UK Industrial Output Falls Less Than Expected
2026-05-14 06:19
By
Czyrill Jean Coloma
1 min. read
Industrial production in the UK fell by 0.2% month-on-month in March 2026, reversing a downwardly revised 0.3% gain in February but coming in slightly better than market expectations of a 0.3% drop.
The decline was primarily driven by contractions in mining and quarrying (-2.3% vs 4% in February) and electricity, gas, steam and air-conditioning supply (-4.3% vs 0.9%), while water supply, sewerage and waste management declined further (-1.6% vs -0.2%).
In contrast, manufacturing output rebounded to a four-month high of 1.2% from a 0.2% fall in February, mainly supported by recoveries in transport equipment (2% vs -2.1%) and basic metals and metal products (2.1% vs -1.7%), alongside a continued increase in basic pharmaceutical products and preparations (2.1% vs 0.5%).
On a yearly basis, industrial output stalled, following an upwardly revised 0.5% fall in the previous month and missing market expectations of a 0.2% rise.
During Q1 2026, industrial output increased by 0.2%.