UK manufacturing sector slips to twelfth in world rankings

The figures are contained in Make UK’s annual ‘Manufacturing – The Facts’ report which contains data about the contribution of manufacturing to the economy including exports, sectoral breakdown, how the UK compares to other nations and salaries.

The data shows that in 2022 (the latest year for which global comparisons are available) UK manufacturing output was worth $259bn. This is behind Mexico (£316bn) in seventh place due to its existing manufacturing base and Chinese investments made in the first Trump Presidency to counter tariffs. Russia has climbed to eighth place ($287bn) due to substantially increased defence production, which is now worth six per cent of GDP. Both countries have moved ahead of Italy ($283bn) and France ($265bn) who have dropped in the world rankings to ninth and tenth respectively.

Taiwan has also edged ahead of the UK due to its global dominance of semiconductor manufacturing where demand has risen substantially.

China remains the largest manufacturing nation with output worth $5.06tn, followed by the United States $2.69tn and Japan $850bn. Germany remains the biggest European manufacturing nation ($751bn) and retains its position as the world’s fourth largest manufacturer, followed by India and South Korea in fifth and sixth respectively.