According to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics, the UK’s total production output is estimated to have increased by 1.6% in April 2016 compared with April 2015.

There were increases in all four main sectors, with the largest contribution coming from manufacturing (the largest component of production), which increased by 0.8%.

The greatest contribution to the increase in manufacturing came from the manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations, which increased by 12.5%, the largest rise since April 2009.

Total production output is estimated to have increased by 2.0% in April 2016 compared with March 2016. In the three months to April 2016, production and manufacturing were 9.4% and 6.4% respectively below their level reached in the pre-downturn GDP peak in the first quarter of 2008.