European seasonally adjusted industrial production fell by 0.8 percent in March in the euro area (EA19) and by 0.5 percent in the EU28, according to estimates from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. In February 2016 industrial production fell by 1.2 percent in the euro area and by 1 percent in the EU28.

In March 2016 compared with March 2015, industrial production increased by 0.2 percent in both the euro area and by 0.3 percent in the EU28.

The decrease of 0.8 percent in industrial production in the euro area in March 2016, compared with February 2016, is due to production of non-durable consumer goods falling by 1.9 percent, capital goods by 1.1 percent, intermediate goods by 0.8 percent and durable consumer goods by 0.4 percent, while production of energy rose by 2 percent.

In the EU28, the decrease of 0.5 percent is due to production of non-durable consumer goods falling by 1.4 percent, both intermediate and capital goods by 0.7 percent and durable consumer goods by 0.5 percent, while production of energy rose by 1.7 percent.

Among Member States for which data are available, the largest decreases in industrial production were registered in Ireland (-11.2 percent), Lithuania (-3.5 percent) and Estonia (-3.3 percent), and the highest increases in Croatia (+5 percent), Latvia (+4.3 percent), the Czech Republic (+1.4 percent) and Spain (+1.3 percent).

The increase of 0.2 percent in industrial production in the euro area in March 2016, compared with March 2015, is due to production of capital goods rising by 1.6 percent and both intermediate goods and durable consumer goods by 1.1 percent, while production of energy fell by 0.7 percent and non-durable consumer goods by 3 percent.

In the EU28, the increase of 0.3 percent is due to production of capital goods rising by 1.8 percent, durable consumer goods by 1.4 percent and intermediate goods by 0.7 percent, while production of energy fell by 0.4 percent and non-durable consumer goods by 2.5 percent.

Among Member States for which data are available, the highest increases in industrial production were registered in Croatia (+6.9 percent), Sweden (+4.9 percent) and Slovenia (+4.4 percent) and the largest decreases in Ireland (-10.6 percent), Malta (-5.4 percent), Estonia (-4.8 percent) and Greece (-4.1 percent).