Global crude steel production reached 1 864-million tonnes (Mt) for the year 2020, which is down by 0.9% compared with 2019, steel industry association the World Steel Association stated in a press release last month.

Asia produced 1 374.9 Mt of crude steel in 2020, which was an increase of 1.5% compared with 2019. China’s crude steel production in 2020 reached 1 053 Mt, up by 5.2% on 2019. The association notes that China’s share of global crude steel production increased from 53.3% in 2019 to 56.5% in 2020.

Additionally, India’s crude steel production for 2020 was 99.6 Mt, down by 10.6% in 2019. Japan produced 83.2 Mt in 2020, also down by 16.2% on 2019; whereas South Korea produced 67.1 Mt in 2020, which is down by 6% on 2019.

Further, the European Union produced 138.8 Mt of crude steel in 2020, a decrease of 11.8% compared with 2019. Germany, in particular, produced 35.7 Mt of crude steel in 2020, down by 10% on 2019.

In the Commonwealth of Independent States, the total production for 2020 was 102 Mt, which is up by 1.5% on 2019; meanwhile, Russia is estimated to have produced 73.4 Mt in 2020, up by 2.6% on 2019. Ukraine produced 20.6 Mt in 2020, down by 1.1% on 2019.

The total crude steel production in North America was 101.1 Mt in 2020, down by 15.5% on 2019. The US produced 72.7 Mt in 2020, down by 17.2% on 2019.

Meanwhile, the Middle East produced 45.4 Mt of crude steel in 2020, an increase of 2.5% on 2019, with Iran producing an estimated 29 Mt in 2020 – up by 13.4% on 2019.

For South America, yearly crude steel production was 38.2 Mt in 2020, a decrease of 8.4% on 2019. Brazil produced 31.0 Mt in 2020, down by 4.9% compared with 2019.

Turkey’s crude steel production for 2020 was 35.8 Mt, up by 6% on 2019.

Africa, meanwhile, produced 17.2 Mt of crude steel in 2020. This is the same as the 2019 production figure.

Oceania produced 6.1 Mt of crude steel in 2020, down 1.4% on 2019, the World Steel Association concluded.