Global Steel Trends, 50 Years of Steel Production by Region

Key points from the infographic

• The chart stacks crude steel production by region from the late 1960s to 2020, using World Steel Association data.
• Global production more than tripled over the period. The regional values on the chart add up to about 497 million tonnes (Mt) at the start and 1,862 Mt in 2020 (our sums).
• China grew from 14.0 Mt to 1,053 Mt, overtaking US production in 1993 and Japan as the top producer in 1996.
• In 2017 China produced 870.9 Mt, more than the rest of the world combined at 865.0 Mt.
• US output fell from 115.4 Mt to 72.7 Mt, and between 1974 and 1984 US steel production and employment fell by 50%.
• The 2009 financial crisis cut world production by 8%, and COVID-19 cut it by less than 1% in 2020.

Global steel trends, the infographic in text

Title: 50 Years of Global Steel Production Visualized. Intro: Steel is an essential building block of our material world. Highly durable. Energy-efficient to produce. Infinitely recyclable. Global crude steel production has more than tripled in the last 50 years, with China dominating since the turn of the century. Scale: 1 Mt = 1 million metric tons. Source: World Steel Association. Footer: Elements, elements.visualcapitalist.com. We live in a material world.

The chart prints a starting value on the left and a 2020 value on the right of each band. The table matches them to regions by the order of the bands; only the larger regions are named on the bands themselves.

Annotations on the chart:

• 1974 to 1984: A decline in steel demand saw U.S. steel production and industry employment numbers drop by 50%. During this time, the USSR became the world’s top crude steel producer.
• 1993: China overtook U.S. steel production in 1993, and took Japan’s place as the top producer in 1996.
• 2009: The global financial crisis resulted in an 8% drop in overall steel production year on year. U.S. down 35%, Europe down 27%, Japan down 26%, China up 13%.
• 2017: China’s annual steel production (870.9Mt) eclipsed the rest of the world (865.0Mt) in 2017.
• 2020: Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, global steel production fell by less than 1% year on year. Some nations were hit harder than others: U.S. down 17%, Japan down 16%, Europe down 9%, China up 5%.

What drove the change

Visual Capitalist’s article with the chart, by Niccolo Conte (25 May 2021), gives the context [1]. World crude steel production was 1,864 Mt in 2020, which it calls the world’s most commonly used metal and most recycled material. It says the US and Russia scaled down domestic production and relied more on imports, while China and India grew to become the two largest producers [1].

The article’s 2020 country ranking puts China first at 1,053.0 Mt, then India 99.6, Japan 83.2, Russia 73.4, the United States 72.7, South Korea 67.1, Turkey 35.8, Germany 35.7, Brazil 31.0 and Iran 29.0, with Russia and Iran marked as estimates [1].

Global steel production since 2020

Later World Steel Association figures, published by Visual Capitalist, show global production of 1,849.4 Mt in 2025 [2]. China produced 960.8 Mt, or 52% of the total, followed by India at 164.9 Mt, the United States at 82 Mt and Japan at 80.7 Mt [2]. Compared with 2020 on the chart, China’s output is lower and India’s is much higher.

Notes on this infographic

• The chart starts a little after 1965, so “50 years” is approximate. The sum of its starting values, about 497 Mt, is roughly a quarter of the 2020 total.
• Only China, Europe, U.S., USSR, Japan, Russia, Rest of Asia and India are written on the bands. The pairing of the smaller starting values with Rest of North America, South America, Middle East, Africa and Oceania is our reading of the band order, the same order the 2020 values follow.
• The 2020 regional values add up to 1,862.3 Mt, close to the 1,864 Mt world total in the article [1]; the small gap is likely rounding.
• “Infinitely recyclable” is the graphic’s own claim. The article says steel can always be recycled with no loss of quality [1].

Questions about global steel production

Which country produces the most steel?

China, which produced 1,053 Mt of crude steel in 2020, according to World Steel Association data on the chart. Later figures show 960.8 Mt in 2025, or 52% of the world total, ahead of India at 164.9 Mt [2]. China overtook US production in 1993 and took Japan's place as the top producer in 1996.

How much steel is produced in the world each year?

World crude steel production was 1,864 Mt in 2020, according to the Visual Capitalist article published with the chart [1]. Later World Steel Association figures show 1,849.4 Mt in 2025 [2]. Over the roughly 50 years the chart covers, global production more than tripled.

Why did US steel production decline?

Between 1974 and 1984 a decline in steel demand saw US steel production and industry employment drop by 50%, according to the chart. The accompanying article says the US scaled down domestic production and relied more on imports [1]. US output on the chart fell from 115.4 Mt at the start to 72.7 Mt in 2020.

How did COVID-19 affect steel production?

Global steel production fell by less than 1% year on year in 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the chart. Some producers were hit harder, with the US down 17%, Japan down 16% and Europe down 9%, while China was up 5%. By comparison, the 2009 financial crisis cut world production by 8%.

Sources

1. Visual Capitalist Elements (Niccolo Conte), Visualizing 50 Years of Global Steel Production, 25 May 2021. The creator’s original post with this infographic, based on World Steel Association data.
2. Visual Capitalist Elements, Ranked, The World’s Largest Steel Producing Countries, using World Steel Association figures for 2025.

Last reviewed 30 October 2026