Northern Ireland Manufacturing Sales & Exports latest results - published 16 December 2015.
Headline results
- Total sales by manufacturing companies in Northern Ireland (NI) were estimated to be worth £18.1 billion in 2014, an increase of 1.7% (£299 million) over the year in current prices and growth of 2.5% in real terms.
- Sales within Northern Ireland decreased in current prices by £50 million to £3.8 billion, down 1.3% over the year and remaining below peak levels last reported in 2007/08.
- Sales to Great Britain (GB) increased in current prices by £438 million to £8.3 billion, up 5.6% over the year.
- External sales to markets outside of NI rose by £348 million (2.5%) to £14.3 billion in current prices, and accounted for almost four fifths of total sales in 2014 (79%).
- External sales and GB sales are at their highest on record.
- Exports fell by £89 million (1.5%) over the year, to just over £6.0 billion in current prices, largely driven by a decrease in sales to the Rest of the World.
- Exports to the Republic of Ireland (ROI) increased by £5 million (0.3%) over the year, to just over £1.4 billion in current prices.
- Exports to the Rest of the EU (excluding ROI) fell over the year by £29 million (1.9%) to £1.5 billion in current prices.
- Exports to the Rest of the World decreased by £65 million (2.1%) over the year, to £3.1 billion in current prices.
Current publication and tables
Future developments
Following the development of the Broad Economy Exports (BEE) measure, two separate sources of survey trade data now exist for the manufacturing sector – the Manufacturing Sales and Exports Survey (MSES) and the BEE. This has the potential to create confusion for users. NISRA are now seeking user views on the future measurement of survey based estimates of manufacturing sales and exports.
The paper below aims to:
- present estimates for 2011 and 2012 from both the MSES and BEE and outline the differences
- gather user views on discontinuing the MSES series and using the manufacturing estimates from the BEE as the future measure of trade in the manufacturing sector
Proposals for the Future Measurement of Survey based Estimates of Manufacturing Sales and Exports
Users are invited to provide comments regarding the options presented herein, and these can be provided to the Economic & Labour Market Statistics Branch, NISRA at statistics@dfpni.gov.uk.