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 increased by 2.2% between January and February 2025 following a decrease of 0.9% between December 2024 and January 2025. Output increased in 10 of the 13 subsectors between January and February.

Manufacturing output for the three months to February 2025 rose by 0.6% compared to the three months to November 2024.

Output in the three months to February 2025 was 0.4% lower than output in the same period the previous year.

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 April 2025 was 45.4, up from 44.9 in March. Activity contracted for the seventh month in a row. Economic uncertainty (including because of US trade tariffs) and higher costs (including from National Insurance contributions and minimum wage increases) led to a decrease in new business, reduced headcount, and lower purchasing activity.

Next updates

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

• ONS, Index of Production, 15 May 2025

• S&P Global/CIPS, UK Manufacturing PMI, 22 May 2025