The Industrial Production Index (IPI) rose 1.5% y-o-y in May, fueled by growth in mining and quarrying, manufacturing, and waste management activities, according to preliminary data (pdf) from the General Authority for Statistics (Gastat).

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Mining and quarrying was the most active sector during the month, logging 2.1% y-o-y growth, with oil production rising to some 9.2 mn bbl / d, up from 9 mn bbl / d in the same period last year.

Manufacturing activity also saw a 0.9% y-o-y uptick, with the manufacture of chemicals and chemical products growing 14% y-o-y, followed by 3.2% growth in the manufacture of food products.

Utilities were a mixed bag: The sub-index for electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply activity fell 7.7% y-o-y, while the sub-index for water supply, sewerage, waste management, and remediation activities climbed 15.5% y-o-y.

MEANWHILE- The oil activities index increased 0.5% y-o-y in May, and the non-oil activities index climbed 3.8%.

REMEMBER- Non-oil business activity in the Kingdom picked up in May on the back of an increase in new work amid improving demand and business sentiment. The seasonally adjusted headline figure came in at 55.8 in May, up slightly from 55.6 in April.

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