Industrial production in the euro zone dropped by 1.2 percent in October, compared with the previous month, the European Union (EU)'s statistics bureau Eurostat said on Friday.

The monthly index fell by 1.8 percent in September, according to revised figures.

In October, production of non-durable consumer goods grew by 0. 3 percent. Production of energy dropped by 0.1 percent. Durable consumer goods decreased by 1.4 percent. Both capital goods and intermediate goods declined by 2.0 percent.

Figures showed that industrial production in Germany, the biggest economy within the euro zone, dropped by 2.0 percent in October after a sharp decease of 3.3 percent in the previous month. France, the second largest, dropped by 2.7 percent following a decrease of 0.8 percent in September.

Compared to October 2007, the eurozone industrial production decreased by 5.3 percent.

In the broader EU with 27 member states, industrial output also declined by 1.2 percent in October monthly. Year on year, it was down by 5.0 percent.

Among those EU members whose data were available, industrial production fell in 19 countries and grew only in Portugal month on month. Portugal recorded an increase of 1.3 percent, while Ireland recorded the largest drop of 6.4 percent.

(Xinhua News Agency December 13, 2008)