From 2011 to 2021, the global Caustic Soda production capacity and output as a whole showed an increasing trend year by year, of which the production capacity increased from 82.6 million tons in 2011 to 99.74 million tons in 2021, with a compound annual growth rate of 1.90%; The output increased from 64.43 million tons in 2011 to 79.5 million tons in 2021, with a compound annual growth rate of 2. 12%。 Among them, the output in 2015 and 2020 showed a sharp contraction, recording -2.74% and -4.37% respectively year on year. The corresponding annual event drivers were the introduction of the strictest environmental protection policy in China's history and the outbreak of the COVID-19, a new world public health event.
From a regional perspective, in the global caustic soda market, Asia is the most important caustic soda production region, accounting for 63% of the output, and the output growth rate is fast; The second is North America and Europe, with output accounting for 16% and 14% respectively; South America, Africa, and Oceania have the lowest yields, accounting for only 4%, 2%, and 1%, respectively.
From the demand side, the global total demand for caustic soda also showed a rising trend year by year from 2011 to 2021. In terms of data, the global total demand for caustic soda market will be 82 million tons in 2021, an increase of 12.08 million tons compared with 2015, with a compound annual growth rate of 2.69%.
From a subregional perspective, the global consumption demand for caustic soda is basically consistent with the production areas, and is mainly concentrated in Asia, Europe, and North America.
Among them, Asia is the region with the largest demand for caustic soda and the fastest growth in demand. In 2021, the total demand was 47.8 million tons, accounting for 58% of the global total demand, an increase of 7.56 million tons compared to 2015. The demand for caustic soda production capacity in Asia is mainly concentrated in China, India, South Korea, and Japan; The demand for caustic soda in Southeast Asia is mainly dependent on imports, accounting for about 5% of the global total demand.
The demand for caustic soda in Europe is second only to that in Asia, with 10.6 million tons in 2021, accounting for 13% of the global total demand, an increase of 1.34 million tons compared to 2015. The growth points are mainly concentrated in chemical industry, pulp, food, soap industry, and Water Treatment. Slightly different from the distribution of China's demand structure, the consumption of caustic soda in the alumina industry in Europe accounts for only 4% of the total demand for caustic soda.
In 2021, the demand for caustic soda in North America was 9 million tons, accounting for 11% of the global total demand, mainly concentrated in the United States, with the main downstream industries including inorganic chemicals, organic chemicals, pulp and paper making. Overall, the downstream demand growth for caustic soda in North America is not significant.
