According to the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), employers and public bodies are only able to take a limited range of actions to combat disadvantage.
In a report the ECRI has called for a single comprehensive equality law.
Northern Ireland operates a "two-tier" system to protect against discrimination.
The ECRI have said they are concerned about the levels of protection in Northern Ireland.
"In a number of key areas individuals in Northern Ireland have a lower level of protection against racial discrimination than people in other parts of the United Kingdom," the ECRI said.
The latest report pointed out that the UK government committed a decade ago to working towards a single equality law.
There are individual acts to protect against discrimination, including the Race Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 and the Fair Employment and Treatment (Northern Ireland) Order 1998.
However, the report said there is "less protection against discrimination on grounds of colour and nationality than on grounds of race, ethnic or national origins".
The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has called on the Stormont Executive to do more to improve life for people from minority ethnic backgrounds in Northern Ireland.
The Community Relations Council (CRC) has said an 87% rise in crime with hate motivation in the past four years was deeply troubling and warned the Brexit vote had further sharpened concerns and fears.
In 2009, 100 Romanians fled their Belfast homes following attacks.
There have been sporadic crimes against minorities since then.
Race discrimination laws in Northern Ireland offer less protection than in other parts of the UK, a report says.