Ireland has experienced stronger economic growth than its Northern counterpart, with citizens earning more and having higher living standards, analysis from ESRI has found.
Household disposable income is higher in Ireland, while wages are 36% higher than in Northern Ireland.
The Republic has a younger population, largely due to the region seeing more immigration, while employment is more heavily concentrated in high-value sectors like ICT and financial services. Northern Ireland is more productive in construction, agriculture, and forestry & fishing.
Education enrolment rates are higher in Ireland than in Northern Ireland. For example, only 71% of 15–19-year-olds in NI are in education vs. 94% in Ireland, a gap of over 20 percentage points.
Adele Bergin, an author of the report and an associate research professor at the ESRI, said: “Ireland has experienced stronger economic growth, higher wages, and higher living standards in recent years. The gap in economic performance and well-being indicators between Ireland and Northern Ireland is widening.”
The Republic of Ireland charges higher taxation.
The Republic charges its residents far higher income tax than its northern counterpart (€2,980 in NI vs. €6,725 per capita in Ireland).
Meanwhile corporate tax receipts per capita in Ireland (€5,760) are over five times those in NI (€1,018), though this reflects the dominance of multinationals.
