USA overtakes Japan: Top 10 steel-producing countries
According to the results of 2025, the US surpassed Japan in steel production volume and rose to third place in the world. China maintained its leadership with nearly 52 percent of global production, while second-placed India recorded the largest growth in volume among the top ten.
US surpasses Japan: Top 10 largest steel-producing countries
The World Steel Association's — Worldsteel — **World Steel in Figures 2026** reference guide provides the full results of countries for 2025. This ranking does not show the forecast for 2026, but the volume of steel actually produced in the past year.
In 2025, China produced 960.8 million tonnes of steel. A year earlier, this figure was 1 billion 5.1 million tonnes. Despite the decrease in production, the country's lead over other nations remains very large.
India, on the other hand, increased its steel production from 149.4 million tonnes to 164.9 million tonnes. This means an additional 15.5 million tonnes of product.
The US took third place with 81.9 million tonnes. Japan dropped to fourth place, producing 80.7 million tonnes of steel. Russia retained fifth place, and South Korea sixth place. Türkiye rose above Germany.
Top 10 countries that produced the most steel in 2025:
China - 960.8 million tonnes;
India - 164.9 million tonnes;
US - 81.9 million tonnes;
Japan - 80.7 million tonnes;
Russia - 67.9 million tonnes;
South Korea - 62.2 million tonnes;
Türkiye - 38.1 million tonnes;
Germany - 34.1 million tonnes;
Brazil - 33.4 million tonnes;
Iran - 32 million tonnes.
Total global production fell from 1 billion 886.8 million tonnes in 2024 to 1 billion 848.9 million tonnes in 2025. This is a decline of nearly 2 percent. However, the situation varied by country: growth was observed in India and the US, while production decreased in China and Japan.