Index of Industrial Production (IIP): March 2026
- In March 2026, industrial output decreased by 3.6 per cent when compared to March 2025.
- The largest annual downward change in industrial production was registered in the production of food products and beverages (11.9 per cent).
- When compared to the corresponding month of 2025, the highest decrease in production occurred in consumer goods (4.8 per cent).
- The total industrial production went down by 1.4 per cent when compared to February 2026.
Index of Industrial Production (IIP): March 2026
Index of Industrial Production (IIP): March 2026
The monthly Index of Industrial Production (IIP) is a business cycle indicator. It provides an early measure of change in the volume of industrial output produced by domestic businesses in the manufacturing, energy, and quarrying sectors in Malta.
Total industrial output – annual comparison
In March 2026, the index of industrial production decreased by 3.6 per cent when compared to March 2025. When excluding energy, the index went down by 4.3 per cent (Table 1 and Chart 1).
Manufacturing output – annual comparison by selected aggregates
In March 2026, manufacturing output declined by 4.7 per cent. The largest downward change was registered in the production of food products and beverages (11.9 per cent), followed by computer, electronic and optical products, and motor vehicles (11.4 per cent) and other manufacturing (8.8 per cent). On the other hand, increases were recorded in the production of wood, paper products, and printing (14.6 per cent) and rubber, plastic, and other non-metallic mineral products (14.1 per cent) (Chart 2).
Industrial output – annual comparison by main industrial groupings
The Main Industrial Groupings (MIGs) provide an alternative statistical breakdown of economic activities classified according to end-use categories. They combine several NACE divisions, groups and classes together (see methodological table for further information).
In March 2026, the highest decrease in production was registered in consumer goods (4.8 per cent), followed by capital goods (2.8 per cent) and intermediate goods (0.1 per cent). On the contrary, the production of energy increased by 18.1 per cent (Chart 3).
Seasonally adjusted industrial production – monthly comparison
A clearer picture of the economic developments can be obtained when indices are adjusted for seasonal effects. These recurring effects are removed from the index series to enable month-to-month comparisons (see methodological points 5 and 6).
The seasonally adjusted index of industrial production for March 2026 went down by 1.4 per cent when compared to February 2026 and stood at 117.2 index points (2021=100) (Table 3 and Chart 4).
Tables
Tables
Methodological Notes
1. The Index of Industrial Production is a Principal European Economic Indicator (PEEI) and is compiled in accordance with Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 and Commission Implementing Regulation 2020/1197 of the European Parliament and of the Council on European Business Statistics. The NSO has also adopted methodologies and guidelines recommended by Eurostat and the United Nations.
2. The Maltese Index of Industrial Production is calculated using a Laspeyres-type index (2021=100). Aggregation weights are updated every five years and the gross value added is used as the weighting variable. The whole series is available from the year 2000 onwards.
3. The sample covers 80 per cent of the total industrial turnover, and around 200 business units are surveyed. A combination of cut-off and stratified random sampling techniques is used. The volume of industrial production is calculated using three methods: physical quantities of output, deflated turnover, and number of hours worked.
4. In this news release, Energy refers only to NACE D35 – Electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply. It excludes B05 – Mining of coal and lignite; B06 – Extraction of crude petroleum and natural gas; C19 – Manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products; and E36 – Water collection, treatment, and supply. The index also excludes electricity supplied via the Malta-Sicily Interconnector.
5. Year-on-year comparisons refer to indices that are calendar adjusted, while month-on-month comparisons refer to calendar and seasonally adjusted indices. These adjustments aid the interpretation of data by removing regularly recurring variations from a time series. The officially recommended software JDemetra+ is used to adjust all series in this news release.
6. The calendar effect is the variation caused by the changing number of working/trading days, fixed and moving holidays, leap year and other calendar-related phenomena. The seasonal effect is the variation caused by any pattern that repeats on a regular basis in the same period each year.
7. The average weighted response rate for this indicator is around 80 per cent. The data is to be considered as provisional and therefore subject to revision.
8. The aggregation weights (gross value added) of the various categories used for the calculation of the Index of Industrial Production for the year 2021 (base year) are as follows:
| NACE Section | NACE Divisions | Description | Share |
| B | 8 | Mining and Quarrying | 0.01 |
| C | 13, 14, 25, 27, 28 and 31 to 33 | Other manufacturing | 0.31 |
| 10 and 11 | Food products and beverages | 0.13 | |
| 26 and 29 | Computer, electronic and optical products and motor vehicles | 0.17 | |
| 22 to 23 | Rubber, plastic products and other non-metallic mineral products | 0.13 | |
| 16 to 18 | Wood, paper products and printing | 0.11 | |
| 20 and 21 | Chemicals and pharmaceuticals products | 0.09 | |
| D | 35 | Energy | 0.07 |
| Total (Sections B, C and D) | 1.00 |
| Main Industrial Grouping | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Capital goods | Capital goods are physical assets used by businesses to produce consumer (final) goods. | Machinery equipment |
| Intermediate goods | Intermediate goods, also called semi-finished goods, are products used as inputs to produce a consumer (final) good. | Rubber and plastic products |
| Consumer goods | Consumer goods, also called final goods, are products that are readily available for consumption by consumers. These goods do not undergo further transformation in production. | Food products and beverages |
| Energy | Energy refers to the production of electricity. | Electricity excluding supply imported via the Malta-Sicily Interconnector |
9. The calculation of the percentage changes from the indices table may slightly differ from the published percentage changes due to rounding.
10. More information about this news release may be accessed at:
Sources and Methods
Statistical Concepts
Metadata
Classifications
11. For an updated time-series which includes past data, please refer to the Selected Indicators for this domain.
12. A detailed news release calendar is available online.
13. References to this news release are to be cited appropriately. For guidance on access and re-use of data please visit our dedicated webpage.
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