Adjusted for the number of work days in the month, output climbed 5.0%. The manufacturing sector made the biggest contribution to growth in January, KSH said.

The pace of growth slowed in the automotive segment and the computer, electronics and optical equipment segment, but the increase in the food, drink and tobacco products segment was close to headline growth, it added.

In a month-on-month comparison, industrial output was up by a seasonally and work day-adjusted 0.6%. KSH will publish a second reading of the data on March 13.