Economy, jobs and prices in Border (Northern and Western, Ireland): official figures
GDP per person was 27,600 purchasing power standards (PPS) in 2024, 69% of the EU average (222% for Ireland); the lowest of 8 regional areas in Ireland.
How big is the economy of Border?
The local economy produced €14.3 billion of output (GDP) in 2024.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow many people work in Border?
About 189,410 people worked in Border in 2024 (employment by place of work).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is the unemployment rate in the Border?
Census 2022 recorded an unemployment rate of 9.5% in the Border region (people looking for work as a share of the labour force aged 15+), above the national 8.3% and the highest of 8 NUTS 3 regions.
Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · saved copyHow many people work from home in the Border?
26.0% of people aged 15+ who answered the question in the Border region worked from home at least some of the time in Census 2022, against 36.1% nationally.
Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · saved copyWhat is the average income in the Border?
Disposable income per person in the Border region was €25,779 in 2024, the lowest of 8 NUTS 3 regions and 14.5% below the national average of €30,139.
Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · saved copyWhat is the average salary in the Border?
Median annual earnings of employees living in the Border region were €40,486 in 2025, the lowest of 8 NUTS 3 regions and 12.6% below the national median of €46,305.
Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · saved copyWhat is the gender pay gap in the Border?
Mean annual earnings in the Border region were €47,498 in 2025; the median for women was €37,463 against €42,998 for men, a gap of 12.9%.
Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · saved copyWhat is the main industry in Border?
The largest part of the economy of Border in 2024 was public administration, education, health and other services, at 25.8% of gross value added, followed by industry (manufacturing, mining and energy) (21.3%).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow industrial is Border?
Factories, mines and energy produced 21.3% of the value added in Border in 2024, against 32.7% for Ireland.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow fast is the economy of Border growing?
Gross value added rose from €7.1 billion in 2015 to €13.7 billion in 2024 in current prices, an increase of 92% before inflation.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat jobs do people do in Border?
Of the 189,410 jobs located in Border in 2024, 34% in public services, education, health and other services, 13% in industry and 9.3% in farming, forestry and fishing.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyAre jobs growing in Border?
The number of people working in Border rose by 15.5% between 2015 and 2024, to 189,410.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyMore figures
- 35.4% of people in the Border region belonged to the professional, managerial or technical social classes in Census 2022, the 2nd lowest of 8 NUTS 3 regions (Ireland: 39.9%). Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · saved copy
- Of the 177,074 residents of the Border region at work in Census 2022, 6.8% worked in agriculture, forestry and fishing and 13.0% in manufacturing (Ireland: 3.5% and 11.8%). Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · saved copy
- 8.1% of commuters living in the Border region took an hour or more to reach work, school or college in Census 2022 (9.7% nationally). Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · saved copy
- Disposable income per person in the Border region rose by 29.6% in the five years from 2019 (€19,895) to 2024, compared with 32.7% for Ireland as a whole. Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · saved copy
- Total household income in the Border region, before income tax, came to €34,849 per person in 2024, of which wages, salaries and employer contributions made up 58.8%. Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · saved copy
- Income from self-employment accounted for 9.6% of total household income in the Border region in 2024, the 3rd highest of 8 NUTS 3 regions (Ireland: 8.0%). Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · saved copy
- Median annual earnings in the Border region grew by 11.9% between 2020 and 2025. Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · saved copy
How Border compares with other regional areas in Ireland
Census 2022 unemployment rate (%) (2022)
Border ranks 1 of 8, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Census 2022 unemployment rate (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Border | 9.5% |
| 2 | Midland | 9.5% |
| 3 | South-East | 9.2% |
| 4 | West | 8.2% |
| 5 | Mid-West | 8.2% |
| 6 | Dublin | 8.2% |
| 7 | Mid-East | 8.2% |
Professional, managerial and technical social classes (%) (2022)
Border ranks 7 of 8, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Professional, managerial and technical social classes (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Mid-East | 41.9% |
| 3 | South-West | 40.3% |
| 4 | West | 39.4% |
| 5 | Mid-West | 37.3% |
| 6 | South-East | 36.5% |
| 7 | Border | 35.4% |
| 8 | Midland | 35.0% |
People who work from home at least some of the time (%) (2022)
Border ranks 8 of 8, highest first.
| Rank | Area | People who work from home at least some of the time (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Mid-East | 36.5% |
| 3 | South-West | 34.3% |
| 4 | West | 31.1% |
| 5 | Mid-West | 30.6% |
| 6 | South-East | 28.8% |
| 7 | Midland | 27.9% |
| 8 | Border | 26.0% |
Disposable income per person (€) (2024)
Border ranks 8 of 8, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Disposable income per person (€) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | South-West | €30,059 |
| 3 | Mid-West | €29,451 |
| 4 | Mid-East | €29,324 |
| 5 | South-East | €28,691 |
| 6 | West | €28,360 |
| 7 | Midland | €26,606 |
| 8 | Border | €25,779 |
Median annual earnings (€) (2025)
Border ranks 8 of 8, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Median annual earnings (€) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Mid-East | €47,627 |
| 3 | South-West | €46,749 |
| 4 | Mid-West | €45,206 |
| 5 | West | €44,771 |
| 6 | Midland | €43,980 |
| 7 | South-East | €43,095 |
| 8 | Border | €40,486 |
Share of output from industry (manufacturing, mining and energy) (2024)
Border ranks 7 of 8, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Share of output from industry (manufacturing, mining and energy) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | West | 41.5% |
| 3 | Mid-West | 40.9% |
| 4 | Mid-East | 36.8% |
| 5 | Midland | 26.0% |
| 6 | South-East | 24.9% |
| 7 | Border | 21.3% |
| 8 | Dublin | 12.7% |
Share of output from finance, property and business services (2024)
Border ranks 4 of 8, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Share of output from finance, property and business services |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dublin | 29.1% |
| 2 | South-East | 27.8% |
| 3 | Mid-East | 21.6% |
| 4 | Border | 20.3% |
| 5 | Mid-West | 20.2% |
| 6 | Midland | 16.5% |
| 7 | West | 16.3% |
Share of output from public administration, education, health and other services (2024)
Border ranks 2 of 8, highest first.
| Rank | Area | Share of output from public administration, education, health and other services |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Midland | 27.8% |
| 2 | Border | 25.8% |
| 3 | South-East | 19.3% |
| 4 | West | 16.9% |
| 5 | Mid-East | 14.7% |
| 6 | Mid-West | 14.6% |
| 7 | Dublin | 8.5% |
More on Border: overview · health · education and schools · poverty and living standards · government and politics · Northern and Western · Ireland
Sources
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gdp: GDP per person, PPS (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3bf0fc662f56…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gdp: GDP, million euros (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 096e15e5fdb3…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3empers: Employment, thousand people (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 664e4e3a6dc0…)
- Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland: Estimates of Household Income by Region and County, 2000-2024 (PxStat table CIRGDP07, County Incomes and Regional GDP), read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 e9c131e91ab7…)
- Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland: Mean and median annual earnings by sex and NUTS 3 region, 2011-2025 (PxStat table NEA05), read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 692c97378d3e…)
- Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland: Census 2022 Small Area Population Statistics (SAPS), all themes, by administrative county and city, read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 32250e98c48a…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3empers: Employment (thousand persons) by NUTS 3 region and industry, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 222a97c302d3…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gva: Gross value added at basic prices by NUTS 3 region and industry, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 c656e8563bdf…)
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