AQW 21101/22-27 Written question to the Minister of Health
To ask the Minister of Health to detail (i) the number of community pharmacies that closed between January 2023 and December 2024; and (ii) how this compares to the total number of closures over the previous five years.
Asked by Claire Sugden MLA on 22 January 2025
- Answered
- Written
- After due date
- Tabled
- 22 January 2025
- Answer due by
- 6 February 2025
- Answered
- 9 February 202518 days after tabling
- Department
- Department of Health
- Priority question
- No
Answer
The total number of community pharmacies that closed between January 2023 and December 2024 was 17.
For comparison purposes, the table below shows the total number of closures over the previous five years from January 2018 to December 2022.
| Year | Number of closures |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 4 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 0 |
At a UK level, Northern Ireland continues to have the most pharmacies per 100,000 population. The latest available statistics, which relate to 2022/23, show that the UK average was 20.6 pharmacies per 100,000 people. Northern Ireland’s figure was 27.6, which was 34% higher than the UK average.
We do not always know the reason for closures as contractors do not have to give my Department a reason for closing, but we are aware that some of the closures were as a result of business consolidation.
There remains good access to community pharmacies across Northern Ireland, with over 99% of the population living within 5 miles of a community pharmacy.