Northern Ireland production sector output grows faster than UK in latest quarter
Date published:
The Northern Ireland Index of Production for Quarter 1 2026 (January to March), published today by NISRA, shows that Northern Ireland's production sector continues to outperform the UK in both quarterly and annual growth.
Key findings
- Output for Northern Ireland's production industries increased by 2.1% over the first quarter of 2026 (January to March) and grew by 7.6% over the year.
- Growth for the UK production sector as a whole was much lower, with an increase of 0.2% over the quarter and 0.1% over the year.
- When the most recent four quarters are compared to the previous four quarters, the Northern Ireland production sector output increased by 4.3%, compared to the UK production sector output which decreased by 0.3%.
- The Northern Ireland production sector has been growing since the pandemic and is now 10.3% above its pre-pandemic level (Quarter 4 2019). In comparison, UK production output has steadily decreased since after the pandemic and is now 7.0% below its Quarter 4 2019 level.
- Over the quarter, growth in the Northern Ireland production sector was driven by growth in Manufacturing (1.6%), Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply (6.1%) and Mining and quarrying (10.4%). This was partially offset by a reduction in Water supply, sewerage and waste management (inc. recycling) output (1.5%).
- Over the year, growth in the Northern Ireland production sector was driven by growth in Manufacturing (9.1%), Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply (7.4%) and Mining and quarrying (1.3%). This was partially offset by a reduction in Water supply, sewerage and waste management (inc. recycling) output (6.0%).
- Northern Ireland production output has increased in six of the last eight quarters.
About the publication
The quarterly Northern Ireland Index of Production (IOP) which is an Accredited Official Statistic provides a timely indicator of change in the volume of output for the production industries in Northern Ireland. Estimates are presented as constant prices and seasonally adjusted to provide better estimates of the overall trend. These estimates are calculated from the IOP element of the Quarterly Business Survey (QBS). This element has a sample size of approximately 1,200 businesses. The publication covers four broad sectors:
- Manufacturing (SIC 07 Section C)
- Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply (SIC 07 Section D)
- Water supply, sewerage and waste management (including recycling) (SIC 07 Section E)
- Mining and quarrying (SIC 07 Section B)
Further information
Read the full report: Northern Ireland Quarterly Index of Production
View background information and data tables: Index of Production