OECD: Economy to grow 3% in 2021 despite January lockdown

Pedestrians on Oliver Plunkett St, Cork City, during the last days of the level 5 lockdown on November 27. Piture: Larry Cummins

Ireland is weathering the Covid-19 economic storm better than most wealthy states, and the economy will expand by around 3% in 2021 — even after taking account of the next looming lockdown, the Irish expert at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has predicted.

In an interview, Douglas Sutherland, senior economist at the OECD, said Ireland will be one of only a handful of OECD countries to post growth this year, and the economy will likely expand again next year, by around 3%.