Up 251.4%)
- Crude oil: $1.1 billion (Down -18.4%)
- Electro-medical equip (e.g. xrays): $1.1 billion (Up 42.7%)
- Computer parts, accessories: $967.6 million (Down -64.7%)
- Medication mixes not in dosage: $941.3 million (Up 87.9%)
- Petroleum gases: $799.5 million (Down -36.8%)
- Orthopedic appliances: $688.4 million (Down -7.5%)
- Trucks: $636 million (Up 417.3%)
- Bread, biscuits, cakes, pastries: $533.6 million (Up 17.2%)
- Integrated circuits/microassemblies: $514.9 million (Down -55%)
- Unrecorded sound media: $470 million (Up 7.5%)
- Plastic packing goods, lids, caps: $428.2 million (Up 22.6%)
Among these product categories, trucks posted the greatest increase in Irish import purchases with a 417.3% gain in value from $122.9 million in 2009 to $636 million during 2016.
In second place were imported cars which improved 306.3% over the same 7-year period.
Irish imports of blood fractions including antisera also showed a formidable gain in 2016 up 301.4% from 2009, followed by imported miscellaneous heterocyclics up 251.4%.
Leading the decliners were computer parts and accessories, down -64.7%.