Northern Ireland business; activity, size, location and ownership, 2023.

The latest Northern Ireland business; activity, size, location and ownership, 2023 statistics were released to the public this morning by NISRA.

Economic Output Statistics published.

These statistics are sourced from the Northern Ireland Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR), and key points are listed below.

Key points

1. The number of businesses operating in Northern Ireland increased by 0.4% over the year to March 2023.

• The number of VAT and/or PAYE registered businesses operating in Northern Ireland is estimated to have risen by 350 (0.4%) to 79,235.  This marked the ninth consecutive year of increase following a period of decline from 2008 to 2014.

2. The majority of businesses in Northern Ireland were micro businesses.

• In March 2023, the majority of businesses (89% or 70,795) in Northern Ireland were micro businesses (less than 10 employees). Just over 2% (1,655) of businesses had 50 or more employees.
• Four in ten businesses in Northern Ireland (42% or 33,645) had a turnover of less than £100,000, whilst just over one in ten (12% or 9,315) had a turnover in excess of £1 million.

3. Businesses in the Production sector fell by 1.4% (75 businesses) in 2023, the first decline observed in this sector since 2013.

• The Service sector, which remained the largest in Northern Ireland, accounted for 55% of all businesses and grew slightly by 0.3% (125) over the year to March 2023. Within the Service sector, Business administration and support services saw the largest increase on the previous year (135 businesses or 4.3%).
• Whilst there was no change in the number of businesses in the Construction sector during the 12-month period to March 2023, there has been a 16% increase in the number of businesses across the sector in the 10 years since 2013.

4. The geographic split of businesses across the 11 district council areas remained relatively unchanged, with Belfast (14%) making up the highest proportion and, Antrim and Newtownabbey (5.3%) the lowest.

• Newry, Mourne and Down saw the largest increase in the number of registered businesses operating in the area (200 or 2.2%) over the year to 2023, whist Causeway Coast and Glens saw the largest decrease (120 or 1.9%) over the same period.
• Belfast remained the district council area with the most businesses (11,300), accounting for 14% of all VAT and/or PAYE registered businesses operating in Northern Ireland in 2023. The most recent Business Register and Employment Survey 2021 showed that 30% of all employee jobs across Northern Ireland were based in the Belfast City Council area. Details can be obtained on the Business Register and Employment Survey page of the NISRA website.

5. Of the 79,235 businesses operating in Northern Ireland, 2,065 (2.6%) were non-NI owned.

• The number of registered businesses operating in Northern Ireland, owned by an enterprise registered outside of Northern Ireland, accounted for 2.6% of the business population and almost one-quarter (23%) of employees.
•  Non-NI owned businesses increased by 15% (or 275 businesses) over the five years to 2023. The total number of employees working within these enterprises increased slightly (1.6% or 2,850) over the same period.

Notes to editors: 

1. Today’s release contains statistics derived from the Inter Departmental Business Register (IDBR). The IDBR is a register of all businesses that are registered for Value Added Tax (VAT) and/or operating a Pay As You Earn (PAYE) scheme in the UK. The IDBR covers most of the economy including the Agriculture, Production, Construction and Service sectors.  It does not hold details on those small businesses that fall below the VAT threshold (£85,000 in 2022/2023) or do not operate a PAYE scheme. 

2. A snapshot of the IDBR is taken each year in March to produce statistics on the number of businesses operating in Northern Ireland. These statistics are presented in the Northern Ireland IDBR report and associated tables include industry, size, legal status, location, and foreign ownership data.  Information on foreign owned businesses operating in the UK is obtained by the ONS from Dun and Bradstreet, a market information company. 

3. The IDBR covers most of the economy including the Agriculture, Production and Service sectors in Northern Ireland. However, it does not include very small businesses that fall below the VAT threshold or do not operate a PAYE scheme. This means that many self-employed workers will not be included on the IDBR. Latest figures published by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), which include an estimate of the number of unregistered businesses in the private sector, indicate that at the start of 2022 the number of unregistered businesses in Northern Ireland was 53,680 (50,785 in 2021). Further information is available at the gov.uk website.

4. The full Northern Ireland Inter-Departmental Business Register Statistics report is available on the NISRA website.

5. For media enquiries contact the Department for the Economy Press Office at pressoffice@economy-ni.gov.uk

6. To keep up to date with news from the Department you can follow us on the following social media channels:

• Twitter – @Economy_NI
• Facebook – @DeptEconomyNI
• Instagram – economy_ni
• LinkedIn – Department for the Economy NI 

7. The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for media enquiries only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.

8. Feedback is welcomed and should be addressed to: Responsible statistician: Neil Mulhern, Economic & Labour Market Statistics Branch (ELMS), neil.mulhern@nisra.gov.uk or Tel: 028 90255196.

9. Follow NISRA on Twitter - @NISRA

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