China's 2025 Industrial Production: Growth in Key Sectors
According to the latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics, China's industrial production in December 2025 showed notable trends across various sectors, highlighting both growth and challenges.
In the caustic soda sector, production reached 4.217 million tonnes in December, reflecting a 5.2% year-on-year increase. For the full year, from January to December, China's caustic soda output totalled 46.535 million tonnes, representing a 5.0% annual growth.
In contrast, the raw salt industry faced a decline. China's raw salt production in December stood at 3.834 million tonnes, a decrease of 12.4% compared to the same period last year. For the year, raw salt production reached 60.001 million tonnes, showing a 0.3% drop from 2024.
On the downstream side, alumina production saw a positive trend, with December output at 8.011 million tonnes, up 6.7% year-on-year. The total alumina output for 2025 reached 92.446 million tonnes, marking an 8.0% increase compared to 2024.
The paper and textile industries also reported growth in December. China's production of machine-made paper and paperboard (excluding externally purchased base paper) reached 14.928 million tonnes, up 2.8% from last year. Annual production of paper and paperboard totalled 164.054 million tonnes, a 2.9% year-on-year increase.
In the textile sector, cloth production in December hit 3.01 billion metres, showing a 3.8% increase from 2024. However, for the year, total cloth production was 30.67 billion metres, a modest rise of 0.2%.
China's synthetic detergent production also showed growth in December, reaching 1.212 million tonnes, up 1.9% year-on-year. However, the total annual production of synthetic detergent stood at 12.112 million tonnes, a slight 0.1% decrease from the previous year.
These figures provide a comprehensive look at China's industrial output for 2025, showcasing growth in several key sectors, while also highlighting challenges in others, such as raw salt and synthetic detergent production.