Material import dependency in Ireland
Ireland: Material import dependency was 33.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
33.0%
Change on year
up 3.1%
World rank
24th
of 43 countries
All-time high
33.0%
in 2025
All-time low
19.3%
in 2003
Years of data
32
1994–2025
Material import dependency in Ireland, 1994–2025
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Percentage.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 33.0% for material import dependency in 2025. That is the highest value across all 32 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.1% on the previous year and up 1.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, material import dependency in Ireland peaked at 33.0% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 19.3%, in 2003.
That places Ireland 24th out of 43 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.
Material import dependency in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Percentage | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 23.1% | — |
| 1995 | 22.7% | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 22.5% | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 23.3% | +3.6% |
| 1998 | 24.0% | +3.0% |
| 1999 | 21.7% | -9.6% |
| 2000 | 21.3% | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 21.2% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 22.7% | +7.1% |
| 2003 | 19.3% | -15.0% |
| 2004 | 20.2% | +4.7% |
| 2005 | 20.3% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 19.9% | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 21.0% | +5.5% |
| 2008 | 21.9% | +4.3% |
| 2009 | 24.2% | +10.5% |
| 2010 | 28.7% | +18.6% |
| 2011 | 31.6% | +10.1% |
| 2012 | 31.3% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 31.1% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 31.4% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 32.4% | +3.2% |
| 2016 | 30.2% | -6.8% |
| 2017 | 30.0% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 30.8% | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 28.6% | -7.1% |
| 2020 | 29.3% | +2.4% |
| 2021 | 31.3% | +6.8% |
| 2022 | 30.6% | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 30.3% | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 32.0% | +5.6% |
| 2025 | 33.0% | +3.1% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 33.0% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 34.2%, 96% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 33.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 37.3%, 88% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 22.9% | 21.7% | 24.0% | 6 |
| 2000s | 21.2% | 19.3% | 24.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.6% | 28.6% | 32.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.1% | 29.3% | 33.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More trade data for Ireland
- Commodity Net Export Price Index, Individual Commodities Weighted by 123.24 (2025)
- Commodity Net Export Price Index, Individual Commodities Weighted by 102.03 (2025)
- Commodity Export Price Index, Individual Commodites Weighted by Ratio 100.87 (2025)
- Commodity Export Price Index, Individual Commodites Weighted by Ratio 123.01 (2025)
- Commodity Import Price Index, Individual Commodites Weighted by Ratio 98.86 (2025)
- Commodity Import Price Index, Individual Commodites Weighted by Ratio 81.74 (2025)
- Imports of low carbon technology products, Percent of GDP 0.9865 (2024)
- Imports of low carbon technology products, US dollar (World), per 1,113 units per person (2024)
- Imports of low carbon technology products, US dollar (World), per 0.0099 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Exports of low carbon technology products, US dollar (World), gaps 3.40 billion (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is material import dependency in Ireland?
- Material import dependency in Ireland was 33.0% in 2025, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest material import dependency recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 33.0% in 2025.
- What is the lowest material import dependency recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.3% in 2003.
- How does Ireland rank for material import dependency?
- Ireland ranks 24th out of 43 countries with data for 2025.
- Is material import dependency rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Material import dependency. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).