
China’s NBS Manufacturing PMI declined to 49.0 in February 2026 (-0.3 pts MoM), remaining below the 50 threshold and signaling a further weakening in manufacturing conditions alongside softer production and demand indicators.
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The Production Index fell to 49.6 (-1.0 pts MoM), dropping below the 50 expansion threshold and indicating a slowdown in manufacturing output during the month.
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The New Orders Index declined to 48.6 (-0.6 pts MoM), pointing to weaker demand conditions in the manufacturing sector compared with January.
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The Raw Material Inventory Index rose slightly to 47.5 (+0.1 pts MoM), though it remained below 50, indicating that inventory contraction persisted but narrowed marginally.
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The Employment Index slipped to 48.0 (-0.1 pts MoM), suggesting a slight deterioration in labor market conditions among manufacturing firms.
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The Supplier Delivery Time Index fell to 49.1 (-1.0 pts MoM), indicating that delivery times slowed compared with the previous month.
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By enterprise size, the PMI for large firms rose to 51.5 (+1.2 pts MoM) and remained in expansion territory, while medium-sized firms declined to 47.5 (-1.2 pts MoM) and small firms dropped to 44.8 (-2.6 pts MoM), highlighting a divergence in conditions between large manufacturers and smaller enterprises.

China’s NBS Non-manufacturing PMI edged up to 49.5 in February 2026 (+0.1 pts MoM), remaining below the 50 expansion threshold as demand conditions weakened while services activity improved slightly and construction activity softened.
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The Business Activity Index increased marginally to 49.5 (+0.1 pts MoM), indicating a slight improvement in overall non-manufacturing activity but still reflecting contractionary conditions below the neutral 50 level.
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By sector, the Construction Activity Index declined to 48.2 (-0.6 pts MoM) while the Services Activity Index rose to 49.7 (+0.2 pts MoM), highlighting continued divergence as services showed modest improvement while construction conditions weakened.
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Within services, industries such as accommodation, catering, culture, sports, and entertainment reported activity readings above 60.0, signaling strong expansion, while capital market services and real estate remained below the expansion threshold.
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The New Orders Index fell to 45.2 (-0.9 pts MoM), indicating weaker demand across the non-manufacturing sector; construction orders rose to 42.2 (+2.1 pts MoM) but remained deeply contractionary, while services new orders declined to 45.7 (-1.4 pts MoM).
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The Input Price Index increased to 50.9 (+0.9 pts MoM), suggesting rising input costs overall; construction input prices declined to 49.1 (-2.9 pts MoM) while services input prices rose to 51.2 (+1.5 pts MoM).
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The Sales Price Index held steady at 48.8 (flat MoM), remaining below the critical threshold and indicating continued declines in selling prices overall, with construction prices falling to 47.6 (-0.6 pts MoM) while services prices edged up to 49.0 (+0.1 pts MoM).
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The Employment Index slipped to 46.0 (-0.1 pts MoM), indicating a slight deterioration in labor conditions; construction employment improved to 42.5 (+1.4 pts MoM) but remained weak, while services employment declined to 46.6 (-0.4 pts MoM).
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The Business Activity Expectations Index declined to 55.0 (-1.0 pts MoM) but remained firmly in expansion territory, indicating that firms continued to maintain relatively strong expectations for future activity despite softer current conditions.

With both manufacturing and non-manufacturing PMIs declining, the NBS Composite PMI also fell, down -0.3 pts to 49.5, the lowest reading since December 2022.