The monthly Index of Industrial Production (IIP) is a business cycle indicator. It provides an early measure of change in the volume of industrial output produced by domestic businesses in the manufacturing, energy, and quarrying sectors in Malta.
Total industrial output – annual comparison
In March 2026, the index of industrial production decreased by 3.6 per cent when compared to March 2025. When excluding energy, the index went down by 4.3 per cent (Chart 1).
Manufacturing output – annual comparison by selected aggregates
In March 2026, manufacturing output declined by 4.7 per cent. The largest downward change was registered in the production of food products and beverages (11.9 per cent), followed by computer, electronic and optical products, and motor vehicles (11.4 per cent) and other manufacturing (8.8 per cent). On the other hand, increases were recorded in the production of wood, paper products, and printing (14.6 per cent) and rubber, plastic, and other non-metallic mineral products (14.1 per cent) (Chart 2).
Industrial output – annual comparison by main industrial groupings
The Main Industrial Groupings (MIGs) provide an alternative statistical breakdown of economic activities classified according to end-use categories. They combine several NACE divisions, groups and classes together (see methodological table for further information).
In March 2026, the highest decrease in production was registered in consumer goods (4.8 per cent), followed by capital goods (2.8 per cent) and intermediate goods (0.1 per cent). On the contrary, the production of energy increased by 18.1 per cent (Chart 3).
Seasonally adjusted industrial production – monthly comparison
A clearer picture of the economic developments can be obtained when indices are adjusted for seasonal effects. These recurring effects are removed from the index series to enable month-to-month comparisons (see methodological points 5 and 6).
The seasonally adjusted index of industrial production for March 2026 went down by 1.4 per cent when compared to February 2026 and stood at 117.2 index points (2021=100) (Chart 4).
