Northern Ireland Productivity Dashboard 2024

Ruth Donaldson; David Jordan; John Turner

Northern Ireland Productivity Dashboard 2024

Ruth Donaldson^*
, David Jordan
, John Turner

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Book/Report › Other report

218 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Northern Ireland (NI) has persistently had the lowest productivity of the UK’s twelve regions. But it saw an improvement during the Covid-19 pandemic, moving up to 7th place.

The most recently published data shows this improvement has not been sustained. Productivity in NI was 13% below the UK average in 2022, widening from 11% in 2021. This led to NI falling back to 10th place amongst the UK’s twelve regions, ahead of only the East Midlands and Wales. NI also lags behind the Republic of Ireland, where productivity is 8% higher than the UK average. This means productivity in NI is 20% lower than in the Republic of Ireland.

The dashboard assesses NI’s performance across the key drivers of productivity, which provide the foundations for long-run productivity growth. Overall, there has been no change from last year’s dashboard. 14 of the dashboard’s 18 drivers are red and below the UK average. Only 2 drivers are green and therefore better than the UK average; and 2 drivers are either equal to the UK average, or below this but above the UK median.

Original language	English
Place of Publication	Manchester, UK
Publisher	The Productivity Institute
Commissioning body	The Productivity Institute
Number of pages	6
Publication status	Published - 05 Dec 2024

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities
SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Keywords

Productivity
Northern Ireland
Regional Economics
Public Economics
Economics

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Economics and Econometrics

Access to Document

Northern Ireland Productivity Dashboard 2024
Copyright 2024 the Authors.
Final published version, 600 KBLicence: Unspecified

https://www.productivity.ac.uk/research/northern-ireland-productivity-dashboard-2024/Licence: Unspecified

5 Invited talk
1 Participation in conference
1 Oral presentation

AI, productivity, and the future of work in Northern Ireland
Jordan, D. (Invited speaker)
22 Oct 2025
Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk
Productivity in Northern Ireland
Jordan, D. (Invited speaker)
24 Sept 2025
Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk
Investment in skills and Northern Ireland’s productivity gap
Jordan, D. (Invited speaker)
23 Jun 2025
Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk

BBC News - Is Northern Ireland an economic 'basket case', like Richard Madeley said?
Donaldson, R., Jordan, D. & Turner, J.
16/07/2025
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research
Business Eye - Queen’s Research Shows Northern Ireland Productivity Gap Has Widened
Donaldson, R., Jordan, D. & Turner, J.
05/12/2024
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research

3 Commissioned report
3 Other report

Harnessing AI to boost Northern Ireland’s productivity. Implications for people, business, and government
Donaldson, R., Jordan, D., McDonald, S. & Turner, J. D., 29 Apr 2026, The Productivity Institute. 38 p. (Productivity Insights Paper; no. 088)
Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned report

Open Access
File
NI Productivity 2040: Addressing Northern Ireland’s productivity gap for greater prosperity
Donaldson, R., Jordan, D. & Turner, J., 31 Jan 2025, Manchester, UK: The Productivity Institute. 89 p. (Productivity Insights Paper; no. 049)
Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned report

Open Access
File
Northern Ireland Productivity Dashboard 2025
Donaldson, R., Jordan, D., McDonald, S. & Turner, J., 04 Dec 2025, Manchester, UK: The Productivity Institute. 6 p.
Research output: Book/Report › Other report

Open Access
File

Cite this

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title = "Northern Ireland Productivity Dashboard 2024",

abstract = "Northern Ireland (NI) has persistently had the lowest productivity of the UK{\textquoteright}s twelve regions. But it saw an improvement during the Covid-19 pandemic, moving up to 7th place. The most recently published data shows this improvement has not been sustained. Productivity in NI was 13\% below the UK average in 2022, widening from 11\% in 2021. This led to NI falling back to 10th place amongst the UK{\textquoteright}s twelve regions, ahead of only the East Midlands and Wales. NI also lags behind the Republic of Ireland, where productivity is 8\% higher than the UK average. This means productivity in NI is 20\% lower than in the Republic of Ireland. The dashboard assesses NI{\textquoteright}s performance across the key drivers of productivity, which provide the foundations for long-run productivity growth. Overall, there has been no change from last year{\textquoteright}s dashboard. 14 of the dashboard{\textquoteright}s 18 drivers are red and below the UK average. Only 2 drivers are green and therefore better than the UK average; and 2 drivers are either equal to the UK average, or below this but above the UK median.",

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KW - Productivity

KW - Northern Ireland

KW - Regional Economics

KW - Public Economics

KW - Economics

M3 - Other report

BT - Northern Ireland Productivity Dashboard 2024

PB - The Productivity Institute

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Northern Ireland Productivity Dashboard 2024

Abstract

UN SDGs

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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Press/Media

Research output

Cite this