New Delhi, June 22 -- The growth of India's eight core sectors slowed to a seven-month low of 0.5% in May 2026 due to contraction in the coal and petroleum sectors amid disruptions caused by the crisis in West Asia. This is the slowest growth rate since the 0.1% contraction in October 2025. In May last year, these major producing sectors of the economy grew by 1.2%.

Coal output contracted 9.3% in May, marking a 10-month low, while petroleum refinery products saw a contraction of 8.7% year-on-year. Crude oil production, natural gas production and fertilizers also contracted by 4.6%, 4.9% and 0.9% respectively, according to provisional data from the union ministry of commerce and industry.

However, the steel, cement and power sectors witn...