DUBLIN, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Ireland's goods trade surplus with the United States reached a record 50 billion euros ($52 billion) in 2024, highlighting how much more the U.S. imports than sells to the small EU member as President Donald Trump seeks to close such large trade gaps.

The goods surplus was up from a previous high of 41 billion euros in 2022, driven by a surge in drug exports to the U.S.

Exports of chemicals and related products — almost entirely pharmaceuticals — rose 44% year-over-year to 58 billion euros in 2024, Ireland's statistics agency said.

The European Union as a whole had a goods trade surplus of 155.8 billion euros with the United States in 2023, according to Eurostat.

Some of the United States' biggest multinationals have major operations in Ireland, attracted in large part by its low corporate tax rate. Foreign companies employ about 11% of Irish workers and contribute most of its surging corporate tax receipts.

Ireland's trade balance with the U.S. is driven by how those companies import intellectual property to support the production of high value-added goods for export in a way which maximises their profits, Ireland's central bank has said.

The world's 10 largest drugmakers, including U.S. giants Johnson & Johnson JNJ.N, Pfizer PFE.N and Merck MRK.N, all have large plants in Ireland, which is also a major exporter of medical devices with 80% of the world's cardiovascular stents produced there.

Trump last week moved to tear up decades-old low U.S. tariff rates and raise them to match those of other countries while also looking at separate tariffs on items such as pharmaceuticals in a bid to shrink the U.S. goods trade deficit.

Separate pledges to slash U.S. corporate tax rates and incentivise industries to bring production back to the U.S. could pose an even bigger challenge to Ireland if implemented, analysts say.

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(Reporting by Padraic Halpin and Conor Humphries; Editing by Sachin Ravikumar)

((padraic.halpin@thomsonreuters.com; +353 1 500 1504; Reuters Messaging: padraic.halpin.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))