These companies had an aggregate Net Selling Value (NSV) of €69.6 billion, while the remaining 3,654 businesses reported an NSV of €65 billion.
The figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) suggest that the Irish manufacturing sector is heavily reliant on a small number of businesses, particularly those involved in the production of pharmaceutical products and food.
The pharmaceutical sector was by far the largest producer in 2019, reporting a NSV of €53.9 billion, while food and beverage producers recorded a NSV of €25.8 billion for the same period.
The lowest performing production sectors last year were mining & quarrying (0.4% of overall NSV), transport equipment (0.4%) and textiles (0.3%).
While the production of pharmaceutical and chemical goods has been increasing steadily since 2017, the CSO figures show that food and beverage production has been experiencing a negative trend.
Production in these areas has decreased from a combined 22.9% in 2017 to 19.1% last year.
Of the 13 sectors examined, seven recorded negative growth in NSV compared to 2018, four reported no change, while two reported growth.
