India's core sectors slow down, but cement and steel shine

Business Dec 22, 2025

India's key infrastructure sectors grew by just 1.8% in November 2025—quite a slowdown compared to last year's 5.8%.
These eight sectors (coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilizers, steel, cement, and electricity) make up a big chunk of the country's industrial output.

Cement leads the pack; energy lags behind

Cement really took off with a 14.5% jump, while steel and fertilizers also posted solid gains. Coal edged up too.
But it wasn't all good news—crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, and electricity actually shrank this month.

The bigger picture: modest growth overall

Looking at April to November as a whole, these sectors grew by 2.4%.
Steel led the way again with nearly 10% growth since April, but energy-related areas like coal and gas struggled to keep up.