Euro area industrial output falls more than expected in April

ISTANBUL

Industrial production in the euro area dropped 2.4% in April, falling more sharply than expected and marking declines across all major production categories, according to data released Friday by Eurostat, the EU’s statistics agency.

Economists had forecast a 1.6% monthly decrease for the month.

Among the euro area’s five industrial subcategories, production of non-durable consumer goods saw the steepest drop, down 3%. Other sectors also posted declines: capital goods fell 1.1%, energy dropped 1.6%, intermediate goods slid 0.7%, and durable consumer goods edged down 0.2%.

Across the broader EU27, industrial output declined 1.8% in April from the previous month.

"The largest monthly decreases were recorded in Ireland (-15.2%), Malta (-6.2%) and Lithuania (-3.0%). The highest increases were observed in Denmark (+3.5%), Luxembourg (+3.2%), Croatia and Sweden (+2.5% both)," Eurostat said in a statement.

On an annual basis, industrial production in the eurozone and the EU climbed 0.8% and 0.6%, respectively, in April 2025.

In the eurozone, non-durable consumer goods showed the strongest annual growth at 6.1%, while intermediate goods registered a 1% decline.

In the EU, the largest annual increase was also in non-durable consumer goods (+4.1%), and the sharpest annual decrease was in intermediate goods (-1%).

"The highest annual increases were recorded in Ireland (+18.4%), Finland (+10.2%) and Croatia (+6.5%). The largest decreases were observed in Denmark (-11.6%), Bulgaria (-10.5%) and Slovenia (-4.6%)," Eurostat noted.

The eurozone, or EA20, represents member states that use the bloc’s single currency, the euro, while the EU27 includes all member countries.