The Food, Chemical, and Pharmaceutical sectors accounted for 71.2% of all production in Ireland in 2023, up from 67.4% in 2022.
The total value of products manufactured in Ireland in 2023 was €137.9 billion, of which Food, Chemical, and Pharmaceutical sectors accounted €98.1 billion.
The Pharmaceutical sector reported the highest Net Selling Value (NSV) of €58.7 billion in 2023, an increase of 38.8% compared with 2022 (€42.3bn), and similar to its value in 2021 (€58.1bn).
The Top 10 industrial enterprises accounted for 45.9% of all production in Ireland in 2023 with an overall NSV of €63.4 billion.
The Top 50 industrial enterprises in Ireland represented 71.4% of the overall NSV with a value of €98.5 billion.
The headline table consists of the Net Selling Value (NSV) for the three largest Industrial production sectors of Food, Chemicals, and Pharmaceuticals in Ireland in 2023. It also shows the percentage breakdown of NSV for these sectors.
| Breakdown of largest sectors by Net Selling Value, 2023 | ||
| €'000 | % | |
| Food Products (10) | 23,662,402 | 17.2% |
| Chemicals & Chemical Products (20) | 15,814,295 | 11.5% |
| Basic Pharmaceutical Products & Preparations (21) | 58,659,412 | 42.5% |
| Other Sectors | 39,778,036 | 28.8% |
| Total NSV | 137,914,145 | 100.0% |
| Source: Central Statistics Office | ||
Basic Pharmaceutical Products & Preparations (€58.7bn) accounted for the largest proportion of NSV in 2023 at 42.5%. This was followed by Food Products (€23.7bn) at 17.2% of NSV and Chemicals & Chemical Products with an NSV of €15.8bn (11.5%).
| For long labels below use to display on multiple lines | NSV % |
|---|---|
| Food | 17.2 |
| Chemicals | 11.5 |
| Pharmaceuticals | 42.5 |
| Other Sectors | 28.8 |
Basic Pharmaceutical Products & Preparations accounted for the largest annual increase (+38.8%) in NSV, followed by Waste Collection, Treatment and Disposal Activities; Materials Recovery (+25.2%). The largest annual decreases in domestic NSV were recorded in Transport Equipment (-42.0%) and Chemicals & Chemical Products (-31.2%). Production of Chemicals & Chemical Products in 2023 returned to a similar level reported in 2021.
| X-axis label | 2022 - 2023 |
|---|---|
| Basic Pharmaceutical Products & Preparations (21) | 38.8 |
| Waste Collection, Treatment and Disposal Activities; Materials Recovery (38) | 25.2 |
| Wood & Wood Products, Other Non-Metallic Mineral Products, Furniture (16,23,31) | 11.1 |
| Beverages (11) | 6.2 |
| Textiles, Wearing Apparel, Leather & Related Products (13,14,15) | 0 |
| Basic Metals & Fabricated Metal Products, Machinery & Equipment (24,25,28) | 0 |
| Food Products (10) | -0.5 |
| Other (12,32,33) | -3.3 |
| Rubber & Plastic Products (22) | -4.7 |
| Paper & Paper Products (17,18) | -11 |
| Mining of Metal Ores & Other Mining and Quarrying (07,08) | -22.2 |
| Computer, Electronic, Optical & Electrical Equipment (26,27) | -24.2 |
| Chemicals & Chemical Products (20) | -31.2 |
| Transport Equipment (29,30) | -42 |
In 2023, the value of Food Products and Beverages combined was €26.1bn and represented an 18.9% share of total NSV. These sectors had an NSV of €26.0bn in 2022 and accounted for 19.7% of total NSV, down from 20.6% in 2021, when NSV was valued at €27.4bn.
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
| Mining of Metal Ores & Other Mining and Quarrying (07,08) | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.3 |
| Food Products (10) | 18.9 | 18 | 17.2 |
| Beverages (11) | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| Textiles, Wearing Apparel, Leather & Related Products (13,14,15) | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Paper & Paper Products (17,18) | 0.7 | 1 | 0.9 |
| Chemicals & Chemical Products (20) | 11.3 | 17.4 | 11.5 |
| Basic Pharmaceutical Products & Preparations (21) | 43.6 | 32 | 42.5 |
| Rubber & Plastic Products (22) | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.3 |
| Basic Metals & Fabricated Metal Products, Machinery & Equipment (24,25,28) | 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.1 |
| Computer, Electronic, Optical & Electrical Equipment (26,27) | 6.1 | 9.4 | 6.8 |
| Wood & Wood Products, Other Non-Metallic Mineral Products, Furniture (16,23,31) | 3.1 | 4 | 4.3 |
| Transport Equipment (29,30) | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Waste Collection, Treatment and Disposal Activities; Materials Recovery (38) | n/a | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Other (12,32,33) | 8.5 | 9.6 | 8.8 |
Between 2014 and 2023, production of Basic Pharmaceutical Products & Preparations increased by 62.7%, Food Products increased by 19.2%, and Chemicals & Chemical Products increased by 8.2%.
| Food Products (10) | Chemicals & Chemical Products (20) | Basic Pharmaceutical Products & Preparations (21) | |
| 2014 | 19.852745 | 14.61837 | 36.060141 |
| 2015 | 20.447922 | 16.884486 | 42.615325 |
| 2016 | 21.567121 | 15.329958 | 46.49925 |
| 2017 | 23.353948 | 10.31636 | 44.477397 |
| 2018 | 23.501571 | 12.928043 | 47.766773 |
| 2019 | 23.065433 | 21.357592 | 53.859334 |
| 2020 | 22.007563 | 20.346689 | 53.00471 |
| 2021 | 25.196903 | 15.071481 | 58.069439 |
| 2022 | 23.773616 | 22.988369 | 42.26659 |
| 2023 | 23.7 | 15.8 | 58.7 |
The Top 10 industrial enterprises accounted for 45.9% of all production in Ireland in 2023. These 10 enterprises had a combined Net Selling Value (NSV) of €63.4bn, while the remaining 5,579 industrial enterprises (54.1%) reported €74.5bn.
The Top 50 industrial enterprises in Ireland represented 71.4% of the overall NSV with a value of €98.5bn, highlighting that the Manufacturing sector in Ireland is heavily reliant on a very small number of enterprises.
| For long labels below use to display on multiple lines | Euro bn |
|---|---|
| Other | 74.5 |
| Top 10 | 63.4 |
| For long labels below use to display on multiple lines | Euro bn |
|---|---|
| Other | 39.5 |
| Top 50 | 98.5 |
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (08 August 2024) released Irish Industrial Production by Sector (PRODCOM) 2023.
Commenting on the release, Tommy Allen, Statistician in the Enterprise Statistics Division said: "The value of products produced in Ireland increased by 4.4% to €137.9 billion in 2023.
The Food, Chemical, and Pharmaceutical sectors combined accounted for 71.2% of all industrial production activity in Ireland in 2023, up from 67.4% in 2022, however concentration remains lower than the 2021 level of 73.8%.
The value of production of Pharmaceutical products in Ireland increased by 38.8%, from €42.3bn in 2022 to €58.7bn in 2023, which is similar to 2021 levels (€58.1bn).
There were 5,589 industrial enterprises included in the PRODCOM survey in 2023, yet the Top 10 industrial enterprises collectively accounted for almost half (45.9%) of the value of all products produced in Ireland. The Top 50 industrial enterprises accounted for 71.4%, or €98.5bn of all industrial production in Ireland in 2023."