Eurozone industrial production falls 0.5% in August, Belgium records largest monthly decline

Industrial production in the euro area fell by 0.5% in August compared with July, while the wider European Union recorded a 0.3% monthly decline, according to the latest official figures.

The month-on-month drop in the euro area was driven largely by a 2.7% fall in the output of non-durable consumer goods. Production of intermediate goods declined by 0.8% and energy by 0.6%, while capital goods rose by 0.4% and durable consumer goods increased by 0.2%.

Across the EU as a whole there were similar sectoral movements: non-durable consumer goods fell 2.3%, energy dropped 0.5% and intermediate goods were down 0.3%. Capital goods production rose by 0.7%, and production of durable consumer goods was unchanged.

At member-state level, the largest monthly declines in August were recorded in Belgium (-5.1%), Ireland (-3.1%) and Portugal (-2.0%). The biggest monthly increases were seen in Sweden (+6.5%), Estonia (+4.3%) and the Netherlands (+2.6%).

On an annual basis — compared with August 2025 — industrial output in the euro area fell 1.1%, while in the EU it decreased by 0.2%. Yearly falls were largest in Ireland (-15.0%), Belgium (-7.1%) and Bulgaria (-5.4%), while the strongest annual growth was in the Netherlands (+9.8%), Hungary (+8.8%) and Denmark (+8.3%).

These statistics refer to industrial production excluding construction and have been seasonally and calendar adjusted.

Photo: Ilustracija