China's Industrial Output Rises 5.2% in December, 5.9% in 2025
China's industrial output value for enterprises above designated size rose 5.2% year on year in December 2025 in real terms, underscoring steady momentum at the end of the year. On a month-on-month basis, output increased by 0.49% in December. For the full year of 2025, industrial output value for these enterprises expanded by 5.9% compared with the previous year.
By major industrial category, mining output increased by 5.4% year on year in December, manufacturing grew by 5.7%, and electricity, heat, gas and water production and supply rose by 0.8%.
By economic type, state-controlled enterprises recorded a 3.9% year-on-year increase in output in December. Joint-stock enterprises grew by 5.8%, foreign-funded and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan-funded enterprises by 2.7%, and private enterprises by 4.2%.
From an industry perspective, 33 of 41 major industrial sectors reported year-on-year growth in December. Coal mining and washing expanded by 6.4%, oil and natural gas extraction by 3.7%, and processing of agricultural and sideline products by 3.2%. The manufacture of alcoholic beverages, beverages and refined tea declined by 0.5%, while textiles rose by 3.7%. Chemical raw materials and chemical products manufacturing grew by 8.0%, non-metallic mineral products by 0.2%, ferrous metal smelting and rolling by 0.7%, and non-ferrous metal smelting and rolling by 4.8%. General-purpose equipment manufacturing increased by 7.5%, special-purpose equipment manufacturing by 8.2%, and motor vehicle manufacturing by 8.3%. Railway, shipbuilding, aerospace and other transport equipment manufacturing rose by 9.2%, electrical machinery and equipment manufacturing by 4.3%, computer, communications and other electronic equipment manufacturing by 11.8%, and electricity and heat production and supply by 1.1%.
By product category, 325 of 623 industrial products above designated size posted year-on-year output growth in December. Steel output reached 115.31 million tonnes, down 3.8% year on year, while cement output totalled 144.16 million tonnes, down 6.6%. Output of ten non-ferrous metals stood at 7.21 million tonnes, up 4.9%. Ethylene production amounted to 3.56 million tonnes, rising 3.0%. Automobile production reached 3.412 million units, down 2.8%, including 1.791 million new energy vehicles, which increased by 8.7%. Power generation totalled 858.6 billion kilowatt-hours, up 0.1%, and crude oil processing reached 62.46 million tonnes, up 5.0%.
In December, the product sales rate of industrial enterprises above designated size stood at 98.2%, down 0.7 percentage points from a year earlier. Export delivery value reached 1.4932 trillion yuan, representing a nominal year-on-year increase of 3.2%.