Gitnux/Report 2026

Chemical Processing Industry Statistics

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Chemical Processing Industry Statistics
Samuel NorbergWritten by Samuel Norberg·Fact-checked by Maya Johansson
Published
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

Before any source is gathered, an editor locks the question, what qualifies, and how the piece will be judged.

02Source Research

Search agents collect the source set and pull each data point out with its provenance attached.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 31 days

01 Industry overview

The chemical processing industry at a glance

The global chemical industry generated approximately $5.7 trillion in revenue in 2023, while China accounted for 46% of global chemical sales in 2025 and the sector faced persistent overcapacity and uneven regional growth.

$5.7T[60]
Global chemical revenue, 2023
46%[2]
China global sales share, 2025
905,500[61]
U.S. chemical manufacturing jobs, Sep. 2026
$965.8B[16]
Top 50 chemical sales, 2025
Market size
Global chemical-industry revenue was approximately $5.7 trillion in 2023. In the United States, the combined chemical and pharmaceutical industry generated €819 billion in 2025, making the country the second-largest market after China.[60][62]
Market share & regions
China accounted for 46% of global chemical sales in 2025, while Europe’s share fell to 13%. The GCC represented approximately 1.5% of global chemical sales in 2024 and reported 93% average capacity utilization, compared with 80% in the EU and 76% in the United States.[2][58]
Segmentation
U.S. chemical manufacturing is divided into seven NAICS groups: basic chemicals; resins, synthetic rubber and fibers; agricultural chemicals; pharmaceuticals; paints, coatings and adhesives; soaps and cleaning preparations; and other chemical products. In the U.S. chemical and pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceuticals represented 31.4% of revenue in 2025.[61][62]
Key players & concentration
The 50 largest chemical companies recorded $965.8 billion in chemical sales in 2025. BASF ranked first with $67.4 billion, followed by Sinopec with $52.6 billion; the top four transactions in chemicals M&A also represented 40% of global deal value in 2025, indicating concentration at the largest-company and largest-deal levels.[16][63]
Pricing
U.S. chemical-manufacturing producer prices increased 0.9% in 2025, while import prices for plastics materials and resin manufacturing fell 9.6% in the year ended December 2025. In September 2026, the U.S. producer price index for chemical manufacturing was 373.800 and declined 0.2% month over month.[61]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Global chemical production excluding pharmaceuticals grew 3.6% in 2025, led by China’s 7.0% growth and Asia’s 5.5% increase; production fell 2.1% in the European Union. BASF identified overcapacity, weak industrial demand, regional cost differences and uneven recovery as major constraints, while Cefic reported European gas prices at three times U.S. levels and capacity utilization 9.5% below the 2014–2019 average.[15][2]
Consumer behavior & competition
Demand is primarily business-to-business and tied to downstream sectors including automotive, healthcare, construction, agriculture and electronics. In 2025, U.S. domestic chemical and pharmaceutical demand reached approximately €929 billion, while competition intensified through Chinese exports, excess petrochemical capacity and pressure on European producers.[62][16]
M&A
Global chemicals M&A deal value increased 18% year over year in 2025, but the top four transactions accounted for 40% of total value. North American deal value rose 9% to $51.5 billion, while European deal value increased 14% to $38.8 billion.[63]
Regulation
Under TSCA, EPA must evaluate new chemical substances before manufacture and make one of five statutory determinations; December 2024 amendments removed low-volume and low-release exemptions for new PFAS and other persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic chemicals. In the EU, REACH restrictions include controls on intentionally added microplastics and ongoing work on PFAS restrictions.[45][64]
Latest news
The latest industry outlook indicates that 2026 is a period of selective restructuring rather than a broad cyclical recovery: C&EN described the 2025 downturn as the industry’s worst in a generation, while Kearney expects active but selective M&A in 2026 focused on carve-outs, portfolio reshaping and underperforming assets.[16][63]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Chemical Processing Industry

The leading companies in the chemical processing industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 11, 2026 · Next review December 11, 2026

Verdict

Air Liquide and Reliance Industries are tied at the top of Gitnux's 2026 chemical processing ranking with an Overall score of 9.2 each.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in industrial gases

    Air Liquide

    FR

    Ranked #1 · 9.2 · Industrial gases

    Why we picked it: Industrial-gas and chemical-process operations across 59 countries, with operating margin at 20.72%.

    See in ranking ↓Visit airliquide.com ↗

  2. Leader in oil-to-chemicals

    Reliance Industries

    IN

    Ranked #2 · 9.2 · Oil-to-chemicals

    Why we picked it: Oil-to-chemicals output spans polymers, elastomers, intermediates, and polyesters.

    See in ranking ↓Visit ril.com ↗

  3. Leader in basic chemicals

    Mitsubishi Chemical Group

    JP

    Ranked #3 · 9.0 · Basic chemicals

    Why we picked it: Chemicals portfolio covers specialty materials, MMA, derivatives, basic materials, and polymers.

    See in ranking ↓Visit mcgc.com ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Picks 2 and 3 are the highest-ranked companies in the top 5 that add a new segment.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 10 companies in the chemical processing industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Air Liquide

Industrial gases · FR

9.2
2

Reliance Industries

Oil-to-chemicals · IN

9.2
3

Mitsubishi Chemical Group

Basic chemicals · JP

9.0
4

INEOS

Petrochemicals and polymers · GB

8.9
5

BASF

Integrated chemicals · DE

8.7
6

DuPont

Engineered materials and specialty chemicals · US

8.5
7

Evonik

Specialty chemicals and performance materials · DE

8.1
8

Dow

Plastics, intermediates, silicones and coatings · US

8.1
9

LyondellBasell

Olefins, polyolefins, intermediates and chemicals · US

8.0
10

Covestro

Polycarbonate, polyurethane and specialty materials · DE

7.9

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
  • Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
  • Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 11, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 11). Top 10 companies in the chemical processing industry. In Chemical Processing Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/chemical-processing-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Comparison

Revenue of the largest chemical processing companies

BASF leads with $64.4B in annual revenue (group level, converted to USD).

BASF$64.4B
Dow$40.0B
LyondellBasell$30.2B
Mitsubishi Chemical Group$29.5B
Air Liquide$29.1B
INEOS$15.4B
source-verifiedreport.basf.com · corporate.dow.com · lyondellbasell.com · mcgc.com · airliquide.com · ineos.com2025

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

AI adoption in chemicals is broad: 53% of organizations used AI for real-time process control and optimization in 2025, with predictive maintenance expected for 98% by 2028.

AI in the chemical processing industry

  • 53% of chemical organizations used AI for real-time process control and optimization in 2025.[1]
  • 45% of chemical organizations used AI for supply-chain optimization in 2025.[1]
  • 31% of chemical organizations used AI to automate formulation R&D in 2025.[1]
  • 33% of chemical organizations used AI for waste-reduction tracking in 2025.[1]
  • 49% of chemical organizations used AI for production planning and scheduling in 2025.[1]
  • 49% of chemical organizations used AI for quality inspection or defect detection in 2025.[1]

Automation in the chemical processing industry

  • 98% of chemical organizations are expected to use AI for predictive equipment maintenance by 2028.[1]
  • 34% of European chemical companies currently used robotics and automation in 2023.[2]
  • 65% of chemical-subindustry companies viewed digitalization as an opportunity that would significantly affect their activities in 2024.[3]
  • 95% of chemical organizations are expected to use AI for formulation R&D automation by 2028.[1]
  • 45% of European chemical companies planned to use robotics and automation in the future in 2023.[2]
  • 15% of European chemical-industry businesses identified AI’s greatest impact as automation of production processes in 2024.[3]

Digital Transformation in the chemicals and materials sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among EII businesses, 68% reported adopting AI in 2024, with an estimated 10% productivity increase.[3]
  • Across European chemical subindustries, 65% of companies viewed digitalization as an opportunity that would significantly impact their activities in 2024.[3]
  • Among ASUG chemicals-industry members, 57% identified moving to SAP S/4HANA as a top focus area in 2025.[4]
  • Among ASUG chemicals-industry members, 46% ranked automation among their leading technology focus areas in 2025.[4]

Technology Adoption in the chemicals and materials sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among chemicals organizations surveyed by IBM, 49% had implemented AI for production planning and scheduling in 2025.[1]
  • Among chemicals organizations surveyed by IBM, 49% had implemented AI for quality inspection or defect detection in 2025.[1]
  • Among chemicals organizations surveyed by IBM, 53% had implemented AI for real-time process control and optimization in 2025.[1]
  • Among chemicals organizations surveyed by IBM, 45% had implemented AI for supply-chain optimization in 2025.[1]

Cloud Computing in the chemicals and materials sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among EII businesses, 52% reported increased productivity from cloud computing in 2024, while 46% reported no change.[3]
  • Across chemical-sector companies surveyed by Arthur D. Little and Cefic, more than 35% had at least partially migrated to cloud computing in 2023.[2]
  • Among EII businesses, 2% reported decreased productivity from cloud computing in 2024.[3]
  • Across chemical-sector companies surveyed by Arthur D. Little and Cefic, 15% planned to migrate to cloud computing in coming years in 2023.[2]

Big Data in the chemicals and materials sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among EII businesses, 48% reported increased productivity from big data in 2024.[3]
  • Among EII businesses, 6% reported decreased productivity from big data in 2024.[3]
  • Among ASUG chemicals-industry members, 49% cited gaining actionable insights from data and analytics as a current challenge in 2025.[4]
  • Among EII businesses, 44% reported no productivity change from big data in 2024.[3]

Blockchain in the chemical processing industry

  • 1 chemical company was included among 41 companies in a 2026 empirical study of blockchain use in supply-chain processes.[5]
  • 16% of European chemical companies were using blockchain in 2023.[2]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Execution depends on data quality and governance. In 2026, 80% reported a measured value for operational data, while 42% had a process to verify manufacturing-data accuracy and quality.

Business intelligence in the chemical processing industry

  • More than 80% of specialty-chemical organizations said digital investments since 2020 had successfully achieved company goals.[6]
  • 39% of U.S. chemical-industry professionals reported using artificial intelligence for strategy and business-intelligence activities.[6]
  • 32% of U.S. chemical-industry professionals reported using automation or robotics for strategy and business-intelligence activities.[6]
  • 56% of global chemical-industry executives said their company’s digital-adoption speed had accelerated during the previous two years.[7]
  • 39% of U.S. chemical-industry professionals reported using lead-generation software for strategy and business-intelligence activities.[6]
  • About 75% of surveyed U.S. chemical companies expected to increase digital investment by 2024.[6]

Data analytics in the chemical processing industry

  • More than 35% of European chemical companies had at least partially migrated to cloud computing in the reported survey.[2]
  • 23% of U.S. chemical manufacturers reported little use of advanced analytics tools in the Siemens survey.[8]
  • 15% of European chemical companies planned to migrate to cloud computing in the coming years.[2]
  • 39% of North American chemical-industry executives identified data analytics as a leading digital opportunity in 2022.[7]
  • 30% of U.S. chemical manufacturers used advanced analytics tools in the Siemens survey.[8]

Data Quality in the chemicals and materials sector (sector benchmark)

  • 80% of manufacturers reported a measured value for their operational data in 2026, across the surveyed manufacturing sector.[9]
  • 67% of supply-management organizations said their data quality was better or significantly better than two years earlier in 2024.[10]
  • 44% of companies in the manufacturing survey reported AI-project failures caused by poor data quality in 2025, across surveyed manufacturers.[11]
  • 49% of supply-management organizations rated their data quality as good or excellent in 2024, based on an Institute for Supply Management survey.[10]
  • 42% of manufacturers had a process to verify manufacturing-data accuracy and quality in 2026, while 51% did not.[9]
  • 89% of manufacturers said data use improved their decision-making processes in 2026, across the surveyed manufacturing sector.[9]

Data Governance in the chemicals and materials sector (sector benchmark)

  • 28% of manufacturers had a data-governance leader in 2026, across the Manufacturing Leadership Council survey.[9]
  • 61% of supply-management organizations had a dedicated data-governance function in 2024, based on a survey of more than 121 respondents.[10]
  • 46% of GCC chemical companies had established common data standards with collaboration partners in 2022.[12]
  • 90% of supply-management organizations agreed or strongly agreed that data governance was necessary in 2024.[10]
  • 52% of global chemical companies had established performance management or KPIs around digital supply chains in 2022.[12]
  • 67% of GCC chemical companies had established performance management or KPIs around digital supply chains in 2022.[12]

KPIs in the chemical processing industry

  • $143.745 billion was U.S. chemical-industry business R&D spending in 2024.[13]
  • 1.397 million people were employed by U.S. companies performing or funding chemical-industry R&D in 2024.[13]
  • $161.2 billion were U.S. chemical-industry exports in 2024.[14]
  • 11.4% was the R&D intensity of U.S. chemical companies in 2024.[13]
  • 547,000 people were employed by the U.S. chemical industry in 2024.[14]
  • $134.9 billion were U.S. chemical-industry imports in 2024.[14]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Growth remains uneven across regions. Global chemical-industry growth was 3.9% in 2024, while China’s chemical sales rose to €2,298 billion in 2024.

Growth in the chemical processing industry

  • Global chemical-industry growth was 3.9% in 2024, according to BASF’s assessment of the worldwide market.[15]
  • South Korea’s chemical sales reached €143 billion in 2024, up from €47 billion in 2004.[2]
  • India’s chemical sales reached €142 billion in 2024, up from €29 billion in 2004.[2]
  • China’s chemical sales increased from €140 billion in 2004 to €2,298 billion in 2024.[2]
  • United States chemical sales were €622 billion in 2024, compared with €308 billion in 2004.[2]
  • Latin American chemical sales reached €167 billion in 2024, compared with €61 billion in 2004.[2]

Differentiation in the chemical processing industry

  • $452.3 billion in sales made petrochemicals the largest leading sector among the global top chemical firms in 2024.[16]
  • $70.6 billion in chemical sales made BASF the leading global chemical company in 2024.[16]
  • $71.6 billion in sales were generated by industrial-gas companies among the leading global chemical firms in 2024.[16]
  • $35.9 billion in chemical sales ranked LG Chem among the leading global chemical companies in 2024.[16]
  • $58.1 billion in chemical sales ranked Sinopec second among global chemical companies in 2024.[16]
  • $43.0 billion in chemical sales ranked Dow third among global chemical companies in 2024.[16]

Mergers and acquisitions in the chemical processing industry

  • 84% of disclosed specialty-chemical deals were valued below $100 million in the second half of 2024.[17]
  • 34% of specialty-chemical transactions involved financial buyers in the second half of 2024.[17]
  • 148 specialty-chemical deals were completed in the second half of 2024.[17]
  • 440 chemical and materials transactions were closed globally in 2024, according to Balmoral Advisors.[16]
  • $13.9 billion was the disclosed value of specialty-chemical deals in the second half of 2024.[17]
  • $73 billion of 2024 chemicals M&A value came from deals larger than $1 billion.[18]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Workforce constraints show up as reliability and operations talent shortages. For 2026, reliability was cited as a talent-shortage area by 40% of survey respondents.

Hiring in the chemical processing industry

  • 334,398 people worked in U.S. chemical manufacturing in the South in 2023.[19]
  • Chemical-industry survey respondents identified reliability as a talent-shortage area affected, at 40%, in 2026.[20]
  • The U.S. chemical and pharmaceutical workforce is estimated at more than 900,500 employees in 2026.[21]
  • 242,706 people worked in U.S. chemical manufacturing in the Midwest in 2023.[19]
  • Chemical-industry survey respondents identified operations as the talent-shortage area most affected, at 57%, in 2026.[20]

Employee retention in the chemical processing industry

  • 13.5% was Air Liquide’s reported employee turnover rate in fiscal 2025.[22]
  • 40% of chemical-process-industry executives identified reliability as a top area affected by talent shortages in 2026.[20]
  • 11.0% was Akzo Nobel’s reported employee turnover rate in fiscal 2025.[22]
  • Chemical-company employee turnover ranged from 2.8% to 24.1% in fiscal 2025.[22]
  • 57% of chemical-process-industry executives identified operations as a top area affected by talent shortages in 2026.[20]

Remote Work in the chemicals and materials sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among U.S. energy, natural-resources and chemicals workers, 8% preferred fully remote work in 2025.[23]
  • Among U.S. energy, natural-resources and chemicals workers, 25% preferred mostly remote work in 2025.[23]
  • Across U.S. chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing employers, 5.7% of positions were fully remote in 2024.[24]
  • Across U.S. remote-capable employees, 25% worked exclusively remotely in August 2026.[25]

Hybrid Work in the chemicals and materials sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across U.S. chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing employers, 44.5% of positions were fully hybrid in 2024.[24]
  • U.S. hybrid employees spent an average of 46% of their workweek on-site in 2026.[25]
  • Across U.S. remote-capable employees, 61% preferred a hybrid work arrangement in November 2025.[25]
  • Across U.S. hybrid employees, 48% said their team had not discussed a formal or informal collaboration plan in 2026.[25]
  • Across U.S. remote-capable employees, 54% worked in a hybrid arrangement in August 2026.[25]

Upskilling in the chemical processing industry

  • 78% of chemical-process-industry executives reported that loss of critical skills and knowledge was eroding performance in 2026.[20]
  • 1.2 million U.S. energy-and-chemicals workers are expected to need upskilling over the next decade.[26]
  • Access to unconscious-bias training improved among chemical companies between 2021 and 2025, according to EPCA’s survey.[27]
  • Access to career-critical assignments improved among chemical companies between 2021 and 2025, according to EPCA’s survey.[27]
  • The U.S. energy-and-chemicals workforce is projected to grow 4.1% by 2033.[26]

Employee Engagement in the chemicals and materials sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among global managers, 22% were engaged at work in 2025, compared with 19% of non-managers.[25]
  • Across employees in the United States, 32% were engaged at work in 2025.[25]
  • Across best-practice organizations recognized by Gallup, 70% of employees were engaged in 2025.[25]
  • Across employees in the United States and Canada, 31% were engaged at work in 2025.[25]
  • Across employees worldwide, 20% were engaged at work in 2025.[25]

DEI in the chemical processing industry

  • People of color held 57% of lower-paying positions in Louisiana’s chemical industry, according to a 2025 analysis.[28]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

B2B demand and buying behavior stay tightly linked to meeting defined customer needs. In 2024, 43% of chemical customers were willing to buy at least 10% more when needs were fully met.

Customer experience in the chemical processing industry

  • The 2024 chemical customer-experience benchmark’s Net Promoter Score range was 7 to 44 across participating companies.[29]
  • 43% of chemical customers were willing to buy at least 10% more when their needs were fully met.[30]
  • 36% of chemical customers were willing to pay more for suppliers that met their needs, according to Accenture’s chemical-customer research.[30]
  • 50% of chemical-industry respondents said designing the customer experience was their primary focus for building a customer-centric culture in 2022.[31]
  • The 2024 customer-experience benchmark collected more than 7,200 customer responses across North America, EMEA, Latin America and Asia Pacific.[29]

Customer retention in the chemical processing industry

  • 46% of chemical customers said they would pay a notable price premium for suppliers that met their expectations.[7]
  • 78% of chemical companies were concerned about losing customers in a global chemical-buyer study.[7]
  • 58% of chemical buyers said they would change providers if their preferences were not met.[7]

Customer acquisition in the chemical processing industry

  • 7% of U.S. chemical-marketing leaders said paid social generated the most qualified leads in 2026.[32]
  • 2% of U.S. chemical-marketing leaders said trade-publication advertising generated the most qualified leads in 2026.[32]
  • 32% of U.S. chemical-marketing leaders said account-based marketing generated the most qualified leads in 2026.[32]
  • 27% of U.S. chemical-marketing leaders said AI search or GEO generated the most qualified leads in 2026.[32]
  • 18% of U.S. chemical-marketing leaders said organic SEO generated the most qualified leads in 2026.[32]

Lead generation in the chemical processing industry

  • 17.8% of surveyed U.S. chemical-marketing leaders identified organic SEO as their top qualified-lead source in 2026.[32]
  • 27% of surveyed U.S. chemical-marketing leaders identified AI search or GEO as their top qualified-lead source in 2026.[32]
  • 13.2% of surveyed U.S. chemical-marketing leaders cited lead quality as their biggest marketing challenge in 2026.[32]
  • 152 U.S. chemical-marketing leaders participated in Altitude Marketing’s 2026 chemical-manufacturing marketing survey.[32]
  • 31.6% of surveyed U.S. chemical-marketing leaders identified account-based marketing as their top qualified-lead source in 2026.[32]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Marketing execution is increasingly digital and data-driven. In 2026, 56.6% of surveyed U.S. chemical-marketing leaders used distributor-portal development or maintenance.

Marketing in the chemical processing industry

  • 23% of surveyed U.S. chemical-marketing leaders said proving marketing ROI was their biggest challenge in 2026.[32]
  • 56.6% of surveyed U.S. chemical-marketing leaders used distributor-portal development or maintenance to support channel partners in 2026.[32]
  • 90.1% of surveyed U.S. chemical-marketing leaders expected their marketing budget to increase in 2027.[32]
  • 69.1% of surveyed U.S. chemical-marketing leaders used cooperative marketing programs to support distributors and channel partners in 2026.[32]
  • 23.7% of surveyed U.S. chemical-marketing leaders planned to allocate the greatest share of their 2027 marketing dollars to account-based marketing.[32]

Digital marketing in the chemical processing industry

  • 40.3% of surveyed U.S. chemical-marketing leaders primarily used AI tools for analyzing data in 2026.[32]
  • 60% of surveyed U.S. chemical-marketing leaders used AI tools daily in 2026.[32]
  • 4.6% of surveyed U.S. chemical-marketing leaders planned to prioritize email marketing for 2027 investment.[32]
  • Nearly 90% of surveyed specialty-chemical companies planned to increase investment in digital tools after 2023.[6]
  • About 50% of surveyed specialty-chemical companies had increased digital investment between 2020 and 2023.[6]

Branding in the chemical processing industry

  • 27% of surveyed U.S. chemical-marketing leaders cited a preference for known vendors as a 2026 market-behavior trend.[32]
  • 50% of chemical-industry respondents identified customer-experience design as their primary focus for building a customer-centric culture in 2022.[31]

Social media in the chemical processing industry

  • 23.7% of surveyed U.S. chemical-marketing leaders planned to allocate the greatest share of their 2027 marketing dollars to paid social.[32]
  • 17.1% of surveyed U.S. chemical-marketing leaders listed organic social among their 2026 marketing activities.[32]
  • 7.2% of surveyed U.S. chemical-marketing leaders identified paid social as their top qualified-lead source in 2026.[32]

Influencer Marketing in the chemicals and materials sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across B2B companies, 29% of marketers planned to adopt influencer marketing within the following year in a March 2025 Ipsos survey.[33]
  • In U.S. manufacturing, 19% of marketers used influencer marketing among paid channels in the prior 12 months, according to a 2025 industry benchmark.[34]
  • Across B2B companies, 55% of marketers used creators in 2025, based on a March 2025 Ipsos survey of 1,500 marketing professionals.[33]
  • Across B2B companies, 56% of marketers identified social-media posts as the most effective influencer-program content type in a September 2024 U.S. survey.[35]
  • Across B2B companies, 81% of marketers had a dedicated influencer-marketing budget in a September 2024 U.S. survey of firms with at least 100 employees.[35]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Advanced analytics targets incremental performance gains. Throughput improvements of 5% to 7% are typical when advanced analytics optimizes petrochemical processes.

Process optimization in the chemical processing industry

  • 1% to 2% improvement in yield, selectivity or conversion is typical for selected petrochemical advanced-analytics applications.[36]
  • 0.2% to 1% annual energy-intensity improvement can result from incremental process improvements such as better catalysts, heat integration and operating conditions in chemical manufacturing.[2]
  • 25 to more than 100 is the typical E-factor range reported for pharmaceutical chemical production, meaning kilograms of waste generated per kilogram of product.[37]
  • 5% to 7% throughput improvement is typical when advanced analytics optimizes petrochemical processes, according to McKinsey’s industry analysis.[36]
  • 1 to 5 is the typical E-factor range reported for bulk chemicals, meaning kilograms of waste generated per kilogram of product.[37]

Operational efficiency in the chemical processing industry

  • 79.2% was U.S. chemical-industry capacity utilization in June 2024, according to the American Chemistry Council.[14]
  • 0.5% to 1.0% machinery-uptime improvement has been observed in petrochemical applications of advanced analytics.[36]
  • 1% to 2% maintenance-cost reduction has been observed in petrochemical applications of advanced analytics.[36]
  • 78.0% was U.S. chemical-industry capacity utilization in August 2024, 1.7 percentage points below its 1972–2023 average.[14]
  • 51% of surveyed U.S. chemical manufacturers reported increased production levels in the first quarter of 2024 versus the previous quarter.[14]

Supply chain in the chemical processing industry

  • 3.4% year over year was the decline in U.S. chemical-manufacturer inventories in April 2024, measured by the inventory-to-shipments ratio.[38]
  • 40% of surveyed U.S. chemical manufacturers reported order-backlog volume declined in the fourth quarter of 2024.[14]
  • 21% of U.S. chemical manufacturers reported supplier delivery times increased in the first quarter of 2024 versus the previous quarter.[14]
  • 12.9% below February 2020 levels were U.S. chemical-manufacturer inventories in April 2024, measured by the inventory-to-shipments ratio.[38]
  • 58% of surveyed U.S. chemical manufacturers reported order backlogs were about unchanged in the fourth quarter of 2024.[14]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the chemicals and materials sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across North American specialty chemicals, 43% of customer respondents actively drove onshoring projects with suppliers and achieved some success in 2025.[39]
  • Across North American specialty chemicals, 50% of customer respondents actively drove onshoring projects with suppliers but reported no success in 2025.[39]
  • Across 22 EU countries and Norway, 72.8% of enterprises engaged in international sourcing moved business functions to other EU countries during 2021–2023.[40]
  • Across North American specialty chemicals, 100% of customer respondents allocated only 0–25% of company capital expenditure to reshoring projects in 2025.[39]
  • Across North American specialty chemicals, 50% of customer respondents were actively pushing onshoring projects in 2025.[39]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Pricing and input costs remain volatile. The U.S. producer price index for chemical manufacturing was 373.800 in September 2026 and declined 0.2% month over month.

Pricing strategy in the chemical processing industry

  • 5.7% lower prices were reported for BASF Group sales in 2024 on an IFRS basis, while volumes increased 1.9%.[15]
  • 26% of surveyed U.S. chemical manufacturers expected input and raw-material costs to increase over the six months following the first quarter of 2024.[14]
  • 2.9% lower prices were reported for BASF Surface Technologies on an adjusted basis in 2024.[15]
  • 8.5% higher sales were reported for BASF’s Petrochemicals division in 2024, mainly because of higher volumes.[15]
  • 16.9% lower prices were reported for BASF Surface Technologies on an IFRS basis in 2024.[15]

Cost reduction in the chemical processing industry

  • Approximately 1.7% annual cost savings were associated with maintenance measures in the IEA’s U.S. industrial energy-efficiency database, 2002–2024.[41]
  • Approximately 1.8% annual cost savings were associated with operations measures in the IEA’s U.S. industrial energy-efficiency database, 2002–2024.[41]
  • 4% of chemical-company revenue could represent savings from closing SG&A cost gaps, based on PwC benchmarking of more than 20 chemical companies.[42]
  • 26% was the increase in chemical-industry capital-project expenses since 2020 cited by McKinsey.[36]
  • 1% to 2% lower maintenance costs can result from applying advanced analytics to selected petrochemical equipment.[36]

Profitability in the chemical processing industry

  • €1.342 billion was BASF Chemicals segment EBITDA before special items in 2024, up 15.0% from 2023.[15]
  • 12.4% was BASF Chemicals segment EBITDA margin before special items in 2024.[15]
  • €10.838 billion was BASF Chemicals segment sales to third parties in 2024, up 4.5% from 2023.[15]
  • 30.4% was BASF Surface Technologies adjusted EBITDA margin before special items in 2025.[15]
  • 17.9% was the average return on capital for global chemical companies during 2004–2013.[31]

Financial planning in the chemical processing industry

  • €10.4 billion was EU27 chemical-industry research and innovation spending in 2024.[2]
  • 4% was the expected increase in chemical-industry capital expenditures identified in McKinsey’s 2024 analysis.[36]
  • 95% of specialty-batch chemical contract and toll manufacturers surveyed by SOCMA planned 2024 capital-expenditure projects for new products and technologies.[43]
  • 35% was the increase in EU27 chemical-industry capital spending in 2024 versus the 2014–2019 pre-crisis level.[2]
  • 58% was the increase in global chemical-company capital investment between 2014 and 2024.[2]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Waste, circularity, and sustainability metrics are tracked with operational reporting. U.S. chemical-manufacturing-sector waste treatment reached 97% in 2023.

Product development in the chemical processing industry

  • Approximately 10,000 BASF employees worldwide worked in research and development in 2024.[15]
  • BASF generated approximately €11 billion in 2024 sales from products launched during the previous five years.[15]
  • 76.0% of Brazilian chemical-sector companies with 100 or more employees reported product innovation in 2022.[44]
  • 21.7% of U.S. companies in other chemicals reported product innovation during 2018–2020.[13]
  • 28.9% of product innovations by Brazilian chemical companies in 2022 were new to the national market.[44]

Product lifecycle in the chemical processing industry

  • 97% of U.S. chemical-manufacturing-sector waste was treated, recovered for energy, or recycled in 2023.[45]
  • U.S. chemical manufacturing waste managed decreased by more than 1 billion pounds, or 7%, from 2022 to 2023.[45]
  • Chemical manufacturing waste managed in the United States decreased by 416 million pounds, or 3%, from 2014 to 2023.[45]
  • Aggressive recycling scenarios could reduce wasted chemical-sector greenhouse-gas emissions by up to 60%.[46]
  • 3% of U.S. chemical-manufacturing-sector waste was released into the environment in 2023.[45]

Value proposition in the chemical processing industry

  • More than 80% of Clariant’s product portfolio consisted of sustainable products in 2024.[47]
  • U.S. chemical-industry shipments were projected at $672.0 billion in 2024.[14]
  • 94% of WACKER sales came from products meeting defined sustainability criteria in 2024.[48]
  • Nearly 200,000 U.S. chemical-industry jobs depend on exports of chemicals and other manufactured goods.[14]
  • 90% of WACKER sales came from products meeting defined sustainability criteria in the earlier comparison year reported for 2024.[48]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Emissions accounting and waste utilization remain central. BASF reported 17.948 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions in 2024.

Sustainability in the chemical processing industry

  • Nearly 15% of BASF production sites bordered a nature reserve or biodiversity-sensitive area in 2024.[15]
  • 100% of new Stepan suppliers were screened using social and environmental criteria from 2019 through 2023.[49]
  • 2.18 million metric tons of waste were generated by BASF in 2024.[15]
  • 1.09 million metric tons of BASF waste received new uses through recycling or recovery in 2024.[15]
  • 40,000 BASF products were covered by ongoing digital product-carbon-footprint calculations in 2024.[15]

ESG in the chemical processing industry

  • 87% of BASF Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions were Scope 1 emissions in 2024.[15]
  • 21% of BASF 2024 Scope 3 emissions were calculated using primary data.[15]
  • 100% of Stepan operations were subject to human-rights reviews or impact assessments in the disclosed reporting years.[49]
  • Nearly 1,200 ACC member facilities underwent third-party audits under the Responsible Care program by 2024.[14]
  • 13% of BASF Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions were Scope 2 emissions in 2024.[15]

Ethics in the chemical processing industry

  • 100% of new Stepan suppliers were screened using social and environmental criteria in 2023.[49]
  • 100% of Stepan employees received online ethics and compliance training under the company’s disclosed program.[49]
  • 100% of Stepan operations underwent human-rights reviews or impact assessments in each disclosed year from 2019 to 2023.[49]
  • 35 years of Responsible Care implementation were reported by the American Chemistry Council in 2024.[14]

CSR in the chemical processing industry

  • 230 or more community advisory panels were supported by American Chemistry Council members by 2024.[14]
  • 74,000 external companies had contracts generating sales with BASF in 2024.[15]
  • Nearly 1,200 chemical-industry facilities underwent third-party audits under Responsible Care by 2024.[14]
  • 100% of Stepan operations underwent human-rights reviews or impact assessments in the disclosed reporting years.[49]
  • 100% of Stepan’s new suppliers were screened against social and environmental criteria in 2023.[49]

Circular economy in the chemical processing industry

  • 77.8% of BASF waste could not be recycled in 2024.[15]
  • 1.70 million metric tons of BASF waste could not be recycled in 2024.[15]
  • 95% of manufactured products and materials rely on chemical processes, according to WBCSD’s 2024 chemical-industry circularity guidance.[50]
  • 10% of 158 million metric tons of chemicals produced annually in the United States were recycled, according to a 2024 material-flow analysis.[46]
  • 40–100 million metric tons of greenhouse-gas emissions were estimated as wasted annually because of chemical end-of-life losses in the United States.[46]

Carbon footprint in the chemical processing industry

  • 17.948 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents were BASF Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions in 2024.[15]
  • 14% was BASF’s targeted reduction in Scope 1 emissions between 2018 and 2030 under its disclosed climate plan.[15]
  • 5% of global greenhouse-gas emissions were attributed to the chemicals industry in a 2025 scenario study.[51]
  • 92 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents were BASF Scope 3 emissions in 2024.[15]
  • 24 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents came from disposal of BASF products in 2024.[15]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Trade concentration persists. China’s share of EU27 chemical imports increased from about 9% in 2014 to 18% in 2024.

Globalization in the chemical processing industry

  • China’s share of EU27 chemical imports increased from about 9% in 2014 to 18% in 2024.[2]
  • India’s share of global chemical exports rose from 1% in 2000 to 5% in 2023.[57]
  • Global chemical exports were approximately $1.4 trillion–$1.5 trillion in 2023, according to UN Comtrade data summarized by India’s policy agency.[57]
  • 45% of global chemical sales were generated in China in 2024, making it the largest national chemical market.[2]
  • The United States accounted for 11.3% of global chemical-industry sales in 2023, while the GCC accounted for 1.5%.[58]

Supplier management in the chemical processing industry

  • $261,000 was the median spend per supplier for chemicals and biotechnology companies during 2024–2025.[59]
  • 4,000 suppliers per $1 billion of spend were recorded for the median chemicals and biotechnology company in the 2024–2025 period.[59]
  • 70% of chemicals and biotechnology procurement spend was direct spend in the 2024–2025 dataset.[59]
  • 86% of spend was purchase-order covered for the median chemicals and biotechnology company during 2024–2025.[59]
  • $8,100 was the median spend per invoice for chemicals and biotechnology companies during 2024–2025.[59]

Stakeholder management in the chemical processing industry

  • 50% of chemical-sector respondents said audit committees were already involved in CSRD implementation in 2025.[2]
  • 72% of chemical-sector respondents said executive committees were already involved in CSRD implementation in 2025.[2]
  • 88% of chemical-sector respondents said sustainability stakeholders were already involved in CSRD implementation in 2025.[2]
  • 80% of chemical-sector respondents said ESG or sustainability committees were already involved in CSRD implementation in 2025.[2]
  • 81% of chemical-sector respondents said finance stakeholders were already involved in CSRD implementation in 2025.[2]

Key questions about the chemical processing industry

What is the chemical-processing market size?
Global chemical revenue was approximately $5.7 trillion in 2023.
How fast is the market growing around 2024?
Global chemical-industry growth was 3.9% in 2024, according to BASF’s worldwide assessment.
Which companies lead the chemical processing industry?
Air Liquide and Reliance Industries are tied at the top of Gitnux's 2026 chemical processing ranking with an Overall score of 9.2 each.
What technology shifts are showing up in plants?
In 2025, 53% of chemical organizations used AI for real-time process control and optimization, and 49% used it for production planning and scheduling.
How concentrated is the market among major chemical firms?
Top 50 chemical companies recorded $965.8B in chemical sales in 2025, and BASF ranked first with $67.4B.
What regulatory changes affect chemical operations planning?
Under TSCA, December 2024 amendments removed low-volume and low-release exemptions for new PFAS and other persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic chemicals.
Reference

Cite This Report

This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.

APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 11). Chemical Processing Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/chemical-processing-industry-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "Chemical Processing Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 11 Nov 2026, https://gitnux.org/chemical-processing-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Chemical Processing Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/chemical-processing-industry-statistics.

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