Under European Business Statistics (EBS) Regulation 2019/2152, the Sectors covered in Structural Business Statistics and Business Demography are now common as part of an EU-wide initiative to improve data processing and enhance coherency across a range of enterprise statistical products. This release provides data on NACE sectors B to S (excluding O and S94).
Further releases under the ‘Business in Ireland’ title are planned providing additional data and insights into the composition and constitution of enterprises across the economy.
| Structural Business Statistics1 by sector, 2022 | ||||||
| Industry | Construction | Distribution | Services | Total2 | ||
| Enterprises | No. | 21,451 | 77,676 | 49,253 | 241,274 | 389,654 |
| of which: SMEs (<250 persons employed) | No. | 21,250 | 77,648 | 49,135 | 240,735 | 388,768 |
| Large (250+ persons employed) | No. | 201 | 28 | 118 | 539 | 886 |
| Persons Engaged | No. | 290,505 | 198,109 | 413,595 | 1,390,389 | 2,292,598 |
| of which: SMEs (<250 persons employed) | No. | 142,886 | 181,471 | 290,492 | 942,151 | 1,557,000 |
| Large (250+ persons employed) | No. | 147,619 | 16,638 | 123,103 | 448,238 | 735,598 |
| Turnover | €m | 430,088 | 45,908 | 213,790 | 598,943 | 1,288,729 |
| of which: SMEs (<250 persons employed) | €m | 76,344 | 38,487 | 161,758 | 279,131 | 555,720 |
| Large (250+ persons employed) | €m | 353,743 | 7,421 | 52,032 | 319,812 | 733,009 |
| Gross Value Added | €m | 180,024 | 12,296 | 31,523 | 200,340 | 424,183 |
| of which: SMEs (<250 persons employed) | €m | 28,682 | 10,998 | 20,582 | 111,902 | 172,163 |
| Large (250+ persons employed) | €m | 151,341 | 1,298 | 10,941 | 88,438 | 252,019 |
| Source: CSO Ireland | ||||||
| 1NACE sectors B to S (excluding O and S94). | ||||||
| 2Totals may differ due to rounding. | ||||||
The Structural Business Economy had almost 389,700 active enterprises in 2022. The Services sector accounted for the largest proportion of these enterprises at 61.9%, followed by Construction (19.9%), Distribution (12.6%), and Industry (5.5%).
There were almost 2,292,600 persons employed in these four sectors in 2022. Almost 1,390,400 persons were employed in Services, compared with almost 413,600 in Distribution, more than 290,500 in Industry and more than 198,100 persons in Construction.
| For long labels below use to display on multiple lines | Enterprises |
|---|---|
| Construction | 19.9 |
| Industry | 5.5 |
| Services | 61.9 |
| Distribution | 12.6 |
| For long labels below use to display on multiple lines | Persons Employed |
|---|---|
| Construction | 8.6 |
| Industry | 12.7 |
| Services | 60.6 |
| Distribution | 18 |
In 2022, Ireland generated a total turnover of €1,288.7 billion. Services accounted for 46.5% of this turnover, followed by Industry at 33.4%. The Distribution and Construction sectors generated turnover of 16.6% and 3.6% respectively.
Of the total €424.2 billion Gross Value Added (GVA) generated in Ireland in 2022, Services accounted for €200.3 billion (47.2%) and Industry €180.0 billion (42.4%). The Distribution and Construction sectors accounted for GVA of 7.4% and 2.9% respectively.
| For long labels below use to display on multiple lines | Turnover |
|---|---|
| Construction | 3.6 |
| Industry | 33.4 |
| Services | 46.5 |
| Distribution | 16.6 |
| For long labels below use to display on multiple lines | GVA |
|---|---|
| Construction | 2.9 |
| Industry | 42.4 |
| Services | 47.2 |
| Distribution | 7.4 |
In 2022, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) (<250 persons employed) accounted for 99.8% of all enterprises and 67.9% of total persons employed. More than two-fifths (43.1%) of total turnover and 40.6% of total GVA (40.6%) was attributed to these SMEs. In comparison, large enterprises (250+ persons employed) accounted for just 0.2% of all enterprises and 32.1% of all persons employed in the business economy in 2022, but generated 56.9% of total turnover and 59.4% of total GVA.
| X-axis label | Large (250+ persons employed) | SMEs (<250 persons employed) |
|---|---|---|
| Active enterprises | 0.2 | 99.8 |
| Persons employed | 32.1 | 67.9 |
| Turnover | 56.9 | 43.1 |
| GVA | 59.4 | 40.6 |
The Construction sector at 91.6% had the largest share of its persons employed in SMEs in 2022. Seven out of every ten persons (70.2%) in the Distribution sector and 67.8% in the Services sector were employed in SMEs. In contrast, the Industry sector reported almost an even split between persons employed in large enterprises (50.8%) and those employed in SMEs (49.2%).
| X-axis label | Large (250+ persons employed) | SMEs (<250 persons employed) |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | 8.4 | 91.6 |
| Distribution | 29.8 | 70.2 |
| Services | 32.2 | 67.8 |
| Industry | 50.8 | 49.2 |
SMEs in the Construction sector generated the largest percentage share of turnover (83.8%), followed by the Distribution sector at 75.7%. Large enterprises generated 82.2% of total Industrial turnover, compared with 53.4% in the Services sector.
| X-axis label | Large (250+ persons employed) | SMEs (<250 persons employed) |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | 16.2 | 83.8 |
| Distribution | 24.3 | 75.7 |
| Services | 53.4 | 46.6 |
| Industry | 82.2 | 17.8 |
In the Construction sector SMEs generated 89.4% of total GVA in 2022, followed by Distribution (65.3%) and Services (55.9%). Just 15.9% of GVA in the Industry sector was generated by SMEs.
| X-axis label | Large (250+ persons employed) | SMEs (<250 persons employed) |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | 10.6 | 89.4 |
| Distribution | 34.7 | 65.3 |
| Services | 44.1 | 55.9 |
| Industry | 84.1 | 15.9 |
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