Skip to content

Waiting lists and taxes in NI and Republic compared by study

Clodagh Rice
BBC News NI Business Correspondent
Getty Images Person with red jumper has fingers inside gold coloured wallet.Getty Images
A new report says disposable income is 18.3% higher in Ireland than in Northern Ireland

Differences in the time spent on waiting lists, household disposable incomes and unemployment levels between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have been assessed by a new study.

The report by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and the Department of the Taoiseach's Shared Island Unit has compared the two economies.

It said there were 86 people per 1,000 population on waiting lists for more than 18 months in Northern Ireland in 2024, compared to 12 people per 1,000 in the Republic of Ireland.

Meanwhile 2018 data suggested household disposable incomes in Northern Ireland were lower than in the Republic of Ireland.

The report takes a look at different economic and social indicators, using the most recent data available

Are wages higher in the Republic or NI?

The report said wages in the Republic were higher, with hourly earnings 36% higher than in Northern Ireland in 2022 when adjusted for purchasing power parity.

It also said people in Northern Ireland, on average, paid less than half the amount of personal income tax compared to their counterparts in the Republic.

There has been an increase in trade activity between the two economies, the report said Brexit is likely a "driving factor".

Getty Images A still image of a large red lorry pulling up to a security search check point at Larne Harbour. A man in a yellow reflective jacket is holding his hand up to talk to the lorry driver. There is another worker talking to a second driver in the background.Getty Images
The report has cited Brexit as a reason for more trade activity between Northern Ireland and the Republic

How do employment levels differ between NI and the Republic?

The report said unemployment levels in Northern Ireland were lower than in the Republic in 2023.

But employment levels were also lower in Northern Ireland, which the report suggested could lead to future and ongoing skills shortages.

However, the report also found the performance of the Irish economy was much more prone to negative external shocks compared to Northern Ireland.

A comparison was also made of wellbeing outcomes across education and health.

It was found the Republic had fewer young people leave school early, a lower infant mortality rate and fewer people on a waiting list for longer durations.

The report said there were 86 people per 1,000 population on waiting lists for more than 18 months in Northern Ireland, compared to 12 people per 1,000 in the Republic of Ireland.

Getty Images A group of four, young female students stand in a group holding white sheets of paper with their exam results on them. Two girls on either side of the four are talking to each other.Getty Images
The school enrolment rate among 15–19 year olds in Northern Ireland is lower than the rest of the UK or Ireland

Education enrolment rates

In Northern Ireland, the education enrolment rate among 15–19 year olds was 71% in 2022, compared to the UK average of 81% and 92% in Ireland.

This report said the fact that almost 30% of young people aged 15–19 in Northern Ireland were not enrolled in education, alongside the enrolment rate falling between 2018 and 2022, was "extremely alarming".

It also found average life expectancy in Northern Ireland was 80.4 years, compared to 82.4 years in the Republic.

The report said this reflects a "growing divergence over time" in areas such as living standards, education and certain aspects of health care access.

The population in the Republic was 2.5 times that of Northern Ireland in 2022 and was growing at a faster rate from 2010-2022, which the report said was partly due to immigration.

It also highlighted the fact that Northern Ireland had an older population, which was more likely to put pressure on social welfare systems.