Index of Production, UK: September 2021

• Monthly production fell by 0.4% between August 2021 and September 2021, meaning output was 1.4% below its February 2020 level, the last month of "normal" trading conditions prior to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

• The monthly fall in output was the result of falls in all four production sectors, with the largest being a decrease of 1.6% in the electricity and gas sector.

• Of the four production sectors, monthly manufacturing output remains 2.5% below its February 2020 level and mining and quarrying is 3.7% below; in contrast, electricity and gas was 1.3% above its February 2020 level and water supply and sewerage was 5.5% above.

• Within manufacturing, output fell by 0.1% between August 2021 and September 2021, led by a decline of 5.1% in the manufacture of transport equipment, with output in this subsector 28.6% below its February 2020 level; this was partially offset by a rise of 3.8% in the manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations and a rise of 2.4% in the manufacture of basic metals and metal products.

• Production output for Quarter 3 (July to Sept) 2021 increased by 0.8% compared with Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2021, led by a 26.3% rise from mining and quarrying.

• For further and detailed analysis of the effect on our monthly Index of Production estimate, please see GDP monthly estimate, UK: September 2021, published today (11 November 2021).

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 affected than survey data.

Our latest data and analysis on the impact of coronavirus on the UK economy and population is now available on the ONS coronavirus homepage. This is the hub for all special coronavirus-related publications, including the fortnightly Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS).

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

Consultation on the Code of Practice for Statistics - proposed change to 9:30am release practice

On behalf of the UK Statistics Authority, the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) is conducting a consultation on the Code of Practice for Statistics, proposing changes to the 9.30am release practice. Please send comments by 21 December 2021to regulation@statistics.gov.uk