According to preliminary data announced by the International Steel Federation, the world’s production (64 countries) of crude steel during the month of April 2020 amounted to 137.1 million tons, a decline of -13.0% compared to the production of April 2019.
Due to the circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic, many of this month's figures are estimates from national and regional federations, which may be revised with next month's production update.
The production of China, the largest steel producing country in the world, during the month of January reached 85 million tons, an increase of 2.0% over the production of the same month in 2019. India’s production was estimated at 3.1 million tons, a decline of -65.2% from the production of April 2019. Japan’s production was estimated at 6.6 million tons, a decline of -23.5% over the production of the same month last year.
A significant decline in the production of Arab countries
The report included the production of 5 Arab countries, led by Saudi Arabia, with a production of 612 thousand tons, a decrease of 6.0% compared to the same month last year, followed by Egypt, with a production of 600,000 tons during the month of April, a decrease of 17.6%, then the UAE, with a production of 115,000 tons, a decrease of 57.1%, and Qatar, with a production of 49,000 tons, a decrease of 74.3%, and Libya did not announce any production during the month of April 2020.