India's steel output 165Mt after 10% rise, global down 2%
India just boosted its steel production by 10% in 2025, reaching a massive 165 million tons, even as global steel output actually dropped by 2%.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman called it a large and growing steel economy that is expanding domestic capacity while seeking to move toward higher-value production and pointed out that India's growth stands out at a time when most countries are struggling.
India's steel use more than doubled
Steel use in India has more than doubled over the past decade, reaching 164 million tons in 2025-26.
Still, with per-person consumption at just 109kg (well below the global average of 209kg), there's plenty of room to grow.
Sitharaman flagged some challenges too, like tariffs and Europe's carbon rules, but said ramping up domestic capacity and greener production will help keep India as a large and growing steel economy.