Northern Ireland's economy continued to expand in the second quarter of 2026, according to official statistics.

Output in the services sector grew by 0.8% in April to June, reaching a new series high. Over the same period, UK services output increased by 0.5%.

The production sector also performed strongly, with output up 2.9% over the quarter and 7.8% over the year. By contrast, UK production output was unchanged on the quarter and rose just 0.3% annually.

Since the pre-pandemic benchmark of the fourth quarter of 2019, Northern Ireland services output is 11.7% higher, while UK services output is 8.7% above. Production output is 14.3% above pre-pandemic levels, but UK production output remains 7.2% below that baseline.

Within services, financial and business services, wholesale and retail, and transport and communications all recorded quarterly growth. Other services, including education and health, saw a 0.8% decline.

All four production sub-sectors grew over the quarter: manufacturing rose 2.9%, electricity and gas 2.3%, water and waste 6.5%, and mining and quarrying 5.1%.

Separate data show median pay for Northern Ireland Civil Service staff was £34,231 in March 2026, an 8.2% increase from a year earlier. The change reflects staffing profile shifts and pay progression rather than a uniform pay rise.

Pay gaps persist: female median pay is 2.0% below male median pay, and Catholic median pay is 2.0% below Protestant median pay. The gaps are attributed to grade distribution differences.

The statistics are compiled by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency from quarterly business surveys of approximately 3,700 services firms and 1,200 production businesses. Retail sales, a subset of services, fell 1.0% over the quarter and 2.0% over the year, but remain above pre-pandemic levels in contrast to Great Britain.