In August 2025, according to data released by Istat, the seasonally adjusted index of industrial production recorded a decline of 2.4% compared to July. On average for the June-August quarter, a decrease of 0.6% was observed compared to the previous three months, confirming a slowdown phase for Italian industry after two months of moderate growth. Compared to August 2024, the general index marks -2.7%, with 20 working days compared to 21 the previous year. This is a contraction that affects all the main production sectors, albeit with different intensities.
Performance of the production sectors
All the main industrial groups recorded negative results in economic terms: consumer goods and intermediate goods fell by 1.2%, capital goods by 2.2% and energy by 0.6%. The annual comparison, however, highlights a more varied picture:
- capital goods +0.7%;
- intermediate goods +0.2%;
- consumer goods -2.3%;
- energy -8.6%.
The energy sector therefore appears to be the main factor of weakness, affected by the contraction in the supply of electricity, gas and steam, which fell by 13.5% on an annual basis.
The growing sectors
Some sectors show positive performances, in contrast to the general picture. In particular:
- pharmaceutical production +16.1%;
- manufacturing of means of transport +9.9%;
- production of coke and refined petroleum products +7.1%.
The pharmaceutical figure represents the highest increase among all industrial sectors, supported by internal demand and exports of innovative products. The transport chain also performed well, benefiting from an increase in the production of vehicles and components.
The sectors in greatest difficulty
The most significant declines were instead recorded in the energy sectors and in some manufacturing areas. In addition to the supply of electricity, gas and steam (-13.5%), the following also decreased:
- food, beverage and tobacco industries -3.2%;
- metallurgy and metal products -2.2%;
- machinery and equipment -2.1%.
The extractive industry recorded a marked decline of 9.1%, reflecting a general weakening in demand for raw materials.
A negative trend after two months of stability
Overall, manufacturing activities show a trend reduction of 1.4%, but with significant differences within them. The following table summarizes the sectors with the most significant changes. The decline in August interrupts the moderate recovery observed in the previous months. According to Istat, the decline affects all the main industrial groups and also causes a decline in the quarterly average. The seasonally adjusted indicators confirm that the production trend remains weak, in particular for the sectors linked to energy and consumer goods. In the official press release, Istat underlines that “in August, after two months of slight economic growth, industrial production decreased compared to July. The decline was widespread across all the main industrial groups”. The trend dynamics, corrected for calendar effects, is also negative, with a positive trend only for capital and intermediate goods.
