The steel planisphere: the major steel-producing countries
Today steel is one of the most used materials in the world: but where is this iron-carbon alloy so prevalent in the objects surrounding us produced? The World Steel Association recently published the ranking of the 50 largest crude steel-producing countries for 2025.
The table is shown below
| Country | 2025 | 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Tonnage | Rank | Tonnage | |
| China | 1 | 960.8 | 1 | 1005.1 |
| India | 2 | 164.9 | 2 | 149.4 |
| United States | 3 | 81.9 | 4 | 79.5 |
| Japan | 4 | 80.7 | 3 | 84.0 |
| Russia | 5 | 67.9 | 5 | 71.0 |
| South Korea | 6 | 62.2 | 6 | 63.6 |
| Türkiye | 7 | 38.1 | 8 | 36.9 |
| Germany | 8 | 34.1 | 7 | 37.3 |
| Brazil | 9 | 33.4 | 9 | 33.9 |
| Iran | 10 | 32.0 | 10 | 31.4 |
| Viet Nam | 11 | 24.7 | 11 | 22.0 |
| Italy | 12 | 20.7 | 12 | 20.0 |
| Indonesia (e) | 13 | 19.0 | 14 | 18.6 |
| Taiwan, China | 14 | 17.2 | 13 | 19.2 |
| Mexico | 15 | 13.5 | 15 | 14.3 |
| Spain | 16 | 11.8 | 17 | 11.9 |
| Canada | 17 | 11.5 | 16 | 12.3 |
| Saudi Arabia | 18 | 10.8 | 20 | 9.6 |
| Egypt | 19 | 10.6 | 19 | 10.7 |
| France | 20 | 9.9 | 18 | 10.8 |
| Malaysia | 21 | 7.7 | 21 | 9.0 |
| Austria | 22 | 7.6 | 24 | 7.1 |
| Ukraine | 23 | 7.4 | 22 | 7.6 |
| Belgium | 24 | 7.2 | 23 | 7.1 |
| Poland | 25 | 7.2 | 25 | 7.1 |
| Netherlands | 26 | 6.5 | 26 | 6.4 |
| Algeria | 27 | 5.5 | 30 | 4.5 |
| Australia | 28 | 5.2 | 29 | 4.7 |
| Thailand | 29 | 5.1 | 27 | 4.9 |
| Bangladesh (e) | 30 | 4.5 | 31 | 4.5 |
| South Africa | 31 | 4.5 | 28 | 4.7 |
| Kazakhstan | 32 | 4.3 | 32 | 4.2 |
| Argentina | 33 | 4.0 | 37 | 3.9 |
| Sweden | 34 | 4.0 | 34 | 4.0 |
| United Arab Emirates | 35 | 3.8 | 38 | 3.7 |
| Finland | 36 | 3.7 | 39 | 3.7 |
| Slovakia | 37 | 3.6 | 36 | 3.9 |
| Pakistan | 38 | 3.6 | 33 | 4.1 |
| Iraq | 39 | 3.0 | 41 | 3.0 |
| Oman | 40 | 3.0 | 40 | 3.0 |
| United Kingdom | 41 | 2.6 | 35 | 4.0 |
| Czechia | 42 | 2.5 | 42 | 2.5 |
| Portugal | 43 | 2.1 | 44 | 1.9 |
| Luxembourg | 44 | 1.8 | 46 | 1.8 |
| Belarus (e) | 45 | 1.8 | 43 | 2.3 |
| Kenya (e) | 46 | 1.8 | 47 | 1.8 |
| Philippines (e) | 47 | 1.8 | 45 | 1.8 |
| Qatar | 48 | 1.7 | 58 | 1.2 |
| Peru | 49 | 1.6 | 48 | 1.5 |
| Morocco | 50 | 1.5 | 49 | 1.4 |
| Others | 22.5 | 23.8 | ||
| World | 1848.9 | 1886.8 | ||
(e) Estimate
The top of the ranking: China below one billion tonnes, the US overtakes Japan
World crude steel production for the countries reporting to the World Steel Association was 1,848.9 million tonnes in 2025, down from 1,886.8 Mt in 2024.
China is still outstripping all other nations as the largest steel-producing country in the world: more than half of the crude steel produced worldwide in 2025 — some 960.8 million tonnes — comes from steel mills located on Chinese soil. For the first time in recent memory, however, that figure has dipped below the symbolic threshold of one billion tonnes, dropping from 1,005.1 Mt in 2024.
Following China is India in second place, with the United States in third. India once again continued to increase its production, from 149.4 to 164.9 Mt — a rise of over 10%. The US, meanwhile, climbed from 4th to 3rd, edging out Japan (80.7 Mt) by a narrow margin of 1.2 million tonnes. Japan experienced another decrease, from 84.0 to 80.7 Mt (–3.9%). Similarly, Russia and South Korea — sitting respectively at 5th and 6th place — also recorded moderate drops in their steel output.
Notable movers: Türkiye overtakes Germany, Algeria surges, UK continues to fall
One of the most notable rank swaps of the year is Türkiye overtaking Germany to claim 7th position (38.1 vs 34.1 Mt), capping several years of consistent growth for the Turkish industry.
Italy holds steady in 12th place, with production rising from 20.0 to 20.7 Mt, while Morocco again closes the top 50, now with 1.5 million tonnes produced.
Among the mid-table movers, Algeria stands out, climbing from 30th to 27th place on a +22% surge in production (4.5 → 5.5 Mt). In contrast, the United Kingdom's performance was once again not encouraging: the country slipped from 35th to 41st place on a -35% collapse in crude steel output (4.0 → 2.6 Mt).
Check out also: who rules the steel industry? The top 50 steel-producing companies
Last update: July 7, 2026
