Northern Ireland Economic Output Statistics

Date published: 18 June 2026

Commentary

• Output in the services sector increased by 0.9% over the first quarter of 2026 and increased by 2.3% over the year.
• Retail output in NI saw a quarterly increase of 2.1% in Quarter 1 2026 and an increase of 1.8% over the year.
• Production sector output saw an increase of 2.1% over the first quarter of 2026 and increased by 7.6% over the year.

Services Sector Output 

• The NI Index of Services (IOS) increased by 0.9% over the first quarter of 2026 (January - March) and increased by 2.3% over the year. The UK Index of Services increased by 0.8% over the quarter and increased by 1.4% over the year, remaining at a UK series high.
• When the most recent four quarters are compared to the previous four quarters, the NI services sector increased by 1.8% while the UK services sector increased by 1.4%.
• NI services output is now 11.3% above the pre-pandemic level seen in Quarter 4 2019 while UK services output is 8.4% above its Quarter 4 2019 level.
• The NI IOS is 42.6% higher than the series low point (Quarter 2 2020).
• The 0.9% quarterly increase in NI services output reflected increases in the Business services and finance sector of 4.1%, the Transport, storage, information and communications sector of 3.0%, and the Other services sector of 2.6%. This was partially offset by a 0.3% decrease in the Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles; accommodation and food service sector.
• The 2.3% increase seen in NI services output over the year was driven by increases in the Business services and finance sector of 8.4%, the Other services sector of 7.1%, and the Transport, storage, information and communications sector of 2.7%. In contrast the Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles; accommodation and food service sector decreased by 0.2%.

Retail Sector Output

• The retail sales sector refers to SIC 47 (Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles) and is a subset of the Index of Services (IOS).
• The NI Retail Sales Index (RSI) saw an increase of 2.1% in Quarter 1 2026 and an increase of 1.8% over the year. The GB RSI output saw an increase of 1.4% in the quarter and an increase of 2.6% over the year.
• The NI RSI output is now 3.9% above the pre-pandemic level seen in Quarter 4 2019 while the GB RSI output remains 0.7% below its Quarter 4 2019 level.
• When the most recent four quarters are compared to the previous four quarters, the NI retail sector increased by 4.4% while the GB retail sector increased by 1.8%.

Production Sector Output

• The NI Index of Production (IOP) increased by 2.1% over the quarter (January - March) and increased by 7.6% over the year. The UK IOP increased by 0.2% over the quarter and by 0.1% over the year.
• When the most recent four quarters are compared to the previous four quarters, the NI production sector increased by 4.3% while the UK production sector decreased by 0.3%.
• The NI IOP is now 10.3% above the pre-pandemic level seen in Quarter 4 2019, while the UK IOP remains 7.0% below its Quarter 4 2019 level.
• Over the quarter, the increase in NI production output was driven by a rise in three of the four main sectors - Manufacturing (1.6%), Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply (6.1%) and Mining and quarrying (10.4%). This was partially offset by a fall in Water supply, sewerage and waste management (inc. recycling) (1.5%).
• Over the year the increase in NI production output was also driven by a rise in these three main sectors – Manufacturing (9.1%), Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply (7.4%) and Mining and quarrying (1.3%). This was partially offset by a fall in Water supply, sewerage and waste management (inc. recycling) (6.0%).

Upcoming Releases

• The Labour Market Report was published this morning, 18 June 2026.
• The NI Composite Economic Index and Quarterly Construction Output Statistics are scheduled for publication on 25 June 2026.
• The Index of Production and Index of Services reports for Quarter 2 2026 will be published on 17 September 2026.