Industrial output rose in September for the third month in a row

Riin Kadarik, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, said that, in September, the volume of manufacturing production grew year on year for the third month in a row. “After a slight fall in August, output grew by 3.4% in the manufacture of wood, which is the biggest manufacturing industry. Among the major industries, output was down by 7% in the manufacture of food products, which was again primarily due to the decreased output of dairy products,” added Kadarik.

Compared with September last year, the volume of production increased in more than two thirds of manufacturing activities. Output increased by 32.3% in the manufacture of computers, electronic and optical products, by 2.8% in the manufacture of fabricated metal products and by 6.5% in the manufacture of electrical equipment. Similarly to August, there was a rise in the manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c. (20.1%) and coke and refined petroleum products (62.1%).

In September, 68.4% of the total production of manufacturing was sold to the external market. This share was a little lower in August. It has not been this high since March this year (68.6%).

Compared with September 2025, the sales of manufacturing production increased by 8.4% at current prices according to working-day adjusted data. Domestic sales increased by 0.7% and export sales by 13%.

In September compared with August, the seasonally adjusted total industrial production grew by 0.3% and the production of manufacturing by 0.9%.

The output of the energy sector was up by 51.4% in September at constant prices. Based on the volume of production (in megawatt-hours), electricity production increased by 31.4% and heat production by 42.4% year on year. “The significant rise in exports was the main reason for the increase in electricity production year on year. Another reason for the large year-on-year rise was the lower-than-usual volume of electricity production in September last year,” explained Kadarik.

Like in August, mining output was boosted by the greater extraction of oil shale and stone, sand and clay. Peat production fell notably due to unfavourable weather conditions.

Volume index of industrial production – an index that expresses the change in the volume of industrial production at constant prices compared with the base period. The producer price index is used for calculating the production values at constant prices.

Value index of industrial sales – an index that expresses the change in the value of sold industrial production at current prices compared with the base period.

Industry is the largest sector of the economy and an important driver of economic growth. The index of industrial production covers the economic indicators of three industrial activities: mining, energy production, and manufacturing.

In Estonia, the data on industrial production are used by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, the Ministry of Finance, banks, research institutions, enterprises, the media and industry associations. These statistics allow assessing the developments in industrial sectors and in the economy as a whole. The data are also required for policymaking and economic forecasting.

Data as at 5 November 2026 are published. The indicator values may change if there are any revisions made in the data sources after this date.

Information about various industrial activities can be found on the business dashboards. See also the industry section on our website. More detailed data have been published in the statistical database.

When using Statistics Estonia’s data and graphs, please indicate the source.

For further information:

Annaliisa Köss
Media Relations Partner
Marketing and Dissemination Department
Statistics Estonia
Tel +372 5696 6484
press [at] stat.ee (press[at]stat[dot]ee)

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