MEXICO CITY, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- Mexico's industrial activity declined 0.5 percent in August compared with July, its first stumble in four months due to a weak performance in construction, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) said Friday.

The August figures represent the first negative balance since April when a decline of 0.4 percent was registered, according to data from Inegi.

The construction sector fell 2.9 percent in August compared with the previous month, its worst showing since April 2017.

The generation, transmission and distribution of electrical energy, as well as water and gas supply through pipelines to the consumer, fell 1.3 percent in August.

However, the mining sector grew 1 percent, while the manufacturing sector directed at the United States grew 0.2 percent in August compared to July, Inegi said.

In terms of the year-on-year variation, industrial production in Mexico grew 0.2 percent in August, accumulating a growth of 0.4 percent in the first eight months of the year, Inegi said.

Mexico's economy, the second largest in Latin America behind Brazil, could grow between 2 and 2.6 percent this year, according to the Central Bank of Mexico. In 2017, its GDP grew 2 percent.