Labour productivity grew by 4.6% in the North West in 2020 compared with 2019, the fastest in the UK and far ahead of the UK average of 0.4%, data from the Office for National Statistics reveals.
Productivity growth was also especially pronounced in Northern Ireland (3.5%) and London (2.7%), while the situation was less favourable in the West Midlands (-1.4%) and Yorkshire and the Humber (-0.9%).
The Scottish economy also shrunk by 0.2%, while the Welsh economy grew by 0.3%.
The ONS said that the wide variation in growth across the country may reflect differences in how the COVID-19 pandemic and following restrictions and lockdowns affected the economies in different UK countries and regions.
In Q4 2020, GDP was up in all UK nations compared to the previous quarter: 1.2% in England, 0.7% in Northern Ireland, 2.3% in Scotland and 0.9% in Wales.
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