Industry Overview
World Rubber Production, Consumption and Trade
Production
- The total world production of rubber for the first three quarters of 2020 declined by 6.7% to 19.8 million tonnes from 21.2 million tonnes in the corresponding period of 2019.
- The ratio of natural rubber (NR) to synthetic rubber (SR) produced for the first three quarters of 2020 was 47:53. Malaysia ranked seventh in the world for natural rubber production.
Consumption
- World consumption of rubber declined by 11.2% to 19.3 million tonnes for the first three quarters of 2020 from 21.7 million tonnes in the corresponding period of 2019.
- The ratio of NR to SR consumed in the first three quarters of 2020 was 47:53. China, USA, India, Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brazil, Russia and Germany were the top 10 consumers of rubber in 2020.
Trade
- Global imports of rubber declined by 8.2% to 15.2 million tonnes for the first nine months of 2020 from 16.6 million tonnes in the corresponding period of 2019 while exports of rubber reduced to 15.1 million tonnes from 15.7 million tonnes during the same period.
Source: International Rubber Study Group (IRSG)
Source: International Rubber Study Group (IRSG)