Growth in eight core sectors activity slows to 3-month low of 3% in September 2025

Growth in activity in the eight core sectors of the economy slowed to a three-month low of 3% in September, dragged down by contractions in the coal, crude oil, natural gas, and refinery products sectors, as well as a relatively sharp slowdown in the fertilisers sector, official data showed.

The data in the Index of Eight Core Industries released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry shows that the index’s performance in September 2025 was faster than its growth in September 2024. However, growth was the slowest since June this year.

The slowdown was driven by the four fuel-related sectors — coal, crude oil, natural gas, and refinery products. 

The coal sector contracted 1.19% in September 2025 as compared to a growth of 2.6% in September last year, and a 11.4% growth in August 2025. The crude oil sector contracted 1.25% in September this year, over a contraction of 3.9% in September last year. 

Notably, the crude oil sector had grown 2.4% in August 2025, the first month of growth in eight months. 

The natural gas sector witnessed the largest contraction, of 3.8%, in September 2025. The sector has contracted for 15 consecutive months, the data shows. 

Likely as a consequence of the slowdown in the crude oil and natural gas sectors, the refinery products sector contracted by 3.6% in September this year, compared with a 5.8% growth in September 2024. 

The fertilisers sector saw growth slowing to 1.6% in September 2025, as compared to 1.9% in September last year, and 4.6% in August 2025. The cement sector, too, saw growth slowing to 5.3% in September this year, from 7.6% in September last year.

Growth in the electricity sector slowed to 2.1% in September 2025, faster than the 0.5% seen in September 2024, but slower than the 4.1% in August this year.

The steel sector was the only one of the eight core sectors that saw growth quicken in September 2025, to 14.1% from 1.8% in September last year, and 13.6% in August 2025.