Key facts
- Italian industrial output rose 0.5% in April, exceeding analyst expectations.
- This marks the third consecutive monthly gain for Italian industrial output.
- The February-to-April period saw a 0.2% increase in output compared to the previous three months.
- Year-on-year industrial output grew by 1.3% in April.
- The Italian government revised down its economic growth outlook for 2025 and 2026 to 0.6%.
Italy's industrial output unexpectedly increased by 0.5% in April compared to the previous month, marking the third consecutive gain and signaling resilience in the manufacturing sector despite rising energy costs and geopolitical tensions. Analysts surveyed by Reuters had predicted a 0.1% decline.
The national statistics agency ISTAT reported that March's data was slightly revised down to a 0.6% increase. For the February-to-April period, output was up 0.2% from the prior three months, outperforming expectations amidst the Middle East conflict.
On a year-on-year basis, adjusted for working days, industrial output rose 1.3% in April, following a 1.4% increase in March. This performance comes as Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government has cut its economic growth outlook for this year and next to 0.6%, down from previous targets of 0.7% and 0.8% respectively, citing increased energy costs and geopolitical instability.