The domestic economy in terms of modified domestic demand (MDD) grew by 4.9 per cent in 2025. Photograph: Getty ImagesMultinationals dominate Irish exports and profoundly distort GDP, the standard yardstick for growth used internationally. The performance of the domestic economy tends to get lost in the GDP noise. But this week we got big indicators, attesting purely to the performance of the domestic economy. Given the unsettled global environment, this was a surprising outperformance for the Irish economy, possibly only exceeded by Malta last year.

Source: The Irish Times March 07, 2026 12:02 UTC