Industrial production in China grew by 5.9% y/y in 2025

Last year, China increased its total industrial output value by 5.9% compared to 2024, with a 5.2% year-on-year increase in December 2025 alone. This is according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, as reported by SteelOrbis.

The volume of industrial production with added value in China’s ferrous metallurgy sector in 2025 increased by 4.5% year-on-year. In December, this figure increased by 0.7% year-on-year.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, at the end of last year, the value added created by mining companies increased by 5.6% year-on-year, and manufacturing companies by 6.4% year-on-year.

The added value of industrial production in China is used to measure the output activity of leading industrial enterprises with annual revenues from core business activities of 20 million yuan (approximately $2.8 million) and above.

It should be noted that China increased its steel exports by 7.5% year-on-year in 2025 to a record 119.02 million tons. In December, Chinese metallurgists exported 11.3 million tons of metal products, which is 13.2% more than in the previous month.

At the same time, steel production in the country fell below 1 billion tons last year, reaching its lowest level since 2018. In 2025, this figure was 960.81 million tons, which is 4.4% less than in 2024. The decline was the result of a protracted crisis in the real estate market, which significantly limited domestic demand for metal products.