Euro area industrial production falls 0.5% in August and is 1.1% lower than a year earlier

Eurostat's first estimate of euro area industrial production for August, published on 15 October 2026, shows output down 0.5% on July in seasonally adjusted terms. The EU figure fell 0.3%. Compared with August 2025, euro area output was 1.1% lower and EU output 0.2% lower.

By sector

Euro area production in August, month on month:

• Non-durable consumer goods: −2.7%
• Intermediate goods: −0.8%
• Energy: −0.6%
• Capital goods: +0.4%
• Durable consumer goods: +0.2%

In July the euro area had fallen 0.3%, according to Eurostat. Eurostat's country detail shows Belgium down 5.1% on the month, Ireland down 3.1% and Portugal down 2.0%. Sweden rose 6.5%, Estonia 4.3% and the Netherlands 2.6%.

Reading it

The fall is concentrated in consumer and intermediate goods, while capital goods, which include machinery, rose. Monthly moves in individual countries can be large, as Belgium's 5.1% drop shows, so the euro area total is the more reliable read. A year-on-year fall of 1.1% means the euro area factory sector is still smaller than it was a year ago.

The same week, the euro area trade deficit for August swung to €16.1 billion, and German output rose 2.0% on the month (report). For the ECB, the output picture is one input into its September rate decision. Live prices: EUR/USD.