Global Salt Demand to Approach $14 Billion in 2015

Global demand for salt is projected to climb 2.9 percent annually through 2015 to 327 million metric tons, valued at $13.4 billion.  Increased salt consumption in most parts of the world will more than offset expected contractions of demand in Western Europe and Japan.  Growth in chemical manufacturing output will fuel the majority of additional demand between 2010 and 2015.  Salt suppliers will also benefit from the shale gas drilling boom currently underway in North America, which will boost chloralkali output in the US and Canada. These and other trends, including market share and product segmentation, are presented in World Salt, a new study from The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industry market research firm.

In 2010, China was the largest consumer of salt, primarily due to the huge size of its chemical industry, although food processing and livestock salt use are also substantial.  China accounted for one-fourth of global salt demand in 2010 and is projected to be the fastest growing national market through 2015.  Salt consumption in India is also forecast to grow well above the world average.  Chemical output by facilities in India is forecast to rise faster than in any other major producing country through 2015, leading to sizable increases in associated salt demand. 

Chemical manufacturing is by far the largest market for salt, accounting for nearly 55 percent of global demand in 2010.  The vast majority of demand in this market is generated by chloralkali and synthetic soda ash producers, which use salt as their primary feedstock.  The Asia/Pacific region accounts for over one-half of the salt consumed by the chemical industry.  Western Europe and North America also have sizable chemical industries, and in 2010 they accounted for 18 percent and 15 percent, respectively, of chemical manufacturing salt use.

Solar evaporation is the most prevalent method of producing salt, accounting for 38 percent of 2010 industry shipments.  It is the most economical method of producing salt in areas with favorable weather conditions, which include a number of nations in the Africa/Mideast and Asia/Pacific regions.  Salt production is forecast to grow fastest in these regions, and as a result solar evaporation will account for an increasing share of global salt output through 2015.  Rock salt and brine production will also post moderate increases through 2015, although their respective rates of growth will lag that of solar evaporation

The Freedonia Group is a leading international business research company, founded in 1985, that publishes more than 100 industry research studies annually. This industry analysis provides an unbiased outlook and a reliable assessment of an industry and includes product segmentation and demand forecasts, industry trends, demand history, threats and opportunities, competitive strategies, market share determinations and company profiles.