Northern Ireland economic activity reached a new series high

Date published: 24 September 2026

New official statistics in development published today by NISRA statisticians present information on the Northern Ireland Composite Economic Index (NICEI) for Quarter two 2026.

Key findings

During Quarter two 2026:

• Economic activity in Northern Ireland increased by 1.0% in real terms over the quarter, to reach a new series high.
• Compared with Quarter two 2025, Northern Ireland output increased by 2.3%. When assessing annualised change, output increased by 2.0%.
• Northern Ireland economic output was 12.7% above the pre-pandemic level seen in Quarter four 2019.
• The increase this quarter was mainly driven by increased activity in the Services sector (0.4 percentage points (pps)) and the Production sector (0.4 pps).
• Northern Ireland Private sector output as measured by the NICEI increased by 1.0% over the quarter and increased by 2.2% over the year. Northern Ireland Public sector output as measured by the NICEI increased by 0.9% over the quarter and increased by 2.5% over the year.

About this publication

This report provides an overview of the Northern Ireland Composite Economic Index for Quarter two 2026. The NICEI is a quarterly measure of economic activity in Northern Ireland based on available official statistics. These statistics are official statistics in development and are subject to revision in future releases.

Further information

Read the full report, data tables and background information: NICEI publication and tables Q2 2026 | Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency