03/04/2021
South Korea, Singapore, Iran, Canada and Spain are respectively the world's largest bitumen exporters.
Total global bitumen imports amounts to 24 million tons, and China, the United States, India, France and Indonesia are among the biggest bitumen importers. Iran produces 5 million tons of bitumen and exports 3.5 million tons annually as the fourth producer and third exporter in the world, and enjoys special status in the global market. In total, South Korea with a 15% share, Singapore with a 12% share, and Iran with an 11% share of the global bitumen export market are the biggest players of the global bitumen trade.
Studies and projections regarding the future global economy suggest that Asian countries will experience the biggest GDP growth until 2050, and the top 5 economies in the world in 2050 are predicted to include four Asian countries. Accordingly, with an annual bitumen consumption of 27 million tons in 2015, China was the biggest bitumen consumer in the world and supplies 4.7 million tons, and amounts to 17.2% of its total consumption, through imports. China’s economic development plans defines very large infrastructural projects, especially highways and local access roads that are expected to raise this country’s bitumen consumption over the next five years to over 30 million tons a year.
————————————————————————