EU Industry Has Produced Nothing Extra in Four Years. Germany Has Shrunk.
Silver Data Lab Research Desk · Statistical analysis · Published on 11 August 2026
- Data source
- Eurostat
- Reference period
- 2025
- Last updated
- 06 September 2026
Key estimates
- EU industrial production in 2025 stood at 100.3 against a 2021 base of 100 — output is essentially unchanged after four years.
- Denmark records 129.0, Ireland 122.4 and Malta 116.5.
- Belgium records 90.4, Estonia 91.4 and Luxembourg 91.8.
- Germany, the Union's largest industrial economy, records 92.3.
- Fifteen Member States are above their 2021 level and twelve below it.
Four years, no growth
Industrial production covers mining, manufacturing, and electricity and gas supply. Measured against a 2021 base of 100, EU output in 2025 stood at 100.3.
Four years in which European industry produced, in aggregate, the same quantity it produced at the start.
Germany
Germany records 92.3. The Union's largest industrial economy is producing roughly 8% less than it did in 2021.
That single figure carries most of the EU aggregate. Germany's industrial sector is large enough that its contraction offsets growth across much of the rest of the Union, which is why the EU figure sits at exactly no change while fifteen Member States are above their 2021 level.
German industry entered this period with an energy-intensive manufacturing base and a gas supply reorganised abruptly after 2022. It also sits at 19.5% of gross value added in manufacturing — high, but no longer the highest in the Union, as the manufacturing study on this site records.
The growth at the top
Denmark records 129.0, the highest in the Union, and Ireland 122.4.
Both figures should be read with the composition in mind. Danish industrial growth is concentrated in pharmaceuticals, and Irish output is dominated by pharmaceutical and medical manufacturing operated by foreign-owned firms — the same activity that distorts Irish GDP and Irish manufacturing share elsewhere on this site.
Neither index describes a broad industrial expansion. Both describe one sector growing very fast inside a small economy.
Malta at 116.5 and Poland at 112.8 are the cases with more ordinary explanations, Poland in particular being a large industrial economy growing from an established base.
The contraction at the bottom
Belgium records 90.4, Estonia 91.4, Luxembourg 91.8 and Germany 92.3.
Belgium and Luxembourg are both energy-intensive relative to their size, with chemicals and steel respectively. Estonia's contraction follows the loss of Russian-facing trade and the reorganisation of its energy system.
What the index cannot tell you
An index of production measures quantity, not value or profitability. A country can produce the same volume at much lower margins, or shift towards higher-value output while producing less of it.
Nor does it show employment. Industrial output can be maintained with fewer workers, and the manufacturing employment picture is a separate question from the one this index answers.
What it does establish is that the aggregate figure of 100.3 is not a story of stability. It is a large contraction in one Member State offset by growth in several smaller ones, and the two are not interchangeable for a Union whose industrial policy is written at European level.
Industrial production, 2025 (2021 = 100)
| Country | index, 2021 = 100 | Gap to EU averagepercentage points, derived |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark | 129.0 | +28.7 |
| Ireland | 122.4 | +22.1 |
| Malta | 116.5 | +16.2 |
| European Unionaggregate | 100.3 | — |
| Luxembourg | 91.8 | −8.5 |
| Estonia | 91.4 | −8.9 |
| Belgium | 90.4 | −9.9 |
What these figures cannot tell you
- The 2021 base is not neutral
- 2021 was a recovery year following the pandemic contraction, with output rebounding at different speeds across Member States. An index on that base measures change from an uneven starting point.
- Volume, not value
- The index measures quantity produced, adjusted for price. It says nothing about margins, profitability or whether output has shifted towards higher-value products.
- Small economies move on few firms
- In Ireland, Denmark, Malta and Luxembourg a small number of large plants can move the national index substantially. Irish and Danish growth is concentrated in pharmaceutical manufacturing rather than spread across industry.
- Industry excludes construction
- NACE sections B to D cover mining, manufacturing, and electricity and gas. Construction is measured separately and is not included here.
Frequently asked questions
- Is EU industry growing?
- Barely. Industrial production in 2025 stood at 100.3 against a 2021 base of 100 — output is essentially unchanged after four years. Fifteen Member States are above their 2021 level and twelve below it.
- How is German industry performing?
- German industrial production in 2025 was at 92.3 against a 2021 base of 100, roughly 8% below its 2021 level. Because German industry is the Union's largest, that contraction offsets growth across much of the rest of the EU and holds the aggregate at no change.
- Which EU country has grown most?
- Denmark, at 129.0 on the 2021 base, followed by Ireland at 122.4. Both figures are concentrated in pharmaceutical manufacturing rather than spread across industry, and the Irish index reflects output by foreign-owned firms.
- Does this include construction?
- No. The index covers mining, manufacturing, and electricity and gas supply. Construction is a separate statistical series.
Methodological note
Eurostat publishes production in industry as a calendar-adjusted volume index. This study uses NACE sections B to D on the 2021 = 100 base as published.
Values are for 2025 and cover all 27 Member States.
The counts of Member States above and below their 2021 level, and the observation that the EU aggregate conceals a German contraction offset by growth elsewhere, are derived by Silver Data Lab from the published index values. The comparisons with manufacturing share of value added draw on the companion study in the industry category.
Source data
The underlying series can be inspected and re-downloaded from the Eurostat data browser. The filters below are the ones applied.
Production in industry - annual data
sts_inpr_a
- Filters applied:
- freq=A · indic_bt=PRD · nace_r2=B-D · s_adj=CA · unit=I21 · time=2025
- Extracted:
- 2026-09-06
- Source last updated:
- 2026-09-05
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