ONS Production Output Report: July 2025
This summary is based on information from the Office for National Statistics’ Index of Production, UK: May 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 May 2025, the UK’s monthly production output was estimated to have decreased by 0.9%, following a fall in April 2025 (0.6%) and a rise in March 2025 (0.2%).
The fall in monthly output resulted from decreases in “manufacturing” (1.0%), and “mining and quarrying” (3.2%). However, these were partially offset by an increase in “water supply and sewerage” (0.8%), and “electricity and gas” (0.3%).
9 of the 13 manufacturing subsectors saw a fall in May 2025. The largest contributor came from “basic pharmaceutical products” (4.2%), with other contributions coming from “transport equipment” (1.3%) and “basic metals and metal products” (1.8%).
The largest positive contribution came from “machinery and equipment not elsewhere classified” (3.4%), which partially offset the monthly fall in manufacturing.
Three-monthly Trends
In the three months to May 2025, production output was estimated to have risen by 0.2%, compared against the three months to February 2025. This is largely due to a weak December and January 2025, followed by a strong February 2025.
The main contributor to this increase was “water supply and sewerage”, which rose by 3.7%. This was supported by a smaller contribution in “manufacturing” (0.4%). However, it was partially offset by falls in “electricity and gas” and “mining and quarrying, which were down by 2.8% and 1.6% respectively.
In summary, despite a 0.9% fall in monthly production output in May 2025, driven by notable declines in manufacturing (1.0%) and mining and quarrying (3.2%), the three-month trend shows a more positive picture. In the three months to May 2025, total production output rose by 0.2%, supported by growth in water supply and sewerage (3.7%) and manufacturing (0.4%). While some manufacturing subsectors, such as basic pharmaceutical products and transport equipment, weighed on performance, gains in machinery and equipment (3.4%) helped offset the decline. This mixed performance suggests a fragile but ongoing recovery across parts of the UK’s production industries.
Source: Index of Production, UK – Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)
