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2026-02-17 20:28:17
[Ireland's Exports to the US Surge 52%, a "Last Rush" for the Weight-Loss Drug Craze?] ⑴ Data released by Ireland's Central Statistics Office on Tuesday showed that Ireland's merchandise exports to the US surged 52% in 2025 from €73.5 billion in 2024 to €111.7 billion, a record high. This boosted Ireland's total exports for the year to a record €260.3 billion. ⑵ The explosive growth in exports was mainly driven by strong sales of medical and pharmaceutical products, which increased by 39% to €138.6 billion, accounting for more than half of total exports. This included peptide hormones used in popular weight-loss drugs. The Central Statistics Office noted that "more than half of all goods exported in 2025 were medical and pharmaceutical products." ⑶ The surge in exports propelled Ireland's economy to grow by 12.6% in 2025, the fastest growth since 2021, making it the fastest-growing developed economy. This performance also boosted the Eurozone economy as a whole, resulting in its strongest annual growth since 2022. (4) However, this surge may be unsustainable. Data shows that the export boom largely stemmed from US companies increasing their inventories at the beginning of the year in anticipation of tariffs. As last year drew to a close, the momentum quickly dissipated, with December exports to the US falling sharply by 41% compared to the same period in 2024. The stellar performance in 2025 may simply be a "last gasp" before the tariff storm.
