Manufacturing industries: Economic indicators

Economic indicators are quick-read summaries of the latest data focusing on different aspects of the UK economy. The full suite of indicators can be found on the main Economic Indicators page.

Manufacturing is one of the production industries, which also include mining, electricity, water & waste management and oil & gas extraction.

In October to December 2024, the manufacturing sector accounted for 8.6% of total UK economic output (gross value added) and 8.0% of employment.

Manufacturing Output

Manufacturing output decreased by 1.1% between December 2024 and January 2025 following an increase of 0.6% between November and December 2024.

Manufacturing output for the three months to January 2025 fell by 0.9% compared to the three months to October 2024.

Output in the three months to January 2025 was 1.3% lower than output in the same period the previous year. Output decreased in nine of the 13 subsectors between December and January.

Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI)

In the S&P Global/CIPS PMI, a value of 50 means that there is no change compared to the previous month. Values above 50 indicate an expansion, and values below 50 a contraction.

The UK manufacturing PMI (PDF) in February 2025 was 46.9, down from 48.3 in January. Output decreased for the fourth month in a row, as new orders and client confidence were both down. The contraction was felt across the sector, and in both domestic and export activity. Employment was also down, while inflation increased, and supply chain issues caused problems. However, business optimism was up.

Next updates

This page is updated when new data is published. The next source updates will be:

• ONS, Index of Production, 11 April 2025

• S&P Global/CIPS, UK Manufacturing PMI, 24 March 2025