Stats: Industrial Output Down 0.9 percent Y-o-Y in March 2026

Bratislava, 8 May (TASR) - Slovakia's industrial output remained sluggish in March 2026, falling by 0.9 percent year-on-year (y-o-y) due in particular to lower car production and a significant slump in the production of oil products, which were partly offset by an increase in smaller branches of industry, the Statistics Office reported on Friday. In March, the y-o-y decline slowed down from the 2.9-percent drop seen in February. Of the 15 monitored branches of industry, seven posted y-o-y drops, including several dominant sectors. The most significant negative impact on industrial output came from the production of transport equipment, which dropped in March for the second consecutive month, this time by nearly 6 percent y-o-y, most likely due to a high comparison base in March 2025, when car production saw an unusually high y-o-y increase. According to a long-term indicator, however, this key industrial sector performed 33.6 percent better than the average posted for 2021. In the third month of this year, industry was dragged down by an almost 46-percent y-o-y slump in the production of oil products, with this sector posting a two-digit decline for the second month in a row. Conversely, industry benefited from a 12-percent increase in the production of foodstuffs, while electricity and gas supply output rose by nearly 6 percent. After seasonal adjustments, industrial output increased by 0.7 percent month-on-month. In the first three months of 2026, meanwhile, industrial output shrank by 0.5 percent, with eight of the 15 monitored branches of industry performing worse when compared to the same period of last year. This was primarily due to a y-o-y drop of more than 3 percent in the production of transport equipment, with a further decline prevented only by a nearly 7-percent increase in electricity and gas supply output. In terms of overall impact since the beginning of 2026, a more than 21-percent decline in the production of refined oil products ranked as the third most significant factor. jrg/df