KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia's industrial production index (IPI) increased by 2.4 percent year-on-year in March, spurred by the expansion in all sectors, official data showed Friday.
The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) said in a statement that the increase was spearheaded by the expansion in the manufacturing sector which grew by 1.3 percent.
In the meantime, the mining and electricity sectors registered 4.9 percent and 7.8 percent growth, respectively.
In comparison with the preceding month, the IPI turned around to 7.5 percent, contrasting with the negative 6.3 percent recorded in the previous month.
As for the first quarter, the IPI advanced further by 3.3 percent year-on-year as compared to 0.8 percent recorded in the fourth quarter of 2023.
The expansion was supported by the acceleration registered in the mining sector by 5.9 percent and the electricity sector by 8.9 percent.
Meanwhile, the manufacturing sector turned upward to 2.1 percent.
In a quarter-on-quarter comparison, the IPI dropped by 1 percent, influenced by the manufacturing sector at negative 1.8 percent. ■