Industrial production in Belgium fell 3.9 percent year-on-year in September of 2018, after a 1.9 percent increase in the previous month. It is the steepest decline in industrial activity since December, as output shrank mostly for electricity, gas, steam & air conditioning supply (-21.8 percent vs -22.6 percent in August) and water collection, treatment & supply (-4.6 percent vs -3.3 percent). Also, manufacturing activity decreased (-2.3 percent vs 4.6 percent), amid lower production of vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers (-11.7 percent vs -3.6 percent); food & beverages (-4.1 percent vs 2.1 percent) and other chemical products (-4.1 percent vs 12.1 percent). Meantime, production grew at the same pace for mining & quarrying (1.4 percent). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, industrial production slumped 4.5 percent, following a 3 percent rise in the previous month. Industrial Production in Belgium averaged 2.57 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.