Make UK, which represents manufacturers in the UK, has released its annual analysis of UK manufacturing in its report UK manufacturing: the facts 2024.

The latest analysis of UK manufacturing from Make UK, formerly the Engineering Employers’ Federation, includes a wide variety of data about the contribution of UK manufacturing to the economy including exports, sectoral breakdown, R&D investment, salary levels and how the UK compares to other nations.

The data reveals that the sector contributed £217bn in output to the economy last year, supporting 2.6 million jobs. Firms are investing more than in 2023, with £38.8bn worth of investment taking place.

China remains the largest manufacturing nation with output worth $5.06tn (almost a third of global production), followed by the US with $2.69tn and Japan with $850bn. Germany remains the biggest manufacturing nation in Europe by some distance ($751bn) and retains its position as the world’s fourth largest manufacturing nation, followed by...