Argentina’s industrial production contracted by 5.7% year-on-year in May 2026, deepening from a 2.8% decline in April. Fourteen of the 16 manufacturing branches registered annual drops.
The steepest declines were recorded in machinery and equipment (-23.4%), textiles (-26.2%), motor vehicles and auto parts (-15.9%), apparel, leather and footwear (-14.7%), rubber and plastics (-10.2%), and other equipment and instruments (-12.5%). Output also fell in basic metals (-4.0%), furniture and other manufacturing (-7.3%), wood, paper and printing (-2.9%), non-metallic minerals (-2.3%), other transport equipment (-9.9%), metal products (-1.2%), and food and beverages (-3.0%). Chemicals likewise posted a contraction (-3.1%).
By contrast, petroleum refining (19.4%) and tobacco products (14.6%) recorded robust year-on-year growth. On a month-on-month basis, overall industrial production edged up 0.4%.
