Table of contents
1. Main points
Monthly production rose by 1.0% between October 2021 and November 2021; this meant that output was 2.6% below its February 2020 level (the last month of “normal” trading conditions prior to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic).
The monthly rise in output was the result of growth in three of the four production sectors, with manufacturing growing by 1.1%, water supply and sewerage by 1.6%, and electricity and gas by 1.3%; in contrast, mining and quarrying saw a fall of 1.3%, as extraction of crude oil and natural gas fell by 2.3% in November.
Within manufacturing, the largest contributions to monthly growth were from manufacturing of machinery and equipment (with a month-on-month growth of 7.4%) and manufacturing of transport equipment (with a month-on-month growth of 3.6%).
Output remained below pre-COVID-19 levels in three of the four production sectors; when compared with the February 2020 level, monthly manufacturing output remained 2.2% below, mining and quarrying was 13.2% below, electricity and gas was 6.7% below, while in contrast, water supply and sewerage was 7.6% above.
Production output for the three months to November 2021 decreased by 0.1%, compared with the three months to August 2021, with a fall of 6.6% in electricity and gas, partially offset by a growth of 10.7% rise in mining and quarrying, because of a strong increase in extraction of crude petroleum and natural gas, following the reopening of oil fields after a period of maintenance during April to June 2021.
Manufacturing output for the three months to November 2021 decreased by 0.1% compared with the three months to August 2021; the decrease was led by a fall of 4.2% in manufacturing of machinery and equipment and a fall of 2.2% in manufacturing of transport equipment, despite a monthly growth in both industries in November.
For further and detailed analysis of the effect on our monthly Index of Production estimate, please see GDP monthly estimate, UK: November 2021, published today (14 January 2022).
2. Index of Production data
Index of Production (IoP) time series
Dataset DIOP | Released 14 January 2022
Movements in the volume of production for the UK production industries: manufacturing, mining and quarrying, energy supply, and water and waste management. Figures are seasonally adjusted.
Output of the production industries
Dataset | Released 14 January 2022
Index values and growth rates for production, manufacturing and the main industrial groupings in the UK.
Index of Production and industry sectors to four decimal places
Dataset | Released 14 January 2022
Monthly index values for production and the main IoP sectors in the UK to four decimal places.
Monthly Business Survey turnover in production industries
Dataset | Released 14 January 2022
Monthly Business Survey (MBS) production industries’ total turnover, domestic sales and exports in the UK. Figures are in current price and non-seasonally adjusted.
Export proportions for manufacturing industries
Dataset | Released 14 January 2022
Monthly, three-monthly and annual export data for the manufacturing industries, collected by the MBS at industry level in the UK.
All data related to the IoP are available on the Related data page.
3. Measuring the data
The Index of Production (IoP) uses data from a variety of sources and is calculated by taking turnover and removing the impact of price changes, or by using direct volume estimates.
The majority of these data are collected as “turnover values” through the Monthly Business Survey (MBS). In addition, direct volume series are collected by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the International Steel Statistics Bureau (ISSB) for steel industries.
From January 2018, value-added tax (VAT) data have also been included across 64 production industries for small and medium-sized businesses. For more information, see VAT turnover data in national accounts: background and methodology.
A comprehensive list of the IoP source data can be found in the Gross domestic product (GDP(O)) source catalogue (XLS, 715KB).
More quality and methodology information on strengths, limitations, appropriate uses, and how the data were created is available in the UK IoP QMI.
Coronavirus (COVID-19)
The Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) Monthly Business Survey (MBS) is fully online, meaning that business owners can log on from any location and submit their data at an appropriate time. Most other data in the IoP come from the BEIS and therefore will be less impacted than survey data.
Our latest data and analysis on the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on the UK economy and population is now available on a new web page. This will be the hub for all special coronavirus-related publications, including the fortnightly Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS).
Economic statistics governance after EU exit
Following the UK’s exit from the EU, new governance arrangements are being put in place that will support the adoption and implementation of high-quality standards for UK economic statistics. These governance arrangements will promote international comparability and add to the credibility and independence of the UK’s statistical system.
At the centre of this new governance framework will be the new National Statistician’s Committee for Advice on Standards for Economic Statistics (NSCASE). NSCASE will support the UK by ensuring its processes for influencing and adopting international statistical standards are world-leading. The advice NSCASE provides to the National Statistician will span the full range of domains in economic statistics, including the National Accounts, fiscal statistics, prices, trade and the balance of payments and labour market statistics.
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