Industrial production stagnated
The volume of industrial production remained in March 2025 at the same month of the previous year’s level, while, based on working-day adjusted data, it lessened by 5.4% year-on-year. Compared to crude data, the significant difference is due to the fact that there were two more working-days in this month than in March 2024. Production dropped in the majority of manufacturing subsections, at the highest rate in the manufacture of electrical equipment. According to seasonally and working-day adjusted data, industrial output was 0.1% higher than in February 2025.
In March 2025:
The volume of industrial production stagnated compared to the same period of the previous year. (Compared to the March data published in the first estimate, the data in the second estimate did not change.)
Industrial output in March – according to seasonally and working-day adjusted indices – was 0.1% above the level of the previous month.
The volume of industrial export was 3.3% higher than a year earlier. The manufacture of transport equipment export, representing a 33% weight within export sales in manufacturing grew by 3.5%, the manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products export, accounting for a 14% weight, rose by 14.0%.
Domestic sales of industry decreased by 3.5%, those of manufacturing declined by 3.8% compared to the same month of the previous year.
Within industry, production grew by 0.2% in the decisive weight (95%) representing manufacturing, it increased by 5.0% in the energy industry (electricity, gas, steam and air-conditioning supply), at the same time output dropped by 10.8% in the small weight representing mining and quarrying.
Changes in the production and sales of manufacturing
(%)
| Period | Production | Total | Domestic | Export | Share of export in sales at current prices | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| sales | ||||||
| Volume index, corresponding period of previous year = 100.0 | ||||||
| 2023 | 95.8 | 97.4 | 91.8 | 99.7 | 72.7 | |
| 2024 | 95.1 | 94.4 | 96.2 | 93.8 | 72.5 | |
| 2025 | January | 96.1 | 98.5 | 96.5 | 99.2 | 74.5 |
| February | 90.5 | 91.8 | 91.1 | 92.1 | 74.5 | |
| March | 100.2 | 100.7 | 96.2 | 102.3 | 74.1 | |
| From the beginning of the year | 95.5 | 96.9 | 94.6 | 97.8 | 74.4 | |
Output volume in the largest weight representing manufacture of transport equipment, having a 28% share in manufacturing, increased by 2.8% compared to the same month of the previous year. Motor vehicles manufacturing rose by 1.3%, the manufacture of parts and accessories for motor vehicles grew by 1.2%.
The manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products, accounting for 11% within manufacturing output exceeded the level of March 2024 – at the highest rate out of the subsections – by 15.6%. Considering the two largest groups the manufacture of computers and peripheral equipment went up by 50%, the manufacture of electronic components and boards declined by 1.2%.
The manufacture of electrical equipment, representing an 8.5% weight in manufacturing lagged behind the most among the subsections, by 20%, year-on-year. Out of the two largest weight representing groups production volume in the manufacture of batteries and accumulators fell by 41%, in the manufacture of electric motors, generators, transformers and electricity distribution and control apparatus dropped by 14.8%.
The manufacture of food products, beverages and tobacco products, having a 12% share in manufacturing, was 0.9% higher than in the same month of the previous year, export sales increased, while domestic sales declined. Processing and preserving meat and the production of meat products, representing the largest weight (22%), rose by 1.3% compared to March of the previous year. Production grew in other seven groups, too, least of all in the manufacture of processing and preserving of fruit and vegetables (by 0.5%), most of all in the manufacture of tobacco products (by 45%). Output decreased between 0.6% and 13.9% in the other three groups, at the highest rate in vegetable and animal oils and fats.
Out of the two medium weight representing subsections the manufacture of rubber and plastics products and other non-metallic mineral products declined by 1.3%, the manufacture of basic metals and fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment dropped by 4.8% year-on-year.
Following the decline registered in the previous month the manufacture of wood and paper products, and printing, accounting for a 3.5% weight within manufacturing grew by 11.8% compared to March 2024, sales rose in both directions.
Contrary to the drop from the previous month production in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, medicinal chemical and botanical products rose by 7.2%, due to an increase in both domestic and export sales.
Changes in production in the major subsections of manufacturing, March 2025
(%)
| Subsections | Volume indices of production, corresponding period of the previous year = 100.0 | Share of subsection within manufacturing at current prices | |
|---|---|---|---|
| code | denomination | ||
| CA | Manufacture of food products, beverages and tobacco products | 100.9 | 12.4 |
| CG | Manufacture of rubber and plastics products, and other non-metallic mineral products | 98.7 | 8.0 |
| CH | Manufacture of basic metals and fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment | 95.2 | 7.0 |
| CI | Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products | 115.6 | 10.6 |
| CJ | Manufacture of electrical equipment | 79.5 | 8.5 |
| CL | Manufacture of transport equipment | 102.8 | 27.8 |
Industrial output grew in four regions and fell in other four, year-on-year. The highest volume growth was observed in the Northern Great Plain (11.4%), the most significant decline (14.6%) was registered in Pest region
The volume of total new orders in the observed divisions of manufacturing was 0.1% lower compared to March 2024. New domestic orders fell by 8.0%, new export orders rose by 0.2%. The total stock of orders at the end of March was below the previous year’s level by 10.2%.
In January–March 2025, compared to the same period of the previous year:
Industrial production decreased by 4.4%. The volume of export sales, representing 63% of all sales, stagnated, domestic sales, accounting for 37% of all sales, dropped by 3.0%.
Out of the thirteen manufacturing subsections production declined in nine, to the greatest extent, by 25%, in the manufacture of electrical equipment. The output of the manufacture of transport equipment, the largest subsection, fell by 3.8%. In the other subsections volumes rose between 1.8% and 9.7%, at the highest rate in the manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products.