Exports - partners: EU 59% (UK 19%, Germany 9%, France 7%), US 20% (2000)
Imports: $45.7 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: data processing equipment, other machinery and equipment, chemicals; petroleum and petroleum products, textiles, clothing
Imports - partners: EU 54% (UK 29%, Germany 6%, France 5%), US 18%,
Japan 5%, Singapore 4% (2000)
Debt - external: $11 billion (1998)
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $245 million (2000)
Currency: Irish pound (IEP); euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced the euro as a common currency that is now being used by financial institutions in Ireland at a fixed rate of 0.787564 Irish pounds per euro and will replace the local currency for all transactions in 2002
Currency code: IEP; EUR
Exchange rates: Irish pounds per US dollar - 1.0658 (January 2001), 1.0823 (2000), 0.9374 (1999), 0.7014 (1998), 0.6588 (1997), 0.6248 (1996)