Core infra sectors record 4-month high growth at 3.7% in December

New Delhi: India’s eight key infrastructure sectors registered a four-month high growth rate of 3.7 per cent in December last year, driven by a jump in the output of fertiliser and cement, according to official data released on Tuesday.

However, the performance of these eight sectors slowed on a year-on-year basis, the data showed.

In December 2024, the sectors’ output grew by 5.1 per cent. It was 2.1 per cent in November last year.

Crude oil, natural gas, and refinery products’ production have recorded a negative growth during the month under review.

Fertiliser and cement output grew by 4.1 per cent and 13.5 per cent, respectively.

The growth rate in the output of coal, steel, and electricity moderated to 3.6 per cent, 6.9 per cent, and 5.3 per cent in December 2025.

Power generation, however, recorded a sequential jump in output, as it had contracted by 1.5 per cent in November.

During the April-December period of this fiscal, the output of these sectors grew by 2.6 per cent against 4.5 per cent recorded during the corresponding period of the previous fiscal.

The eight core industries comprise 40.27 per cent of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).

Aditi Nayar, Chief Economist, ICRA Ltd, said it expects the IIP growth to ease somewhat to about 4.5-5 per cent in December 2025 from 6.7 per cent in November 2025.