The combined value of trade between Ireland and Northern Ireland amounted to 8.2 billion euro in 2021. According to figures from the ESRI 2.6 billion euro worth of goods moved north across the boarder while 5.6 billion Euro worth of goods were traded with the south.
The level of cross-border trade has increased since Brexit, and Research Professor at the ESRI - Martina Lawless - says both the pharma sector is booming on both sides of the border.
"The thing that might strike people is how important pharmaceuticals are to Northern Ireland," explained Martina. "Everybody is very aware that pharmaceuticals is one of the largest export sectors for Ireland and accounts for about 60% of our total export, but when we look at Northern Ireland exports, we see that the pharmaceutical sector is almost a quarter of exports there as well."
