This indicator measures output volume, not money coming through the till. It fixes the 2021 level at 100 and tracks publishing activity without treating higher prices as higher production. Under the EU’s industry classification, publishing includes books, newspapers and journals as well as software, so this is not a scorecard for print alone—or proof that readership, employment or profits rose with output.
The longer view makes the latest reading look like both a rebound and a break from the recent pattern. The index declined from 125.1 in 2015 to 100 in 2021, stayed close to that baseline and then reached its series low of 97.4 in 2024. Even after the latest increase, output was only 7.8% above its 2015 reading. The “record” is therefore a high within a series beginning in 2015, not evidence of an unprecedented long-run boom.
Still, the cross-border comparison suggests this was more than an ordinary regional rise. The EU index stood at 125.1 in 2025, up 15.1% from 108.7 in 2024, compared with Latvia’s 38.4% annual increase. The corresponding monthly production series by activity later reached 142.8 in May 2026, 14.1% above its previous reading, offering a follow-on sign that measured activity remained elevated.
What is missing is an explanation. The available evidence does not show whether the change was concentrated in software publishing, traditional media or a small number of large producers. For businesses and policymakers, the number points to substantially more measured sector output, but turnover, employment and company-level data would be needed before calling it a broad publishing boom.