2026-07-02 · tonnes of crude steel
China makes more steel than the rest combined
Industrial capacity concentrated in one country shapes emissions and trade.
China alone makes more crude steel than every other country combined: 54% of the world's roughly 1.9 billion tonnes in 2026. Capacity concentrated at that scale shapes global emissions and steel trade — stakes that reach well beyond any single steel mill.
1 cell = 1.9 million tonnes of crude steel (0.1% of global steel production) · 1,000 cells
Context
Figures come from the World Steel Association's World Steel in Figures 2026, the industry's annual reference spanning crude steel production, apparent steel use, trade flows, and raw materials. worldsteel members represent around 85% of global steel production.
China's 54% share of roughly 1.9 billion tonnes of crude steel puts its output above every other producer combined. Beyond China, this edition's bands split the remaining 46% across Asia & Pacific (23.9%), Africa (12.9%), and the Americas (9.2%) — no other region comes close to China's scale.
The lede's stakes follow from that concentration: steelmaking is carbon-intensive, so a majority share in one country carries outsized weight in global emissions, and trade flows and policy responses to steel track where the capacity sits.
World Steel Association production shares.
Share and export
Credit this grid as Inagrid — https://inagrid.com/e/2026-07-02-steel-production