ONS Production Output Report: March 2025
This summary is based on information from the Office for National Statistics’ Index of Production, UK: January 2025, highlighting recent trends in the UK’s production industries, including manufacturing, mining and quarrying, energy supply, and water and waste management.
Monthly Performance Analysis
In January 2025, the UK’s monthly production output was estimated to have decreased by 0.9%, following a rise in December 2024 (0.5%) and a fall in November 2024 (0.5%).
The fall in monthly output resulted from decreases in “manufacturing” (1.1%) and “mining and quarrying” (3.3%). However, these were partially offset by increases in “electricity and gas” (0.5%) and “water supply and sewerage” (2.6%).
The monthly increase saw growth in 9 of its 13 manufacturing subsectors. The most notable decreases in January 2025 came from “basic pharmaceutical products”, “basic metals and metal products” and “other manufacturing and repair” which fell by 3.1%, 3.3% and 3.3%, respectively.
Three-monthly Trends
Production output for the three months to January 2025 was estimated to have fell by 0.9% compared with the three months to October 2024. This marks the ninth consecutive three-monthly decline in product output.
The main contributor to this fall was “manufacturing” which fell by 0.9%. This was supported by negative contributions in “mining and quarrying” and “electricity and gas” which were down by 2.7% and 1.9% respectively. However, this was partially offset by a 2.1% increase in “water supply and sewerage”.
To summarise, in January 2025, the UK’s production output decreased by 0.9%, primarily due to declines in manufacturing and mining and quarrying, despite growth in electricity and gas, as well as water supply and sewerage. The three-monthly trend also showed a 0.9% decline, marking the ninth consecutive period of contraction, driven by continued weakness in manufacturing and mining. While water supply and sewerage provided some positive contributions, the broader production sector continues to face downward pressure.
Source: Index of Production, UK – Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)
