Informations Rapides · 3 April 2026 · n° 88

In February 2026, manufacturing output was stable  Industrial production index - February 2026

In February 2026, production remained stable in the manufacturing industry (following a +0.2% increase in January 2026). Output declined across the whole industry (-0.7% after a +0.2% increase in January 2026), due to particularly mild temperatures in February.

In February 2026*, the stability of manufacturing output was due to offsetting effects across the major sectors. Manufacturing output declined again in the manufacture of food products and beverages industries (-0.8% after -0.9%) and fell back in the manufacture of transport equipment (–0.8% after +8.5%). Conversely, it rebounded moderately in the manufacture of “other industrial products (metallurgy, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, etc.)” (+0.4% after -1.0%) and in coke and refined petroleum products (+1.8% after -3.1%). Finally, output stabilized in the manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products equipment (after -1.4% in January 2026).

In mining and quarrying, energy, water supply, production fell back sharply (-3.2% after +0.3%), due to particularly mild temperatures in February.

In the manufacturing industry, cumulative output over the last three months (December 2025 to February 2026) was 1.1% higher than that of the same months of the previous year in the whole industry, and it was 1,6% higher in the manufacturing industry.

Over this period, output increased sharply in the manufacture of transport equipment (+8.9%). It also increased, but more moderately, in the manufacture of “other manufacturing industries (manufacture of basic metals, chemical industry, pharmaceutical industry, etc.)” (+1.0%), in the manufacture of electrical, electronic, and computer equipment (+1.4%), and in the manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products (+1.7%).

On the contrary, output decreased in the manufacture of food products and beverages (-1.9%) and in mining and quarrying, energy, water supply (+0.8%).

In February 2026, output continued to fall in construction (-1.3% after -1,4% in January). It declined anew in all the construction activities: specialised construction work (-0.9% after -0.6%), civil engineering (-5.3% after -6.7%), and construction of buildings (-0.4% after -3.6%).

In construction, output for the last three months (December 2025 to February 2026) was 2.7% lower than for the same three months of the previous year.

The evolution of the manufacturing index between December 2025 and January 2026 has been revised downwards by 0.4 points, to +0.2% instead of +0.6% (after rounding). The evolution of the index for the industry as a whole between December 2025 and January 2026 has also been revised downwards by 0.3 points, to +0.2% instead of +0.5% (after rounding). These revisions are due to the inclusion of late responses from certain companies, in particular in the manufacture of “other transport equipment”.