Posted on 01 Sep 2026
China's Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for the manufacturing sector recovered in August to stand at 49.8, up 0.6 point on month, according to the latest data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Monday morning.
Among the 21 industries surveyed, 16 showed an increase in PMI compared with the previous month, signaling a marked improvement in the business sentiment of the manufacturing sector, according to Huo Lihui, chief statistician at the NBS Service Industry Survey Center.
Both production and demand in the manufacturing sector expanded in August, with the sub-index of production edging up by 0.5 point on month to 50.4, while the sub-index of new orders witnessed a steady rise of 2.1 points from July to reach 50.6.
Equipment manufacturing and high-tech manufacturing industries continued to grow at a relatively fast pace, with their PMIs staying in expansion zones in August at 51.4 and 52.9, respectively. The PMIs for consumer goods and energy-intensive industries also improved in August to 49 and 47.9, rising by 1.2 points and 0.9 point respectively from the previous month.
Driven by the recent uptick in prices of crude oil and non-ferrous metals, the raw materials purchasing price index climbed a marked 3.4 points on month to reach 56.6 in August.
By company size, the PMI for large enterprises increased by 1.1 points on month to 50.6 in August, indicating a significant improvement in their production and operation conditions. Meanwhile, the index for small-sized enterprises also gained by 0.5 point on month to 47.9, although that for medium-sized enterprises dipped by 0.3 point from the prior month to 49.4.
China's non-manufacturing PMI registered 49 in August, the same level as the previous month. The sub-index of business activity for construction contracted further in August to 46.9, dipping by 0.1 point on month, as construction activity slowed amid the impact of extreme weather conditions such as heavy rainfall and typhoons in some regions.
For August, the composite PMI output index, which measures overall corporate activity, came in at 49.5, rising by 0.2 point on month, indicating a modest recovery in production and business operations of Chinese enterprises, according to the NBS release.
Source:Mysteel Global
