For information only - not an official document
UNIS/OUS/362
6 December 2016
Re-issued as received
VIENNA, 5 December (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) - Global manufacturing growth remained low in the third quarter of 2016, reflecting a prolonged yet fragile recovery process in industrialized economies and weakened growth prospects in developing and emerging industrial economies, according to a report released today by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
World manufacturing output rose by 2.4 per cent in the third quarter of 2016 compared to the same period of the previous year. The uncertainty accompanying political developments in the United States and Europe with potential impact on global trade arrangements is likely to create further risks to global industrial growth.
Major industrialized economies with significant contribution to global manufacturing output - the United States, Japan and Germany - remained affected by low-growth. In China, the world's largest manufacturer, comparably lower growth has now become systematic, pushing the average industrial growth of emerging industrial economies downward.
The manufacturing output of industrialized economies increased marginally by 0.6 per cent in the third quarter of 2016, whereas the growth in developing and emerging industrial economies dropped below 5.0 per cent. China's manufacturing output growth reduced to 6.9 per cent in the third quarter, compared to 7.2 per cent in the second quarter.
The lower growth rate of developing and emerging industrial economies also reflected a continuing decline of manufacturing in Latin American countries. Manufacturing output dropped in Argentina by 6.4 per cent, in Brazil by 4.8 per cent and in Chile by 0.3 percent.
Some Asian economies maintained higher manufacturing growth performance in the third quarter 2016. Viet Nam maintained its position as one of the fastest growing Asian economies with the double-digit growth for an eighth consecutive quarter. The country's manufacturing output rose by 11.2 percent in the third quarter. Similarly, Indonesia's manufacturing growth rose by 5.5 per cent and Malaysia's by 3.9 per cent. However, the growth pace of manufacturing output in India dropped in the third quarter below 1.0 percent.
Estimates from the limited available data showed that manufacturing output growth decelerated in Africa, with a marginal rise of 0.5 percent. While South Africa, the continent's largest manufacturer, had positive growth, the manufacturing output of Egypt, another large economy in Africa, dropped by 2.1 per cent in the third quarter. Higher growth rates of 8.3 per cent and 7.6 per cent were achieved in Cameroon and Senegal.
The UNIDO report also presents growth estimates by manufacturing sectors. Production of motor vehicles rose by 6.4 percent worldwide, thanks to higher growth of this sector in developing economies. Similarly, production of pharmaceutical products rose by 3.4 percent, and computer, electronic and optical products by 4.6 per cent. The production of tobacco fell for the third consecutive quarter, declining by 8.0 per cent in the third quarter 2016.
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The full report is available here.
UNIDO regularly releases the statistics on current growth trends of global manufacturing at country and regional level.
UNIDO maintains an international industrial statistical database in accordance with the mandate of the United Nations Statistics Commission. Data can be downloaded through online access or obtained through CD products and publications.
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For more information, please contact:
Shyam
Upadhyaya
UNIDO Chief Statistician
Email: s.upadhyaya[at]unido.org
