GENEVA — Boosted by a robust expansion in emerging nations, global apparel production rose 9.1 percent in the second quarter compared to the same period last year, or nearly double the 5.2 percent increase posted in manufacturing worldwide, a United Nations report said.
During the three months through June, apparel output in developing countries increased 10.6 percent, but in the same period declined 1.6 percent in rich industrialized countries, the report said. World textile output delivered a below-average increase of 3.1 percent, with production in developing countries expanding 4.8 percent, but recording flat growth in rich countries.
Related Articles
You May Also Like
The report by the Vienna-based U.N. Industrial Development Organization, which draws on data from quarterly production indices, said overall manufacturing output in industrialized countries rose 2.7 percent in the second quarter, down from 5.7 percent growth reported in the first quarter.
“Consumer spending does not seem to offset the winding down of stimulus packages, fiscal consolidation and high commodity prices of the previous quarter,” the report said.
In stark contrast to the sluggish performance of rich nations, manufacturing output in developing countries rose 11.2 percent in the second quarter, the agency said. Among emerging economies, China’s manufacturing sector remained the fastest growing at 14.3 percent compared with the second quarter of 2010, and expanded 6.5 percent compared with the first quarter. Turkey also witnessed solid manufacturing output, growing 8.3 percent on a sharp increase in domestic demand.
UNIDO economists expect the rate of global manufacturing to be slower this year, as the aspirations at the beginning of the year for a sustained recovery from the 2008 financial crisis were “dampened by a reduction in dynamism of global private consumption and international trade during the second quarter.” UNIDO now forecasts overall manufacturing growth of 5.2 percent, slightly lower than 2010.