Pressured by the slowdown in the economy, the revenue of the Brazilian manufacturing industry was stagnant in 2025, with a variation of just 0.1% compared to 2024. The data is included in the Industrial Indicators released this Friday (6) by the National Confederation of Industry (CNI). The result reflects the slowdown in activity in the second half of the year, after the 1.2% drop recorded in December.
The retraction in the last month of the year was the fourth in a six-month period and interrupted a positive scenario observed until mid-2025. Until June, revenue accumulated an increase of 5.7% compared to the same period in 2024, a movement that was reversed by the sequence of negative results in the second half of the year.
Despite stability in 2025, performance follows a year of strong growth. In 2024, industrial revenue had increased 6.2%, the biggest increase in 14 years. Other recent indicators, such as hours worked in production and Installed Capacity Utilization (UCI), also point to a loss of momentum in the activity.
In December, the number of hours worked fell 1% compared to November, the fourth decline in six months. Even so, the indicator closed 2025 with an increase of 0.8% in the annual comparison, supported by the performance of the first half of the year. The UCI fell 0.4 percentage points in the month, to 76.8%, and registered an annual average 1.2 points lower than in 2024.
High interest
In a note, CNI’s Policy and Industry specialist, Larissa Nocko, states that the weakening of the industry is mainly linked to the high level of interest rates.
“More expensive credit for businesspeople and consumers reduces the pace of activity, a scenario worsened by the strong entry of imported products, especially consumer goods, which occupy a relevant part of the domestic market”, he highlights.
In the labor market, industrial employment fell 0.2% in December compared to November, the fourth consecutive monthly decline. Even so, the sector ended 2025 with 1.6% growth in employment compared to the previous year.
In the fifth drop in six months, the real wage bill fell 0.3% in December and accumulated a reduction of 2.1% in the year. The average real income was practically stable in the last month (+0.2%), but ended 2025 with a drop of 3.6% compared to 2024.
