Chief statistician Mohd Uzir Mahidin said all indices recorded an increase, with the manufacturing index expanding 29.8%, mining index 20.7% and electricity index 7.9%.

In a statement today, he said the manufacturing sector’s output rose by 29.8% y-o-y in May compared with a growth of 68.0% in April.

The major sub-sectors contributing to the growth in the manufacturing sector in May were petroleum, chemical, rubber and plastic products (34.8%), non-metallic mineral products, basic metal & fabricated metal products (49.4%), and transport equipment and other manufactures (68.9%).

Uzir said export-oriented manufacturing industries saw a 25.3 per cent growth in output while domestic-oriented industries increased their production by 41.1%.

The mining sector’s output grew 20.7% in May compared with a year earlier.

The expansion was attributed to an increase in natural gas index (30.9%) and crude oil and condensate index (8.6%), he said.

The electricity sector’s output expanded 7.9% in May 2021 compared to the same month of the previous year.