NEW DELHI, Jan 28 (Reuters) - India's industrial output rose at its fastest pace in more than two years in December, driven by strong manufacturing and mining activity, government data showed on Wednesday.
Industrial output grew 7.8% year-on-year in December, as against a revised 7.2% growth in November.
Economists polled by Reuters projected industrial output expanding 5.5%.
The better-than-expected growth was driven largely by the manufacturing output, likely aided by post-festival season restocking,
said Aditi Nayar, chief economist at ICRA. Industrial output growth is expected to decelerate to 6-7% in January 2026, she added.
India's festival season generally runs from September to November.
KEY NUMBERS
* Manufacturing output grew 8.1% year-on-year in December, as against a revised increase of 8.5% in November
* Electricity generation rose 6.3% year-on-year in December, as compared to a 1.5% decline a month ago
* Mining activity registered an increase of 6.8% year-on-year in December against a revised 5.8% rise in November
* Output of consumer durables, including cars and phones, rose 12.3% year-on-year in December, as compared to a revised 11.2% year-on-year growth a month ago
* Output of consumer non-durables, such as food items and toiletries, rose 8.3% year-on-year in December, as against a revised 8% growth in November
* Capital goods output increased 8.1% year-on-year in December against a revised 10.1% growth a month ago
* Industrial output in April-December grew 3.9% as compared to a revised increase of 4.1% a year earlier.
(Reporting by Nikunj Ohri; Editing by Ronojoy Mazumdar and Harikrishnan Nair)
