According to the preliminary data released by the World Steel Association (worldsteel), global pig iron production in 2012 amounted to 1.1 billion metric tons, rising by 1.7 percent year on year. In 2011, a five percent year-on-year increase had been recorded in global pig iron output. In December 2012, global pig iron output came to 87.25 million metric tons, increasing by 0.2 percent as compared to the previous month and up 2.5 percent year on year.
In 2012, the top pig iron producer in the world according to worldsteel was China with 654.3 million mt, up 3.9 percent year on year and constituting 59 percent of global pig iron production.
The top 10 pig iron producing countries in 2012* are as follows:
Country |
Volume (x 1,000 mt) |
Y-o-y change (%) |
China |
654,269 |
3.9 |
Japan |
81,405 |
0.5 |
Russia |
50,522 |
5 |
India |
42,258 |
8.6 |
South Korea |
41,718 |
-1.2 |
United States |
32,113 |
6.2 |
Ukraine |
28,488 |
-1.3 |
Brazil |
27,045 |
-18.6 |
Germany |
26,753 |
-3.75 |
Taiwan |
11,784 |
-8.9 |
* The 38 countries reporting to worldsteel accounted for approximately 99 percent of total world blast furnace pig iron production in 2011.