BERLIN, March 12 (Reuters) - German industrial output fell by a record 7.5 percent in January, suffering its biggest drop since reunification in 1990 as production for the export sector dived, preliminary Economy Ministry figures showed on Thursday.
The seasonally adjusted drop compared with the consensus forecast in a Reuters poll last week for a decline of 3.0 percent.
All the economists surveyed predicted that output would fall; a decline of 5.0 percent was the lowest estimate.
A breakdown of the lastest output data showed manufacturing output was down by 8.4 percent on the month, with construction output 7.8 percent lower. Energy production rose by 3.2 percent. (Writing by Paul Carrel)