Iran’s production of crude steel accounted for 70% of Middle East’s total output during the first five months of 2023, latest data released by the World Steel Association indicate.
Iranian steelmakers produced 13 million tons of crude steel from January to May this year, registering a 2.2% rise compared with the corresponding period of last year.
Steel producers located in the Middle East, including Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, together produced a total of 18.7 million tons of steel during the period, up 1.1% year-on-year.
The world's 63 steelmakers produced 786 million tons of steel during the same period, down 1.2%.
Countries located in Africa, including Egypt, Libya, South Africa and Tunisia, produced 2.6 million tons of steel, up 2.6% compared with the same period of last year.
The steel output of countries in Asia and Oceania, including Australia, China, India, Japan, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Korea, Taiwan (China), Thailand and Vietnam, stood at 588.4 million tons, up 0.7%.
The 27 European Union countries produced a total of 56 million tons, down 10.4%.
The states located in "Europe, Other" region, including Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Turkey and the UK, produced 16.6 million tons of steel, down 16.3% compared with the corresponding period of 2022.
North American countries, including Canada, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico and the US, produced 45.9 million tons of steel during the period, down 3.6%.
Steelmakers in the "Russia and other CIS countries plus Ukraine" region, including Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine produced 36.9 million tons of steel, down 3.8% YOY.
South African countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela, produced 17.1 million tons of steel, down 5.9% YOY.
Worldsteel data also indicate that Iran accounted for 75% of the Middle East's crude steel output in May, as Iranian steel mills produced a total of 3.3 million tons during the month, registering an 8.8% rise compared with the same month of last year.