Manufacturing production in the UK grew by 1.2% month-on-month in August 2026, beating market expectations for a 0.1% decline and rebounding from a revised 1.0% increase in July. Output increased in nine of the thirteen manufacturing subsectors, with the largest positive contribution coming from the manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products (5.1% vs 3.4 in July) which contributed over half of the overall monthly growth within manufacturing, followed by textiles and wearing apparel (0.9% vs 0.4%). Wood and paper products (3.2% vs -0.8%) and chemicals and chemical products (0.1% vs -0.7%) rebounded. In contrast, food products, beverages and tobacco declined (-1.0% vs 0.4%), while coke and refined petroleum products fell (-1.8% vs 0%). On an annual basis, manufacturing activity increased by 3.0% in August, the fastest rise since March 2024, above forecasts of 2.3% and accelerating from a 2.2% gain in the preceding period.