The latest market, economy, central-bank, policy and company stories from Ireland, updated every 15 minutes. Last updated 19 October 2026.
| GDP growth (2025) | 12.3% | Fast growth. |
| Inflation (2025) | 2.2% | Close to the ~2% most central banks aim for. |
| Unemployment (2025) | 4.6% | Moderate. |
| GDP per person (2025) | $131,592 | Average output per person: a rough measure of how wealthy a country is. |
| Current account (2024) | +17.4% of GDP | Surplus: earns more from abroad than it spends. |
| Exports (2025) | 140.1% of GDP | Very trade-dependent: sensitive to tariffs and global demand. |
Latest official annual figures from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). Context, not a forecast or financial advice.
Prime Minister Robert Abela says Malta will defend cohesion, agriculture and fisheries funding as European leaders prepare to discuss the bloc’s long-term budget
The threshold at which people start paying the higher income tax rate is also expected to increase.
Households across Northern Ireland face increasing pressure on the cost of living as energy price hikes have come into effect.