Patterns of Northern Ireland trade by destination, product and business characteristics: 2012 to 2016

New figures show that Northern Irish businesses conducted most international trade with the Republic of Ireland, accounting for around 27% of exports and 23% of imports; however, a separate data source, which includes intra-country trade, highlights that the rest of the UK remains Northern Ireland’s biggest market. More than 50% of Northern Ireland’s goods exports went to just two countries, the Republic of Ireland and the USA; the Republic of Ireland was the most important destination for food and live animals, while the USA was the most important destination for machinery and transport. Food and live animals represented around 33% of the total Northern Irish exports going to the Republic of Ireland, of which the top sub-category was milk and cream products.
Almost 70% of exporting businesses in Northern Ireland were small (employing 0 to 49 workers), selling a small number of products to a few markets. Domestic businesses in Northern Ireland were less diversified in terms of products and markets compared with foreign-owned businesses. The biggest proportion of two-way trade in similar products was in food and live animals, suggesting integration of supply-chains in this category.