LONDON- Global crude steel production gained 3.7 percent last year to 1.95 billion tons, World Steel Association data showed on Tuesday, despite weaker output in top producer China as an energy crunch curtailed operations.
Chinese steel production dropped 3 percent in 2021, while second-ranked India saw output surge by 17.8 percent and third-place Japan jumped 15.8 percent as economies recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Data for the last month of the year showed global steel production fell 3 percent year on year to 158.7 million tons, a statement said.
Crude steel output from China, also the world’s top consumer of the metal, dropped by 6.8 percent to 86.2 million tons in December. — Reuters
