MADRID: Spanish industrial output fell by more than nine percent last year, its biggest plunge since 2009, owing to the coronavirus pandemic and a strict lockdown, official figures showed Monday.

Data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) showed that output collapsed by 9.4 percent in 2020.

In 2009, Spanish factory output plunged by 15.6 percent. The latest figures nonetheless also showed a slight upturn at the year’s end, with December posting a 1.1-percent increase from the previous month owing to a pick up in energy production.

“The health crisis caused by Covid-19 caused different industrial sectors to suffer acutely from the pandemic in 2020 with significant reductions in production, especially in March, April, May and June,” INE said in reference to the months under lockdown.