Globally, Asian countries are expected to lead global ethylene capacity additions, and China and India together account for over 42% of additions upcoming globally.

China continues to dominate the global ethylene market both in terms of demand and production. Being the leading producer of plastics and electronics, the country is expected to lead the ethylene market in the upcoming years. Capacity expansion in India, however, will be driven by rapid industrialisation and rising demand for ethylene from end-use industries such as packaging and automotive.

For other countries such as Iran and the US, the high abundance of shale gas plays an important role in capacity additions.

By 2030, the total ethylene capacity of under-construction and pre-construction projects in China is expected to be around 28.2 million tonnes per annum (mtpa). Iran and Russia follow next and are expected to add a capacity of 8.69 mtpa and 7.94 mtpa by 2030 respectively.

Further details of ethylene can be found in GlobalData’s new report, ‘Ethylene Market Analysis and Forecast by Products, Capacity Additions, Top Countries and Active and Upcoming Projects to 2030’.