Gitnux/Report 2026

Industrial Chemical Industry Statistics

307Statistics
91Sources
12Sections
1Visuals
49mRead
Industrial Chemical Industry Statistics
Samuel NorbergWritten by Samuel Norberg·Fact-checked by Maya Johansson
Published
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

An editor sets the topic, the inclusion criteria, and the evaluation framework before research starts.

02Source Research

AI search agents locate sources and extract each figure together with the document it came from.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 39 days

01 Industry overview

The industrial chemical industry at a glance

The global chemical industry generated €5.03 trillion in sales in 2024, but entered 2026 facing prolonged overcapacity, subdued demand and uneven regional growth.

€5.03T[77]
Global sales, 2024
4.4%[78]
Forecast CAGR, 2025–2030
45%[2]
China share of global sales, 2024
41.7%[57]
Top-10 sales concentration, 2024
Market size
Global chemical sales reached €5.03 trillion in 2024, according to Cefic. C&EN’s 2025 Global Top 50 companies reported combined chemical sales of $1.03 trillion for the same year, covering the largest producers rather than the whole market.[77][57]
Forecast & CAGR
A market outlook cited in a 2025 NSE India filing estimates the global chemicals market at $5.8 trillion in 2025 and $7.2 trillion in 2030, implying a 4.4% CAGR from 2025 to 2030. BASF expects global chemical production excluding pharmaceuticals to recover gradually in 2026, with emerging Asia forecast to grow 2.6%.[78][12]
Market share & regions
China accounted for 45% of global chemical sales in 2024, while Europe’s share fell from 21% in 2009 to 13% in 2024. The shift reflects the continuing expansion of Asian production capacity and investment relative to Europe.[2]
Segmentation
In C&EN’s 2024 breakdown of leading chemical companies, petrochemicals represented $452.3 billion of reported sales, diversified chemicals $355.6 billion, industrial gases $71.6 billion, specialty chemicals $62.0 billion, agrochemicals $38.0 billion and fertilizers $34.6 billion.[57]
Key players & concentration
BASF led the 2024 global company ranking with $70.6 billion in chemical sales, followed by Sinopec at $58.1 billion and Dow at $43.0 billion. The ten largest companies accounted for 41.7% of the selected Global Top 50 sales total.[57]
Pricing
U.S. producer prices for chemicals and allied products reached an index level of 373.796 in September 2026, compared with 347.637 in December 2025. The U.S. industrial-chemicals index was 338.060 in September 2026, showing substantial price movement during 2026.[79]
Trends, drivers & challenges
The industry’s main challenges in 2026 are overcapacity, weak end-market demand, trade uncertainty and high energy costs. Growth opportunities are concentrated in electronics, data centers, advanced materials, low-carbon products and circular-economy technologies; McKinsey reported that chemical companies serving electronics and data centers achieved approximately 48% shareholder-return growth in 2026 through the third quarter.[11][13]
Consumer behavior & competition
Industrial chemicals are primarily sold business-to-business, so demand follows construction, automotive, packaging, electronics, agriculture and consumer-goods manufacturing rather than direct household purchasing. In 2025, the largest producers faced weaker demand and excess capacity, while competition intensified in commodity petrochemicals and shifted toward differentiated specialty products.[57][80]
M&A
Global chemicals M&A deal value rose 21% year over year from $79 billion in 2024 to $95 billion in 2025. Four large transactions accounted for about 40% of 2025 global chemicals M&A value, indicating that consolidation was driven by a small number of portfolio-shaping megadeals.[13][18]
Regulation
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized December 2024 amendments to TSCA new-chemical review rules, requiring new PFAS and other persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic substances to undergo the full statutory review process before manufacture. EPA also finalized a 60-day extension to the PFAS reporting period in April 2026.[81]
Latest news
C&EN’s 2026 Global Top 50, based on 2025 results, recorded $965.8 billion in combined chemical sales, down 5.8% from 2024. The ranking described the downturn as unusually deep and prolonged, with petrochemical overcapacity remaining the central industry problem.[57]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Industrial Chemical Industry

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

Updated November 10, 2026 · Next review December 10, 2026

Verdict

Linde leads Gitnux's 2026 industrial chemical ranking with an Overall score of 9.4, with revenue growth 3% and operating margin 26.3%. Air Liquide is the runner-up at 9.1, with more than 2 million industrial customers worldwide.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in industrial gases

    Linde

    GB

    Ranked #1 · 9.4 · Industrial gases

    Why we picked it: Industrial gases segment, with margin signal of 26.3% alongside 3% revenue growth.

    See in ranking ↓Visit linde.com ↗

  2. Leader in olefins and petrochemicals

    INEOS

    GB

    Ranked #3 · 8.8 · Olefins and petrochemicals

    Why we picked it: Olefins and petrochemicals model across 39 chemical manufacturing sites, tied to EUR 14.3 billion revenue.

    See in ranking ↓Visit ineos.com ↗

  3. Leader in specialty chemicals

    Arkema

    FR

    Ranked #4 · 8.7 · Specialty chemicals

    Why we picked it: Adhesives, advanced materials, and coating chemicals, supported by 154 industrial sites and EUR 9.1 billion sales.

    See in ranking ↓Visit arkema.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 industrial chemical industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Linde

Industrial gases · GB

9.4
2

Air Liquide

Industrial gases · FR

9.1
3

INEOS

Olefins and petrochemicals · GB

8.8
4

Arkema

Specialty chemicals · FR

8.7
5

BASF

Diversified chemicals · DE

8.7
6

LG Chem

Petrochemicals, advanced materials and industrial chemicals · KR

8.5
7

Evonik Industries

Specialty chemicals, additives and industrial intermediates · DE

8.1
8

Air Products

Industrial gases, hydrogen and gas technologies · US

8.1
9

Dow

Polyolefins, performance materials and industrial intermediates · US

8.0
10

Clariant

Specialty chemicals, catalysts and additives · CH

7.6

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.
  • Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.

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 10, 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 10). Top 10 companies in the industrial chemical industry. In Industrial Chemical Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/industrial-chemical-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Comparison

Revenue of the largest industrial chemical companies

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

BASF$64.4B
Dow$40.0B
LG Chem$33.5B
Air Liquide$29.1B
INEOS$15.4B
Evonik Industries$15.2B
source-verifiedreport.basf.com · s23.q4cdn.com · lgchem.com · airliquide.com · ineos.com · evonik.com2025

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

AI adoption is widely reported in European industry, with 68% of ecosystem businesses adopting AI in 2024 and a 10% estimated productivity increase.

AI in the industrial chemical industry

  • 68% of European Industrial Ecosystem businesses reported adopting AI in 2024, with estimated productivity gains of 10%.[1]
  • 82% was the reported expected increase in AI and machine learning’s contribution to sustainable development in the European chemical sector.[2]
  • More than 60% of chemical-industry executives planned to allocate over 20% of their global digital-technology budget to AI and blockchain within 12 months.[2]
  • 34% of European chemical companies currently use AI or machine learning, while 62% plan to use it in the future.[2]
  • 43% of North American chemical-industry executives expected AI investment to be significantly higher within three years than at the time of the survey.[2]
  • 23% of European Industrial Ecosystem businesses said AI had its greatest impact on data analysis in 2024.[1]

Automation in the industrial chemical industry

  • 34% of European chemical companies currently use robotics and automation, while 45% plan to use them in the future.[2]
  • 65% of chemical-subindustry companies viewed digitalisation as an opportunity that would significantly affect their activities.[1]
  • 15% of European Industrial Ecosystem businesses identified automation of production processes as the area where AI had the greatest impact in 2024.[1]
  • 10% was the estimated productivity increase reported by European Industrial Ecosystem businesses adopting AI, supporting automation and other digital applications in 2024.[1]

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.[1]
  • Among ASUG chemicals-industry members, 46% ranked automation among their leading technology focus areas in 2025.[3]
  • Across European chemical subindustries, 65% of companies viewed digitalization as an opportunity that would significantly impact their activities in 2024.[1]
  • Among ASUG chemicals-industry members, 57% identified moving to SAP S/4HANA as a top focus area in 2025.[3]

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

  • Among chemicals organizations surveyed by IBM, 45% had implemented AI for supply-chain optimization in 2025.[4]
  • Among chemicals organizations surveyed by IBM, 49% had implemented AI for quality inspection or defect detection in 2025.[4]
  • Among chemicals organizations surveyed by IBM, 53% had implemented AI for real-time process control and optimization in 2025.[4]
  • Among chemicals organizations surveyed by IBM, 49% had implemented AI for production planning and scheduling in 2025.[4]

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

  • Across chemical-sector companies surveyed by Arthur D. Little and Cefic, 15% planned to migrate to cloud computing in coming years in 2023.[2]
  • 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, 52% reported increased productivity from cloud computing in 2024, while 46% reported no change.[1]
  • Among EII businesses, 2% reported decreased productivity from cloud computing in 2024.[1]

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

  • Among EII businesses, 48% reported increased productivity from big data in 2024.[1]
  • Among EII businesses, 44% reported no productivity change from big data in 2024.[1]
  • Among EII businesses, 6% reported decreased productivity from big data in 2024.[1]
  • Among ASUG chemicals-industry members, 49% cited gaining actionable insights from data and analytics as a current challenge in 2025.[3]

Blockchain in the industrial chemical industry

  • 150% was the reported expected increase in blockchain’s contribution to sustainable development in the European chemical sector.[2]
  • More than 60% of surveyed chemical-industry executives planned to devote over one-fifth of their global digital-technology budget to AI and blockchain within 12 months.[2]
  • More than one-third of surveyed chemical organisations expected annual cost savings above 10% from AI and blockchain technologies.[2]
  • 16% of European chemical companies currently use blockchain, while 40% plan to use it in the future.[2]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Chemical data governance and industrial information infrastructure appear as investment priorities; 90% of supply-management organizations agreed data governance is necessary in 2024.

Business intelligence in the industrial chemical industry

  • 39% of U.S. specialty chemical company professionals used lead-generation software to support strategy and business intelligence, 2021, United States.[5]
  • 47% of chemicals executives identified robust industrial information infrastructure as a priority investment, 2024, North America, Europe, the Middle East and Australia.[6]
  • 94% of chemicals executives said industrial AI solutions were more necessary than ever for competitiveness, 2024, North America, Europe, the Middle East and Australia.[6]
  • 43% of chemicals executives identified platform-enabled data sharing and collaboration as a priority investment, 2024, North America, Europe, the Middle East and Australia.[6]
  • 39% of U.S. specialty chemical company professionals used artificial intelligence or machine learning for strategy and business intelligence, 2021, United States.[5]
  • 63% of chemicals executives expected AI to contribute significantly to revenue growth within three years, 2025, United States, Canada, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Australia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.[4]

Data analytics in the industrial chemical industry

  • 76% of chemicals executives said their organizations used AI to optimize production processes, 2025, global chemicals industry.[4]
  • 27% of chemicals organizations used AI-driven customer service, 2025, global chemicals industry.[4]
  • More than 95% of large chemical companies had introduced an AI-driven strategy, 2023, global chemical industry.[2]
  • 15,000 pieces of equipment were monitored by machine-learning models across Shell’s refining, chemical, upstream and integrated-gas assets, 2023, global Shell operations.[2]
  • 53% of chemicals organizations used AI for real-time process control and optimization, 2025, global chemicals industry.[4]
  • 31% of chemicals organizations used formulation R&D automation, 2025, global chemicals industry.[4]

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

  • 89% of manufacturers said data use improved their decision-making processes in 2026, across the surveyed manufacturing sector.[7]
  • 44% of companies in the manufacturing survey reported AI-project failures caused by poor data quality in 2025, across surveyed manufacturers.[8]
  • 42% of manufacturers had a process to verify manufacturing-data accuracy and quality in 2026, while 51% did not.[7]
  • 67% of supply-management organizations said their data quality was better or significantly better than two years earlier in 2024.[9]
  • 49% of supply-management organizations rated their data quality as good or excellent in 2024, based on an Institute for Supply Management survey.[9]
  • 80% of manufacturers reported a measured value for their operational data in 2026, across the surveyed manufacturing sector.[7]

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

  • 52% of global chemical companies had established performance management or KPIs around digital supply chains in 2022.[10]
  • 90% of supply-management organizations agreed or strongly agreed that data governance was necessary in 2024.[9]
  • 61% of supply-management organizations had a dedicated data-governance function in 2024, based on a survey of more than 121 respondents.[9]
  • 46% of GCC chemical companies had established common data standards with collaboration partners in 2022.[10]
  • 67% of GCC chemical companies had established performance management or KPIs around digital supply chains in 2022.[10]
  • 28% of manufacturers had a data-governance leader in 2026, across the Manufacturing Leadership Council survey.[7]

KPIs in the industrial chemical industry

  • 94% of chemical-industry leaders said AI would be critical to organizational success over the following five years, 2023, global chemical industry.[11]
  • 95% was the projected share of chemicals organizations using formulation R&D automation by 2028, 2028 forecast, global chemicals industry.[4]
  • 24% was the reported decrease in plant downtime from AI use by chemicals companies, 2025, global chemicals industry.[4]
  • 98% was the projected share of chemicals organizations using predictive maintenance by 2028, 2028 forecast, global chemicals industry.[4]
  • 58% of chemicals executives said emerging technologies lacked sufficiently developed industry approaches for decarbonization, 2024, North America, Europe, the Middle East and Australia.[6]
  • 0.1% was the projected decline in chemical-industry information-technology spending in 2023, global chemical industry.[11]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Regional output diverges in 2025 expectations, with China chemical production growth estimated at 7.0% and EU chemical production declining by 2.1%.

Growth in the industrial chemical industry

  • 1.2% was chemical production growth in South America in 2025.[12]
  • 7.0% was chemical production growth in China in 2025, according to BASF’s estimate based on official Chinese statistics.[12]
  • 0.8% was the decline in Japanese chemical production in 2025.[12]
  • 14% was the chemicals industry’s return on invested capital in 2021, up from 8% in 2003, according to McKinsey.[13]
  • 1.0% was approximate chemical production growth in the Middle East in 2025.[12]
  • 2.1% was the decline in European Union chemical production in 2025.[12]

Differentiation in the industrial chemical industry

  • €2.1 billion was Evonik’s specialty-chemicals EBITDA in 2024.[14]
  • 24% of Evonik’s 2024 sales came from specialty additives.[15]
  • €1.0 billion was Evonik’s Advanced Technologies EBITDA in 2024.[15]
  • 29% of Evonik’s 2024 sales came from smart materials.[15]
  • 85% more chemistry by value is required by electric vehicles than by internal-combustion vehicles, according to Deloitte’s chemical-industry outlook.[11]
  • 22% of Evonik’s 2024 sales came from technology and infrastructure.[15]

Mergers and acquisitions in the industrial chemical industry

  • 434 chemical-industry transactions were recorded globally in 2024, according to Deloitte’s Chemicals Insights report.[11]
  • 5% was the decline in chemical-industry M&A activity in 2024, according to Deloitte.[11]
  • $118 billion was the announced value of chemical-industry deals in 2025 in Natrium Capital’s dataset.[16]
  • 763 chemical-industry deals were announced in 2024 in Natrium Capital’s dataset.[16]
  • $6.2 billion was the value of Sika’s acquisition of MBCC Group in 2023, expanding Sika’s construction-chemicals position.[17]
  • 4% was the decline in global chemicals M&A deal value from 2022 to 2023, according to Kearney.[18]

Strategic partnerships in the industrial chemical industry

  • 1 pilot facility was planned under the Adani–Dioxycle partnership to produce formic acid from captured carbon dioxide and renewable electricity.[19]
  • 50% was UPL’s ownership in its 2024 specialty-chemicals joint venture with Aarti Industries in India.[20]
  • 1 multi-year collaboration agreement was signed by Toyobo and DMC Biotechnologies in 2025 to develop a fermentation-produced chemical intermediate.[21]
  • 1 long-term partnership was announced by Adani Enterprises and Dioxycle in 2026 for low-carbon chemical manufacturing in India.[19]
  • 1 global distribution partnership was announced by Ashland and WACKER in 2025 for cyclodextrins used as pharmaceutical excipients.[22]
  • 50% was Aarti Industries’ ownership in its 2024 specialty-chemicals joint venture with UPL in India.[20]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Work patterns remain mixed in 2026. U.S. hybrid employees spent an average of 46% of their workweek on-site in 2026.

Hiring in the industrial chemical industry

  • 1,056 employees were hired by BASF in South America, Africa and the Middle East in 2022.[12]
  • 9,168 employees were hired by BASF worldwide in 2023.[12]
  • 2,606 employees were hired by BASF in Asia Pacific in 2022.[12]
  • 2,606 hires were projected for chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing employers in the United States in 2024.[23]
  • 1,783 employees were hired by BASF in Asia Pacific in 2023.[12]

Employee retention in the industrial chemical industry

  • 1,127 Covestro employees left the company worldwide in 2024.[24]
  • 1.4% was BASF’s early turnover rate worldwide in 2023 for employees leaving during their first three years.[12]
  • 1.9% was BASF’s early turnover rate in Asia Pacific in 2023.[12]
  • 7.2% of BASF employees left the company globally in 2024.[12]
  • 7,996 BASF employees left the company in 2024.[12]

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

  • Across U.S. chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing employers, 5.7% of positions were fully remote in 2024.[23]
  • Among U.S. energy, natural-resources and chemicals workers, 25% preferred mostly remote work in 2025.[25]
  • Across U.S. remote-capable employees, 25% worked exclusively remotely in August 2026.[26]
  • Among U.S. energy, natural-resources and chemicals workers, 8% preferred fully remote work in 2025.[25]

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

  • U.S. hybrid employees spent an average of 46% of their workweek on-site in 2026.[26]
  • Across U.S. hybrid employees, 48% said their team had not discussed a formal or informal collaboration plan in 2026.[26]
  • Across U.S. remote-capable employees, 61% preferred a hybrid work arrangement in November 2025.[26]
  • Across U.S. chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing employers, 44.5% of positions were fully hybrid in 2024.[23]
  • Across U.S. remote-capable employees, 54% worked in a hybrid arrangement in August 2026.[26]

Upskilling in the industrial chemical industry

  • 65 million euros were spent by Evonik on vocational training in 2024.[15]
  • 1.7 hours was Evonik’s average digital learning time per employee in 2024.[15]
  • 98% of AkzoNobel female employees participated in a regular performance review in 2024.[27]
  • 534,000 U.S. energy and chemicals employees are expected to need reskilling over the next decade.[28]
  • 13 average training hours were provided to LyondellBasell administrative employees in 2024.[29]

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

  • Across employees in the United States, 32% were engaged at work in 2025.[26]
  • Across employees worldwide, 20% were engaged at work in 2025.[26]
  • Among global managers, 22% were engaged at work in 2025, compared with 19% of non-managers.[26]
  • Across employees in the United States and Canada, 31% were engaged at work in 2025.[26]
  • Across best-practice organizations recognized by Gallup, 70% of employees were engaged in 2025.[26]

DEI in the industrial chemical industry

  • 35.3% of AkzoNobel key talent were women in 2024.[27]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

B2B buyer requirements include traceability and documents access; 64% of chemical-industry buyers considered track-and-trace relevant, and 68% wanted digital document downloads.

Customer experience in the industrial chemical industry

  • 95% was PTT Global Chemical’s customer-satisfaction target for 2025, while its reported 2024 customer-satisfaction score was 94%.[30]
  • 78% of 103 PVC-product respondents were totally satisfied in Chemplast Sanmar’s FY2023–24 customer survey.[31]
  • 5.30 customer complaints per 1,000 deliveries were recorded by Covestro in fiscal 2023.[32]
  • 7.8–8.3 out of 10 was Clariant’s customer satisfaction range in 2024, with technical support and products and packaging each scoring 8.3 globally.[33]
  • 79% of 67 caustic-soda respondents were totally satisfied in Chemplast Sanmar’s FY2023–24 customer survey.[31]

Customer retention in the industrial chemical industry

  • 86% of Clariant respondents said the company had an excellent customer-oriented approach in 2023.[34]
  • 83% of Clariant customers said in 2024 that they intended to intensify their business relationship with the company.[33]
  • 90% of Clariant respondents planned to intensify their business relationship with the company in 2023.[34]
  • 95% was PTT Global Chemical’s long-term target for its customer-satisfaction score, a metric linked by the company to retaining key customers.[30]

Customer acquisition in the industrial chemical industry

  • 59% of chemical-industry buyers considered stock transparency a relevant digital feature when buying chemicals.[13]
  • 80% of buyers found speaking with someone in person helpful when purchasing a completely new chemical product or service.[13]
  • 68% of chemical-industry buyers wanted digital access to download documents, according to McKinsey’s B2B buyer research.[13]
  • 64% of chemical-industry buyers considered track-and-trace a relevant digital feature when buying chemicals.[13]
  • 55% of chemical-industry buyers considered one-click ordering a relevant digital feature when buying chemicals.[13]

Customer loyalty in the industrial chemical industry

  • NPS of 62 was reported by Algol Chemicals in its latest customer satisfaction survey, compared with 69 in the previous survey.[35]
  • NPS of 60.5 was reported by Sipchem for its eight largest products in 2023.[36]
  • NPS of 42 was recorded by Covestro for fiscal 2023, measured among customers with an active relationship or interaction during the prior 12 months.[32]
  • NPS of 71 was reported by Novozymes in its 2023 customer satisfaction survey, up from 69 in 2022.[37]
  • 72.1% was NOVA Chemicals’ customer Net Promoter Score in an independent survey of more than 100 plastics-industry customers.[38]

Lead generation in the industrial chemical industry

  • 32% of chemical manufacturing marketers surveyed in August 2026 identified account-based marketing as their best-performing lead source.[39]
  • 18% of chemical manufacturers and 53% of chemical distributors were making digital investments in end-to-end customer tracking and cross-departmental data sharing.[40]
  • 2.0% was the reported conversion rate for the chemical and process industry in a 2026 DACH industrial-sector benchmark study.[41]
  • 12 times as many meetings were attended monthly by high-impact product experts as by lower-impact product experts in a specialty-chemical company’s sales analysis.[13]
  • 42.3% was the sales-qualified-lead rate reported for specialized professional forums and communities in the 2026 DACH industrial-sector benchmark study.[41]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Channel and proof points shift toward account-based marketing, with 32% of U.S. chemical manufacturing marketers citing it as generating the most qualified leads in 2026.

Marketing in the industrial chemical industry

  • 32% of U.S. chemical manufacturing marketers said account-based marketing generated the most qualified leads in 2026.[39]
  • 13% of U.S. chemical marketing leaders identified lead quality as their biggest marketing challenge in 2026.[39]
  • 36% of U.S. chemical marketing leaders cited cost inflation as a top-three external factor affecting their companies in 2027.[39]
  • 61% of U.S. chemical marketing leaders expected buyers to demand stronger return-on-investment proof in 2027.[39]
  • 14% of U.S. chemical marketing leaders identified sales-and-marketing alignment as their biggest challenge in 2026.[39]

Digital marketing in the industrial chemical industry

  • Chemical companies could reduce cost to serve by 15% to 50% through e-commerce, digitized processes and data-driven sales-force allocation.[13]
  • 18% of U.S. chemical manufacturing marketers said organic search engine optimization generated the most qualified leads in 2026.[39]
  • 8% of U.S. chemical manufacturing marketers said trade shows and events generated the most qualified leads in 2026.[39]
  • 34% of U.S. chemical manufacturing marketers planned to allocate their largest marketing investment share to AI search or generative-engine optimization in 2027.[39]
  • 30% of U.S. chemical marketing leaders planned to outsource search engine optimization to agencies in 2027.[39]

Branding in the industrial chemical industry

  • $83.3 billion was the collective brand value of the global chemicals sector in 2026.[42]
  • 85 out of 100 was Dow's Brand Strength Index score in 2026, earning an AAA rating.[42]
  • $2.5 billion was LG Chem's brand value in 2026, after a 7% increase from the prior year.[42]
  • $603 million was OCP Group's brand value in 2026, when it entered the global chemicals ranking in 50th place.[42]
  • $3.9 billion was Linde's industrial-gases brand value in 2026, making it the segment's most valuable brand.[42]

Social media in the industrial chemical industry

  • 1% of @mentions directed at chemical brands received a response in the 2015–2016 Brandwatch analysis.[43]
  • 24% of U.S. chemical marketing leaders planned to outsource paid social to agencies in 2027.[39]
  • 3% of U.S. chemical manufacturing marketers planned to allocate their largest marketing investment share to paid social in 2027.[39]
  • 7% of U.S. chemical manufacturing marketers said paid social generated the most qualified leads in 2026.[39]
  • 201 countries generated online mentions recorded for leading chemical brands in the 2015–2016 Brandwatch analysis.[43]

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

  • Across B2B companies, 55% of marketers used creators in 2025, based on a March 2025 Ipsos survey of 1,500 marketing professionals.[44]
  • 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.[45]
  • Across B2B companies, 29% of marketers planned to adopt influencer marketing within the following year in a March 2025 Ipsos survey.[44]
  • In U.S. manufacturing, 19% of marketers used influencer marketing among paid channels in the prior 12 months, according to a 2025 industry benchmark.[46]
  • Across B2B companies, 43% of marketers reported outstanding results from influencer programs in the 2025 B2B Influencer Marketing Report.[47]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Capacity pressure shows in utilization and announced closures; EU27 capacity-utilisation was 75% in Q2 2026, and 9% of capacity was from cumulative announced plant closures.

Process optimization in the industrial chemical industry

  • 550 measures implemented by BASF in 2025 reduced energy and resource consumption across its global operations.[12]
  • 3.2 times higher European ethylene-production costs than in the United States were reported for 2023.[2]
  • 8.0 points was the increase in recent production reported by the EU27 chemical industry in the first half of 2026 versus 2025.[2]
  • 75% was the EU27 chemical-industry capacity-utilisation rate in the second quarter of 2026.[2]
  • 9% of European chemical production capacity was represented by cumulative announced plant closures from 2022 through 2025 year-to-date.[2]

Operational efficiency in the industrial chemical industry

  • €101 billion was France’s chemical-industry turnover in 2025, including active pharmaceutical ingredients.[2]
  • 13% was Europe’s share of global chemical sales in 2024, down from 21% in 2009.[2]
  • €10.2 billion was invested in research and innovation by the European chemical industry in 2023.[2]
  • 48,000 people worked in more than 400 Dutch chemical companies in 2024.[2]
  • €655 billion was the turnover of the European chemical industry in 2023, supported by more than 1.2 million workers.[2]

Quality management in the industrial chemical industry

  • 31.43% of surveyed Moroccan chemical and para-chemical companies identified quality-maintenance cost as a cost-of-quality concept.[48]
  • 82% of surveyed Moroccan chemical and para-chemical companies reported implementing a quality-management system in 2025.[49]
  • 14.86% of surveyed Moroccan chemical and para-chemical companies identified lost profit from nonconformity as a cost-of-quality concept.[48]
  • 76% of surveyed Moroccan chemical and para-chemical companies reported ISO 9001 certification in 2025.[49]
  • 6.1% of US ISO 9001 sector entries were in chemicals, chemical products and fibers in 2025.[50]

Supply chain in the industrial chemical industry

  • 73% of investigated Evonik supply-chain volumes were traceable to plantations in 2025.[15]
  • Approximately 1,000 mills represented 90% of Evonik’s traceable supply-chain volume in 2025.[15]
  • 89% of investigated Evonik supply-chain volumes were traceable to refineries in 2025.[15]
  • 750-plus production facilities were operated by Air Products in fiscal 2025.[51]
  • 250,000 customers were served by Air Products across approximately 50 countries in fiscal 2025.[51]

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

  • Across North American specialty chemicals, 100% of customer respondents allocated only 0–25% of company capital expenditure to reshoring projects in 2025.[52]
  • Across North American specialty chemicals, 50% of customer respondents actively drove onshoring projects with suppliers but reported no success in 2025.[52]
  • Across North American specialty chemicals, 43% of customer respondents actively drove onshoring projects with suppliers and achieved some success in 2025.[52]
  • Across North American specialty chemicals, 50% of customer respondents were actively pushing onshoring projects in 2025.[52]
  • Across 22 EU countries and Norway, 72.8% of enterprises engaged in international sourcing moved business functions to other EU countries during 2021–2023.[53]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Factory utilization remains near a range tied to pricing pressure, with bulk chemicals cited at 70% to 80% utilization versus near 90% historically.

Pricing strategy in the industrial chemical industry

  • 70% to 80% was the global factory-utilization range for bulk chemicals cited for recent years, creating pricing pressure below historical utilization near 90%.[17]
  • 1% to 1.5% per year was the excess growth of global bulk-chemical capacity over demand since 2015, according to BCG.[17]
  • 1.0% was Clariant’s 2025 pricing increase in Adsorbents & Additives, while volumes declined 1%.[33]
  • 1.0% was DuPont’s 2024 consolidated price decline, partly offsetting a 3% volume increase.[54]
  • 2.0% was DuPont’s 2024 price decline in Electronics & Industrial, while segment volume increased 8%.[54]

Cost reduction in the industrial chemical industry

  • 168 million Swiss francs was Clariant’s cumulative savings achieved by the end of 2024 against a CHF 175 million target.[33]
  • 300 million to 500 million dollars is Dow’s planned reduction in capital expenditures as part of its margin-improvement actions.[55]
  • 100 million euros was Arkema’s reinforced 2025 fixed- and variable-cost-saving target.[56]
  • 1.0 billion dollars is Dow’s planned cost reduction, announced to improve margins amid weak chemical demand.[55]
  • 96% was Clariant’s completion rate against its CHF 175 million savings target by the end of 2024.[33]

Profitability in the industrial chemical industry

  • 1.342 billion euros was BASF Chemicals’ 2024 EBITDA before special items, 15.0% above 2023.[12]
  • 1.532 billion euros was Arkema’s 2024 EBITDA, slightly above 2023.[56]
  • 16.0% was Clariant’s 2024 EBITDA margin before exceptional items, compared with 14.6% in 2023.[33]
  • 17.4% was ExxonMobil’s 2024 chemical operating-profit margin on chemical sales of $41.149 billion.[57]
  • 17.8% was Clariant’s 2025 EBITDA margin before exceptional items, 180 basis points above 2024.[33]

Financial planning in the industrial chemical industry

  • 1.8 billion dollars was LyondellBasell’s 2024 capital expenditure, funded from operating cash flow.[29]
  • 80% was BASF’s estimate of chemical-industry growth expected to be concentrated in Asia-Pacific by 2035.[12]
  • 150 million to 175 million Swiss francs is Clariant’s targeted 2026 capital-expenditure range.[33]
  • 3.403 billion euros was BASF Chemicals’ 2024 investment including acquisitions, up 25.8% from 2023.[12]
  • 1.9 billion dollars was LyondellBasell’s 2024 shareholder return through dividends and share repurchases.[29]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Innovation activity is measured in patents and R&D outlay; for example, Clariant held more than 2,600 patents at the end of 2024.

Product development in the industrial chemical industry

  • Approximately 9,000 BASF employees worked in research and development worldwide in 2025.[58]
  • €126 million was Clariant’s research and development investment in 2024.[33]
  • More than 2,600 patents were held by Clariant at the end of 2024.[33]
  • More than 690 Clariant employees worked in research and development in 2024.[33]
  • €144 million was BASF Industrial Solutions’ research and development expense in 2024.[12]

Product lifecycle in the industrial chemical industry

  • 6,975 tonnes, or 0.1% of Covestro’s product inputs, consisted of secondary reused or recycled materials in 2024.[24]
  • 2.00 cubic metres per tonne of production was Clariant’s water-intake intensity in 2024.[33]
  • 657 kilowatt-hours per tonne of production was Clariant’s energy-consumption intensity in 2024.[33]
  • 0.49 million metric tonnes was Clariant’s market-based Scope 1 and 2 emissions in 2024.[33]
  • 15.0% of Covestro’s total product resource outflows were theoretically mechanically recyclable in 2024.[24]

After-sales in the industrial chemical industry

  • 11 hours was the average training completed per Clariant participant in 2024.[33]
  • 119 countries were served by INOVYN’s customer base in 2024.[59]
  • No INOVYN customer represented more than 5% of total sales volume by tonnage in 2024.[59]
  • 50 different PVC grades were offered by INOVYN to its customers in 2024.[59]
  • 23% of INOVYN’s revenue came collectively from its 10 largest customers in 2024.[59]

Value proposition in the industrial chemical industry

  • 44.6% of BASF Industrial Solutions’ 2024 sales came from Performance Chemicals.[58]
  • 3% of sales was Clariant’s research and development investment in 2025.[33]
  • 18.8% was Clariant’s innovation sales rate in 2025.[33]
  • 29.1% of BASF Industrial Solutions’ 2024 sales came from Asia Pacific.[58]
  • 55.4% of BASF Industrial Solutions’ 2024 sales came from Dispersions & Resins.[58]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Decarbonization and reporting expand selectively; BASF reported 87% of 2024 Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse-gas emissions as Scope 1.

Sustainability in the industrial chemical industry

  • 80% of chemical production and 60% of chemical-industry personnel in Finland were represented by Responsible Care companies in 2024.[60]
  • 48% of Evonik’s 2025 sales came from Next Generation Solutions with sustainability performance above or well above the market reference level globally.[15]
  • 2050 is Evonik’s target year for climate neutrality across Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions globally.[15]
  • 26% of the chemical industry survey focus group’s total workforce were women in 2025, including 45% of white-collar and 21% of blue-collar employees globally.[61]
  • 91% of Evonik’s 2025 sales came from products and solutions whose sustainability performance was at least in line with the market reference level globally.[15]

ESG in the industrial chemical industry

  • 22% of Chevron Phillips Chemical employees were women in 2024 globally.[62]
  • 24% of Chevron Phillips Chemical senior leadership were women in 2024 globally.[62]
  • 87% of BASF’s 2024 Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse-gas emissions were Scope 1 emissions globally.[12]
  • 6% of Chevron Phillips Chemical U.S. senior leadership identified as Black or African American in 2024.[62]
  • 13% of BASF’s 2024 Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse-gas emissions were Scope 2 emissions globally.[12]

Ethics in the industrial chemical industry

  • 100% of Albemarle governance-body members received communication on anti-corruption policies and procedures in 2024.[63]
  • 51% of Enhesa survey respondents said their chemical company was at risk of not staying up to date with regulations globally.[64]
  • 71% of Enhesa survey respondents said suppliers did not consistently respond to chemical-information requests globally.[64]
  • 48% of Enhesa survey respondents said their chemical company was at risk of not meeting regulatory requirements globally.[64]
  • 7,400 Albemarle employees completed Code of Conduct training in 2024 globally.[63]

CSR in the industrial chemical industry

  • 230+ community advisory panels included ACC member chemical companies in the United States by 2024.[65]
  • 22% was the reduction in Tier 1 process-safety events among ACC Responsible Care members compared with their 2017 baseline in the United States.[65]
  • 26% was the reduction in distribution incidents reported by ACC Responsible Care companies from 2017 to 2025 in the United States.[65]
  • 35 years is the duration for which Responsible Care had been implemented in the United States by 2024.[65]
  • 90% of ACC Responsible Care members’ Tier 1 process-safety events were low severity in the latest reported period.[65]

Circular economy in the industrial chemical industry

  • 1.2% was the growth rate of Europe’s circular plastics production in 2024.[66]
  • 60% is the maximum modeled reduction in wasted greenhouse-gas emissions from aggressive recycling scenarios for the studied U.S. chemical flows.[49]
  • 10% of the 158 million metric tons of chemicals produced annually in the United States were recycled in the study’s modeled chemical flows.[49]
  • 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.[49]
  • 52 million metric tons of BASF’s 2024 value-chain emissions came from purchased raw materials and technical goods and services globally.[12]

Carbon footprint in the industrial chemical industry

  • 2.20 million metric tons of CO₂ were emitted by Evonik’s 23 EU ETS 1 facilities in 2024.[67]
  • 5.06 million metric tons of CO₂ equivalent were Evonik’s gross Scope 1 and market-related Scope 2 emissions in 2024 globally.[15]
  • 20% was the decrease in Evonik’s Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions between 2021 and 2024 globally.[67]
  • 13,602 metric tons of non-methane volatile organic compounds were emitted by INEOS facilities in 2024 globally.[59]
  • 0.20 metric tons of CO₂ per megawatt-hour was BASF’s 2024 market-based carbon footprint for purchased electricity globally.[12]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

China output growth remains elevated, at 9.1% in 2024, while Europe’s share of global chemical sales fell from 21% in 2009 to 13% in 2024.

Globalization in the industrial chemical industry

  • 9.1% was China’s chemical-production growth in 2024, the highest rate among the major economies listed by Cefic.[2]
  • 3.1% was Brazil’s chemical-production growth in 2024 after a 6.0% decline in 2023.[2]
  • 2.0% was South Korea’s chemical-production growth in 2024 after a 9.3% decline in 2023.[2]
  • €560 billion was the value of EU chemical exports outside the EU in 2024, up from €303 billion in 2014.[53]
  • 90% of BASF sales in Europe and North America came from products manufactured in the respective region in 2024.[58]

Supplier management in the industrial chemical industry

  • 118 raw-material supplier sites were audited against sustainability standards on BASF’s behalf in 2024.[37]
  • €500 billion was the estimated global chemical-industry procurement spend represented by Together for Sustainability members at the end of 2024.[37]
  • Around 33,000 suppliers provided goods and services to Evonik in 2024.[74]
  • 52% of BASF’s Scope 3 emissions came from purchased goods and services in the 2024 business year.[58]
  • 54 chemical companies belonged to Together for Sustainability by the end of 2024.[37]

Stakeholder management in the industrial chemical industry

  • Less than 10% of BASF’s 2024 sales revenue came from construction customers.[12]
  • More than 70% of BASF’s 2024 sales revenue came from chemicals and plastics, transportation and automotive, agriculture, and consumer goods customers combined.[12]
  • 10%–20% of BASF’s 2024 sales revenue came from transportation and automotive customers.[12]
  • 10%–20% of BASF’s 2024 sales revenue came from agriculture customers.[12]
  • Less than 10% of BASF’s 2024 sales revenue came from energy and raw-materials customers.[12]

Distribution channels in the industrial chemical industry

  • More than 20,000 products were offered through Brenntag’s chemical-distribution business in 2024.[75]
  • €1.198 billion was Brenntag’s external sales in Germany in 2024.[75]
  • 2,800-plus specialty-chemical and food-ingredient principals granted Azelis one or more distribution mandates.[76]
  • More than 40 geographies were served by Azelis across specialty chemicals and food ingredients markets.[76]
  • 5% was Brenntag’s approximate sales-based share of the global chemical-and-ingredients distribution market in 2024.[75]

Key questions about the industrial chemical industry

What is the current scale of the global chemical industry?
Global chemical industry sales reached €5.03 trillion in 2024, according to Cefic.
How fast is the market expected to grow after 2025?
A cited outlook estimates $5.8 trillion in 2025 and $7.2 trillion in 2030, implying a 4.4% CAGR from 2025 to 2030.
Which companies lead the industrial chemical industry?
Linde leads Gitnux's 2026 industrial chemical ranking with an Overall score of 9.4, with revenue growth 3% and operating margin 26.3%. Air Liquide is the runner-up at 9.1, with more than 2 million industrial customers worldwide.
Where are technology investments shifting within chemical operations?
Organizations report AI use for real-time process control (53% in 2025) and formulation R&D automation (31% in 2025). Robotics and automation are also planned by 45% of European chemical companies.
What does market concentration imply about the industry structure?
Top-10 sales concentration was 41.7% in 2024, while the C&EN Global Top 50 recorded $965.8 billion combined chemical sales based on 2025 results.
What compliance change is most likely to affect chemical data and reporting in the U.S.?
The U.S. EPA finalized December 2024 TSCA new-chemical review amendments for PFAS, requiring full statutory review before manufacture, and finalized a 60-day extension to the PFAS reporting period in April 2026.
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 10). Industrial Chemical Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/industrial-chemical-industry-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "Industrial Chemical Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 10 Nov 2026, https://gitnux.org/industrial-chemical-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Industrial Chemical Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/industrial-chemical-industry-statistics.

Sources & references

91 sources cited across this report

  1. monitor-industrial-ecosystems.ec.europa.eu
  2. cefic.org
  3. s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com
  4. ibm.com
  5. lek.com
  6. assets.swoogo.com
  7. manufacturingleadershipcouncil.com
  8. dnb.com
  9. utah.ismworld.org
  10. gpca.org.ae
  11. deloitte.com
  12. report.basf.com
  13. mckinsey.com
  14. central-south-america.evonik.com
  15. evonik.com
  16. natriumcapital.com
  17. bcg.com
  18. kearney.com
  19. adanienterprises.com
  20. aarti-industries.com
  21. capricorn.be
  22. investor.ashland.com
  23. naceweb.org
  24. annualreport.covestro.com
  25. kpmg.com
  26. gallup.com
  27. akzonobel.com
  28. prnewswire.com
  29. lyondellbasell.com
  30. sustainability.pttgcgroup.com
  31. scribd.com
  32. report.covestro.com
  33. clariant.com
  34. clariant.cn
  35. algolchemicals.com
  36. fliphtml5.com
  37. financialfilings.com
  38. novachem.com
  39. altitudemarketing.com
  40. digitalcontent.alexandergroup.com
  41. brixongroup.com
  42. brandfinance.com
  43. brandwatch.com
  44. business.linkedin.com
  45. marketingprofs.com
  46. contentmarketinginstitute.com
  47. toprankmarketing.com
  48. reference-global.com
  49. doi.org
  50. glocalinsight.com
  51. investors.airproducts.com
  52. 5418442.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net
  53. ec.europa.eu
  54. investors.dupont.com
  55. corporate.dow.com
  56. arkema.com
  57. cen.acs.org
  58. basf.com
  59. ineos.com
  60. kemianteollisuus.fi
  61. epca.eu
  62. sustainability-report.cpchem.com
  63. albemarle.com
  64. 2741685.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net
  65. americanchemistry.com
  66. spglobal.com
  67. elements.evonik.com
  68. echa.europa.eu
  69. enhesa.com
  70. ismg-cdn.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com
  71. trustarc.com
  72. chemtrec.com
  73. dupont.com
  74. csrd.bwdstrategic.com
  75. brenntagprod-media.e-spirit.cloud
  76. azelis.com
  77. catalisti.be
  78. nsearchives.nseindia.com
  79. fred.stlouisfed.org
  80. icis.com
  81. epa.gov
  82. airliquide.com
  83. lgchem.com
  84. s23.q4cdn.com
  85. atradius.de
  86. maalot.co.il
  87. oliverwyman.com
  88. climate.ec.europa.eu
  89. arxiv.org
  90. iea.org
  91. single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu