India's Index of Core Industries Rises 7.9% in September 2026

What happened

The provisional Index of Core Industries (ICI) data for September 2026 recorded a year-on-year growth rate of 7.9% compared to September 2025. This expansion marks the highest monthly growth rate recorded under the revised 2022-23 base series.

Iron ore led the sectoral growth with an 18.4% increase, followed closely by electricity generation at 11.4%. Other notable positive performers included coal production at 10.7%, petroleum refinery products at 10.3%, cement output at 9.8%, and steel production at 4.9%.

On the contracting side, three core sectors witnessed a decline in output during September 2026. Fertilisers registered the steepest contraction at 11.7%, followed by natural gas at 4.6% and crude oil at 1.4%.

📅 Important dates

📝 What candidates should do

• Aspirants should note the growth and contraction percentages of key sectors such as iron ore, electricity, and fertilisers for objective questions.
• Revise the composition and respective weights of the nine core industries under the 2022-23 base year series for banking and UPSC economics sections.

🔍 PrepZen analysis

The 7.9% growth in the Index of Core Industries reflects robust underlying activity in key infrastructure segments like iron ore, electricity, and coal. Because these nine core sectors constitute nearly 33% of the broader Index of Industrial Production (IIP), their strong performance signals steady industrial momentum. For competitive exam aspirants, questions from this topic generally test the base year, releasing ministry, the top-performing sectors, and sectors witnessing contractions.

✍️ Practice questions

❓ FAQs

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