Manufacturing output down for the third month in a row

Riin Kadarik, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia, said that manufacturing output continued to decline in April, similarly to March and February. “The main reason for this was the 8% decrease in the manufacture of food products. In this activity, there has been a year-on-year decline in output for fourth months in a row. It is likely that the conflict in the Middle East has started to affect supply chains, and inflation also continues to influence food manufacturing,” added Kadarik.

In April, the volume of production increased in slightly more than half of manufacturing activities. Looking at the major industries, output increased by 2.9% in the manufacture of wood, by 6.5% in the manufacture of fabricated metal products and by 9.5% in the manufacture of computers, electronic and optical products. Output in the manufacture of computers, electronic and optical products was mainly boosted by the increased production of communication equipment. In the manufacture of fabricated metal products, there was a greater output of structural metal products. The manufacture of electrical equipment also continued a modest growth (0.9%).

In April, 66.8% of the total production of manufacturing was sold to the external market. This share was a little higher in March.

Compared with April 2025, the sales of manufacturing production increased by 1.9% at current prices according to working-day adjusted data. Domestic sales were down by 0.8%, while export sales grew by 3.6%.

In April compared with March, the seasonally adjusted total industrial production grew by 1.2% and the production of manufacturing was unchanged.

In the energy sector, output decreased by 14.9% at constant prices. Based on the volume of production (in megawatt-hours), electricity production fell by 23.9% and heat production grew by 3% in April year on year. “The fall in electricity production can mostly be attributed to increased imports,” noted Kadarik.

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.

Statistics Estonia performs the statistical activity “Production indices” for the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications with the aim to determine the economic situation in Estonia.

Data as at 4 June 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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