Manufacturing output fell in France in September 2024

Manufacturing industry output in France fell by 0.8% in September 2024, following a 1.4% increase in August, new data from Insee has shown.

This decline was largely driven by a drop in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations, which fell by 11.7% in September, following on from an exceptionally high 18.8% growth in August.

Output was also lower in mining, quarrying, energy and water supply (-1.2%, following on from -0.1% in August) and machinery and equipment goods (‑0.9%, following on from ‑1.7%).

At the same time, manufacturing output of food products and beverages rose by 0.8% in France in September, following a 0.4% decline in August, as well as in transport equipment (+0.7%, following on from +3.4%), and refined petroleum products (+3.2%, following on from ‑2.2%), among other segments.

Annual decline in manufacturing output

On a year-on-year basis, manufacturing output decreased by 0.9% over the year, with cumulative output for the third quarter of 2024 being lower than that of the same period in 2023.

Within the manufacturing sector, there was a significant annual decline in transport equipment manufacturing, which saw a decrease of 5.5%. The decrease was particularly notable in the manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers, and semi-trailers (-12.8%).

On the positive side, output increased in mining, quarrying, energy, and water supply by 1.5%, while ‘other manufacturing industries’ and the manufacture of food products and beverages both saw a modest increase of 0.4% on an annual basis.

Energy-intensive industries continued to face difficulties due to continued high electricity and gas prices throughout the year, Insee added.

The statistics body also noted that the industrial production index for August 2024 was slightly revised downwards. The manufacturing index between July and August 2024 was revised to a growth of 1.4%, instead of the previously reported 1.6%, and the overall industrial index was revised down to 1.1% growth from 1.4%. Read more here.