1. Main points
Monthly production output fell by 0.3% between June and July 2022, reaching a level that was 1.3% below February 2020; this was the last month of "normal" trading conditions before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The monthly fall in output resulted from a decline in two of the four production sectors, with electricity and gas falling by 3.4%, and water supply and sewerage by 2.1%; in contrast, mining and quarrying rose by 3.5% and manufacturing rose by 0.1%.
A fall of 4.4% in electric power generation and distribution led the monthly decline in electricity and gas output, following a reduction in demand.
Manufacturing saw a mixed picture, with 7 of its 13 sub-sectors positively contributing to growth during July; most notably, manufacture of machinery and equipment not elsewhere classified contributed 0.16 percentage points to the Index of Production (IoP) (with growth rising by 3.3%), manufacture of wood and wood products contributed 0.12 percentage points (with growth rising by 2.4%), and manufacture of transport equipment contributed 0.11 percentage points (with growth rising by 1.3%).
Output remained below the February 2020 pre-coronavirus pandemic levels in three of the four production sectors, with monthly mining and quarrying output 13.5% below, electricity and gas 3.5% below, and manufacturing 1.1% below the February 2020 level; in contrast, water supply and sewerage was 8.9% above the February 2020 level.
Production output for the three months to July 2022 rose by 0.6%, compared with the three months to April 2022; there were rises in all four of the production sectors, 2.4% in electricity and gas, 1.1% in water supply and sewerage, 0.6% in mining and quarrying and 0.3 % in manufacturing.
Further analysis of the effect on our monthly Index of Production estimate is available in our Gross domestic product (GDP) monthly estimate, UK: July 2022 bulletin, published 12 September 2022.
2. Index of Production (IoP) data
Index of Production time series
Dataset DIOP | Released 12 September 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 12 September 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 12 September 2022
Monthly index values for production and the main Index of Production sectors in the UK to four decimal places.
Monthly Business Survey turnover in production industries
Dataset | Released 12 September 2022
Monthly Business Survey 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 12 September 2022
Monthly, quarterly and annual export data for the manufacturing industries, collected by the Monthly Business Survey at industry level in the UK.
All data related to the IoP are available on our Related data page.
3. Measuring the data
The Index of Production (IoP) uses data from a variety of sources. It is calculated by taking turnover and removing the impact of price changes, or by using direct volume estimates.
Most 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 our VAT turnover data in National Accounts: background and methodology article.
A comprehensive list of the IoP source data can be found in our Gross domestic product (GDP) source catalogue (XLS, 710KB).
More quality and methodology information on strengths, limitations, appropriate uses, and how the data were created is available in our UK Index of Production Quality and methodology information (QMI).
Coronavirus (COVID-19)
The Office for National Statistics' (ONS') MBS is fully online. 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 affected than survey data.
Our latest data and analysis on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the UK economy and population are available on our Coronavirus (COVID-19) data and analysis web page. This is 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. These 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, there 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 that 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
- labour market statistics
You can access further information on the NSCASE on the UK Statistics Authority's website.
Nôl i'r tabl cynnwys5. Cite this statistical bulletin
Office for National Statistics (ONS), released 8 September 2022, ONS website, statistical bulletin, Index of Production, UK: July 2022