Industrial production in Belgium rose 1.0 percent year-on-year in October of 2018, recovering from an upwardly revised 4.2 percent decline in the prior month. Output rebounded in manufacturing (4.2 percent vs -1.9 percent in September), mainly due to basic metals (4.8 percent vs -1.4 percent). In contrast, production shrank for mining & quarrying (-0.3 percent vs 1.2 percent); electricity, gas, steam & air conditioning supply (-28.2 percent vs -28.8 percent) and water collection, treatment & supply (-9.7 percent vs -4.8 percent). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, industrial production decreased 0.5 percent, following an upwardly revised 4.7 percent slump in the previous month. Industrial Production in Belgium averaged 2.56 percent from 2001 until 2018, reaching an all time high of 21.90 percent in January of 2001 and a record low of -19.90 percent in April of 2009.
Industrial Production in Belgium is expected to be 3.00 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. Looking forward, we estimate Industrial Production in Belgium to stand at -0.35 in 12 months time. In the long-term, the Belgium Industrial Production is projected to trend around 2.50 percent in 2020, according to our econometric models.