evidence: Ireland’s economy is expected to rebound and grow by 1.2% in 2024 and 3.6% in 2025 supported by an improvement in global trade, falling inflation and a strong labour market. Headline inflation is set to continue easing to 1.9% in 2024 and 1.8% in 2025. The budget surplus is projected to decrease marginally in 2024 and 2025. [...] Following periods of strong growth, Ireland’s real GDP weakened significantly in 2023, declining by 3.2%. This contraction was primarily driven by the weak performance of specific multinational-dominated sectors. Modified domestic demand, which better reflects the underlying domestic economic activity in Ireland, grew marginally by 0.5%, impacted by elevated inflation and tight financial conditions. The preliminary GDP estimate shows that the economy started to recover in the first quarter of 2024, expanding by 1.1% q-o-q. [...] Ireland’s general government budget registered a surplus of 1.7% of GDP in 2023, in line with the outturn of 2022. Buoyant revenue growth matched increases in public sector pay and investment.