Press release No. 103 of 8 March 2021
Production in industry
January 2021 (provisional):
-2.5% on the previous month (price, seasonally and calendar adjusted)
-3.9% on the same month a year earlier (price and calendar adjusted)
December 2020 (revised):
+1.9% on the previous month (price, seasonally and calendar adjusted)
-1.0% on the same month a year earlier (price and calendar adjusted)
WIESBADEN – In January 2021, production in industry was down by 2.5% on the previous month on a price, seasonally and calendar adjusted basis according to provisional data of the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). Compared with January 2020, the decrease in calendar adjusted production in industry amounted to 3.9%.
Compared with February 2020, the month before restrictions were imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic in Germany, production in January 2021 was 4.2% lower in seasonally and calendar adjusted terms.
In January 2021, production in industry excluding energy and construction was down by 0.5%. Within industry, the production of capital goods showed a decrease of 0.8% and the production of consumer goods of 3.0%. The production of intermediate goods increased by 0.7%. Outside industry, energy production was up by 0.6% in January 2021. Production in construction declined by 12.2% against the background of the strong increase recorded in December 2020 (revised value: +5.4%) and the end of the value added tax reduction.
In December 2020, the corrected figure on the production in industry showed an increase of 1.9% (provisional: 0.0%) on November 2020.
The rates of change refer to the production index for industry (2015 = 100). Seasonal and calendar adjustment was made using the X-13 JDemetra+ method.
Basic data and long time series on the production index in industry are also available through the table "Index of production in manufacturing" (42153-0001) in the GENESIS-Online database.
Methodological notes:
The differing comparative periods must be taken into account in all press releases on short-term indicators. Short-term economic monitoring focuses on comparisons with the previous month or previous quarter. These reflect short-term economic trends. A comparison with the previous year is intended to offer a long-term comparison of levels and is not subject to seasonal fluctuations. Due to strong temporary decreases and increases during the current coronavirus crisis, the results of month-on-month/quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year comparisons may differ considerably. Both of the two perspectives are important: what is the short-term economic trend compared with the previous month/previous quarter, and how far has the catching-up process gone compared with the previous year’s level? In order to provide also a direct comparison with the pre-crisis level, all press releases on short-term indicators available in seasonally adjusted form will, for the time being, include a comparison with February 2020 or the 4th quarter of 2019.
Crisis Monitor allows comparison between corona crisis and and financial and economic crisis
The production index is also part of the "Crisis Monitor" (www.destatis.de/krisenmonitor), which is used by the Federal Statistical Office to compare the development of major short-term indicators between the corona crisis and the financial and economic crisis of 2008/2009. The "Crisis monitor" complements the "Corona statistics" webpage (www.destatis.de/corona), which has provided statistical information on the economic and social consequences of the corona pandemic.
