ONS Production Output Report: May 2025
This summary is based on information from the Office for National Statistics’ Index of Production, UK: March 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 March 2025, the UK’s monthly production output was estimated to have decreased by 0.7%, following a rise in February 2025 (1.7%) and a fall in January 2025 (0.5%).
The fall in monthly output resulted from decreases in “manufacturing” (0.8%), “mining and quarrying” (1.2%) and “electricity and gas” (0.7%). However, these were partially offset by an increase in “water supply and sewage” (0.8%).
The monthly increase saw growth in 10 of its 13 manufacturing subsectors, with 6 of those 10 subsectors having fallen in January 2025. The largest contributors to the increase in manufacturing output for February 2025 came from “computer, electronic and optical products”, “basic pharmaceutical products” and “transport equipment. These rose by 9.8%, 4.4% and 1.8% respectively.
The largest of the seven negative contributions to manufacturing output in March 2024 came from decreases in “computer, electronic and optical products” and “basic pharmaceutical products”, which fell by 8.4% and 5.8% respectively. This is mainly a fallback, following a strong February 2025, where they increased by 9.8% and 4.4% respectively.
Three-monthly Trends
Production output for Quarter 1 (January to March) 2025 was estimated to have risen by 1.1% compared to Quarter 4 (October to December) 2024. This marked the first quarterly rise since Quarter 1 (January to March) 2024.
The main contributor to this increase was “manufacturing”, which rose by 0.8%. This was supported by smaller contributions in “water supply and sewerage” and “electricity and gas”, which were up by 4.0% and 1.8% respectively. However, this was partially offset by a 0.5% decrease in “mining and quarrying”.
The Quarter 1 2025 manufacturing output increase saw rises in 10 of its 13 subsectors. The largest positive contributions to the quarterly rise in Quarter 1 2025 came from “transport equipment” and “machinery and equipment not elsewhere classified”, which rose by 2.7% and 3.8% respectively.
In summary, UK production output rose by 1.1% in Quarter 1 2025, the first quarterly growth in a year. This was led by a 0.8% increase in manufacturing, with strong contributions from transport equipment (2.7%) and machinery and equipment (3.8%), alongside gains in water supply (4.0%) and electricity and gas (1.8%).
Despite a 0.7% monthly decline in March, driven by falls in manufacturing, mining, and energy, the broader trend points to a modest recovery in the UK’s production industries.
Source: Index of Production, UK – Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)
