Index of Production, UK: May 2021

• Monthly production increased by 0.8% between April 2021 and May 2021 meaning output was 2.6% below its February 2020 level, the last month of "normal" trading conditions prior to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

• The rise in production was driven by increases of 5.7% in electricity and gas, and 3.8% in mining and quarrying; these were offset partially by a fall of 0.1% in manufacturing; water supply and sewerage remained flat at 0.0%.

• The 0.1% fall in manufacturing over the month was driven by lower output in 5 of the 13 manufacturing subsectors and was led by a fall of 16.5% in the manufacture of transport equipment; this was offset by a rise of 25.2% in manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations.

• Production output for the three months to May 2021 increased by 0.8% compared with the three months to February 2021.

• The coronavirus pandemic has had a generally negative impact on production output, although each sector has been affected differently; manufacturing output remains 3.0% below its February 2020 level, and mining and quarrying is 21.8% below; however, electricity and gas is now 9.6% above its February 2020 level, and water supply and sewerage is 3.4% above; for further and detailed analysis of the effect on our monthly Index of Production estimate, please see our article Coronavirus and the impact on output in the UK economy, UK: May 2021, published today (9 July 2021).

All data related to the IoP are available on the Related data page.

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 Impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Survey (BICS).

The ONS has released a public statement on COVID-19 and the production of statistics. Specific queries must be directed to the Media Relations Office.