United Kingdom and Ireland
Neighbourhood, mobility and the Northern Ireland question give the relationship a dimension different from other European ties. The Common Travel Area retains specific rights for British and Irish citizens. Trade, energy and bilateral cooperation follow an agenda that does not require the countries to belong to the same alliances.
Analysis reviewed: 2026-10-07 · Indicators updated: 2026-10-07Specific Common Travel Area rights
The Common Travel Area allows British and Irish citizens to live and work in both countries and access rights and services under the conditions described in the official guidance.
Neighbourhood and political cooperation
The Cork summit of March 2026 provides a bilateral channel for addressing economic relations and shared issues.
Bilateral indicators
Blank cells: data unavailable.
| Indicator | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Goods trade | 45,100.48 M USD | 2025 · UN Comtrade |
| Goods: United Kingdom to Ireland | 23,608.66 M USD | 2025 · UN Comtrade |
| Goods: Ireland to United Kingdom | 21,491.82 M USD | 2025 · UN Comtrade |
| Services trade | ||
| Export share: United Kingdom to Ireland | ||
| Export share: Ireland to United Kingdom | ||
| Investment stock: United Kingdom in Ireland | ||
| Investment stock: Ireland in United Kingdom |
Definitions and sources
Trade adds both directions. Shares refer to the country’s total goods exports; investment is an accumulated stock, not an annual flow. Every figure retains the currency and period of its source. BEA positions are historical-cost estimates based on the immediate counterpart, not market values or investment by ultimate owner. ‘More than’ indicates a lower bound, not an exact amount. A recorded stock does not establish new activity or authorisation to operate under sanctions.
- Goods trade
- 2025 · UN Comtrade / 826 · Goods, full year; UN Comtrade reporter 826, partner 372. Exports normally FOB and imports CIF according to the source. No addition of mirror reports; direction adapted to the order of the profile.
- Goods: United Kingdom to Ireland
- 2025 · UN Comtrade / 826 · Goods, full year; UN Comtrade reporter 826, partner 372. Exports normally FOB and imports CIF according to the source. No addition of mirror reports; direction adapted to the order of the profile.
- Goods: Ireland to United Kingdom
- 2025 · UN Comtrade / 826 · Goods, full year; UN Comtrade reporter 826, partner 372. Exports normally FOB and imports CIF according to the source. No addition of mirror reports; direction adapted to the order of the profile.
Country comparison
Period and source beside each figure · est. = estimate by the stated institution.
Some annual indicators refer to different years. Check the period beside each value before comparing them.
| Indicator | United Kingdom | Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| Nominal GDP | 4 trillion USD2025 · World Bank | 721.7 billion USD2025 · World Bank |
| GDP per capita | 57,601.96 USD2025 · World Bank | 131,592.46 USD2025 · World Bank |
| GDP growth | 1.39 %2025 · World Bank | 12.34 %2025 · World Bank |
| Policy interest rate | ||
| Inflation · annual average | 3.88 %Annual average · 2025 · World Bank | 2.21 %Annual average · 2025 · World Bank |
| Inflation · latest year-on-year figure | 3.1 %Year-on-year · 2026-08 · ONS | 3.7 %Year-on-year · 2026-08 · CSO Ireland |
| Unemployment | 4.75 %ILO est.2025 · World Bank | 4.63 %ILO est.2025 · World Bank |
| Budget balance (% of GDP) | -5.4 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | 1.5 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Gross public debt (% of GDP) | 102.3 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | 32.9 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Current account balance (% of GDP) | -2.43 %2025 · World Bank | 17.4 %2024 · World Bank |
| Population | 69,487,0002025 · World Bank | 5,484,3672025 · World Bank |
| Area | 243,610 km²2023 · World Bank | 70,280 km²2023 · World Bank |
| Military expenditure | ||
| Military expenditure (% of GDP) |
Definitions, dates and sources
Blank cells are not zero. Average annual inflation and the latest year-on-year figure appear in separate rows: they are not the same measure. Every annual indicator retains its reference year; when the years differ, the figures are identified as not directly comparable. When a figure is unavailable from the World Bank, an annual IMF estimate is used and identified as such. The latest year-on-year figure is the latest official release verified as of 7 October 2026. This includes advance releases marked as provisional. Mexico may have a fortnightly figure before the full month is published; it is not automatically compared with a monthly figure. The publication date is retained in each source’s details; it does not replace the observation period or the annual average. Policy rates carry their own dates and represent different instruments. Spain and France share the ECB rate. Balances are positive for surpluses and negative for deficits. The IMF may use fiscal years; unemployment retains each source’s definition (ILO estimates, IMF WEO or PCBS), as stated in the details. For Palestine, debt and the fiscal balance cover central government and retain the PCBS definition; they are not presented as consolidated general government. These are economic magnitudes, not measures of relationship quality.
Area retains each source’s territorial coverage; it does not determine sovereignty or effective control. Canada uses an archived national geographic reference. Military expenditure retains the 2024 SIPRI sample distributed by the World Bank: the amount and percentage of GDP use that same definition, which differs from NATO’s. It is not an approved budget or a 2026 figure. Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Military expenditure database · Terms of use0
Indicators reviewed: 2026-10-07. Each source retains its original access date; this review does not turn all the data into 2026 observations. Figures may be revised.
- Nominal GDP
- Current USDUnited Kingdom: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.Ireland: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- GDP per capita
- Current USD per personUnited Kingdom: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.Ireland: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- GDP growth
- Annual real change (%)United Kingdom: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.Ireland: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- Policy interest rate
- Central bank instrument (%)
- Inflation · annual average
- Average annual change in headline CPI (%)United Kingdom: 2025 · Average annual CPI change (%) · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.Ireland: 2025 · Annual average change in CPI (%) · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- Inflation · latest year-on-year figure
- Headline CPI relative to the same period of the previous year (%); monthly or fortnightly frequency statedUnited Kingdom: 2026-08 · Headline CPI; change relative to the same month of the previous year · ONS · Headline CPI, not CPIH or core inflation.Ireland: 2026-08 · Headline CPI; change against the same month of the previous year · CSO Ireland · National CPI, not European HICP: 3.7% against the same month of 2025.
- Unemployment
- % of the labour force; definition used by the stated institutionUnited Kingdom: 2025 · ILO modelled estimate, percentage of the labour force · World Bank · ILO est. · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.Ireland: 2025 · ILO modelled estimate, percentage of the labour force · World Bank · ILO est. · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- Budget balance
- General government (% of GDP)United Kingdom: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · IMF WEO general-government estimate. Retains the source’s fiscal year when it differs from the calendar year.Ireland: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · IMF WEO general-government estimate. Retains the source’s fiscal year when it differs from the calendar year.
- Gross public debt
- General government (% of GDP)United Kingdom: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · IMF WEO general-government estimate. Retains the source’s fiscal year when it differs from the calendar year.Ireland: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · IMF WEO general-government estimate. Retains the source’s fiscal year when it differs from the calendar year.
- Current account balance
- % of GDPUnited Kingdom: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.Ireland: 2024 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- Population
- PeopleUnited Kingdom: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.Ireland: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date. Extrapolated assuming the same growth rate as the previous 6 months.
- Area
- Total area in km²; territorial coverage of the sourceUnited Kingdom: 2023 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.Ireland: 2023 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- Military expenditure
- Current USD per year; SIPRI series
- Military expenditure (% of GDP)
- Percentage of GDP; SIPRI definition, not NATO’s definition
Other data specific to this relationship
What they buy and sell
Documented selection, not an exhaustive list. Cells without a figure do not mean zero value; some products are identified without a verified amount.
United Kingdom to Ireland
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
Ireland to United Kingdom
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
Connections between people
British and Irish citizens' rights are specific; they are not extended by inference to all foreign residents or visitors. [3]
Residents, study and travel
Blank cells: data unavailable. Each measure retains its definition and period.
| Indicator | Value | Period / source |
|---|---|---|
| Residents from United Kingdom living in Ireland | ||
| Residents from Ireland living in United Kingdom | ||
| Study and training: United Kingdom in Ireland | ||
| Study and training: Ireland in United Kingdom | ||
| Academic stays: United Kingdom in Ireland | ||
| Academic stays: Ireland in United Kingdom | ||
| Travel: United Kingdom to Ireland | ||
| Travel: Ireland to United Kingdom |
What each figure measures
Residents are counted by nationality and the coverage of the stated register, not as people born in the other country or as new arrivals in one year. PERE includes dual nationals and people born outside Spain. Study with OPT and stays carrying academic credit are different measures. Travel may include several visits by the same person; FRONTUR arrivals require an overnight stay, whereas the Canadian survey includes day visits. These figures are neither added together nor automatically compared across directions.
Mobility data added or reviewed: 2026-10-07. Reference periods may be earlier.
Underlying ties
History, institutions and long-standing issues.
Specific Common Travel Area rights
The Common Travel Area allows British and Irish citizens to live and work in both countries and access rights and services under the conditions described in the official guidance. The framework predates their shared membership of European institutions and did not disappear with Brexit. It is not an equivalent exemption for all third-country nationals or a removal of every administrative requirement for each activity. [1]
Neighbourhood and political cooperation
The Cork summit of March 2026 provides a bilateral channel for addressing economic relations and shared issues. The relationship also has a territorial and political dimension linked to Northern Ireland. A cooperation agenda between Dublin and London does not replace all instruments applicable to that issue or justify inferring agreement among every actor on each measure. Mobility and dialogue frameworks must be examined separately. [2]
Energy and decarbonisation
The Irish summit communication describes commitments on decarbonisation and energy cooperation. Networks, connections and transition can generate shared interests alongside goods trade. An announced priority does not establish installed capacity or implemented investment without project data. The profile retains this agenda as documented cooperation and does not turn it into a bilateral investment amount or a price forecast. [4]
Cooperation without identical alliances
The updated memorandum of March 2026 includes defence and security matters. A bilateral memorandum does not make Ireland a NATO member or establish that it adopts every British strategic position. The instrument organises cooperation areas defined by the parties. Its effects must be separated from citizens' free movement and rights already existing in the Common Travel Area. [3]
Recent developments
Recent developments and latest available data · Reviewed: 2026-10-07
The outcomes of the 2026 summit
The Cork communications bring together economic, energy and security priorities. They identify decisions and a follow-up agenda, not verify every project at once. The relationship combines older institutions with current cooperation: mobility rights, political dialogue and new sectoral commitments. Assessing subsequent outcomes will require observations of trade, investment, infrastructure or mobility retaining comparable periods and definitions. [2] [3] [4]
What recorded goods show
In 2025, recorded goods trade was 45,100.48 million USD. Shipments from the United Kingdom to Ireland were 23,608.66 million USD, and those in the opposite direction were 21,491.82 million USD. A single reporter is used for both directions. The difference between those flows describes that source's goods balance, not the entire economic balance: services, subsidiary activity and investment have independent measures. [5]
Milestones and consequences
Sources and data
Periods and scope of the figures
Each figure retains its period, currency, definition and source. Blank cells are not zero. Policy documents are distinguished from statistical results, and projects under way from announcements.
- Common Travel Area guidance
UK Government · Institutional source · Document: 2026-01-01 · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- Cork joint statement
British and Irish Governments · Institutional source · Document: 2026-03-13 · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- Updated defence memorandum
UK Government · Institutional source · Document: 2026-03-13 · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- Summit energy commitments
Government of Ireland · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- 2025 TOTAL X/M; reporter=826; partner=372; 72 returned records; France statistical code 251, not ISO numeric 250
UN Comtrade / 826 · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07