Northern Ireland Economy Grew Faster Than UK Average Since 2016 but Slower From 2021 to 2023

Garden centre owner John Shannon in Larne paid a £387 export charge to bring roses from Great Britain into Northern Ireland, while food manufacturer Brian Reid in Warrenpoint gained new customers on the island of Ireland after the 2016 Brexit referendum.

The BBC reported that Northern Ireland's real-terms regional gross value added grew 11.5% from 2016 to 2023, compared with 8.7% for the UK as a whole. From 2021 to 2023 the figures were 4.4% for Northern Ireland and 4.7% for the UK.

In 2023 alone Northern Ireland recorded 1.5% growth against 0.3% UK-wide. Payrolls in Northern Ireland rose nearly 10% since 2021, outpacing the UK average of around 7%, according to HMRC data cited by the BBC. Manufacturing output in Northern Ireland increased 9% over the past year while UK industrial production stayed flat.

Northern Ireland remained in the EU single market for goods under its Brexit arrangements, allowing its products to enter the Republic of Ireland and the wider EU without new checks. Goods from Great Britain face customs paperwork and port inspections, especially for food, measures first applied in January 2021 and adjusted by the 2023 Windsor Framework.

Shannon began driving his van to England to collect goods after hauliers became reluctant to deliver because of the paperwork.

He also switched some purchases to nurseries in the Republic of Ireland. Reid said Deli Lites won contracts with retailers seeking local suppliers for short-life products after Brexit made cross-sea shipments more complicated. Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald told the BBC that exports from Northern Ireland rose after the Windsor Framework took effect in March 2023, while UK exports fell.