African Importers
Africa imported $3.7 billion worth of aluminum led by the following countries:
1. South Africa: $559.6 million
2. Nigeria: $434.9 million
3. Morocco: $411.2 million
4. Algeria: $382.4 million
5. Egypt: $348.2 million
6. Ethiopia: $199.4 million
7. Kenya: $175.2 million
8. Tunisia: $168.4 million
9. Ghana: $149.2 million
10. Mozambique: $139.3 million
Asian Importers
Asia imported $43.4 billion worth of aluminum led by the following countries:
1. Japan: $6.9 billion
2. China: $5.9 billion
3. Viet Nam: $5.9 billion
4. Korea, Republic of: $5.4 billion
5. India: $3.4 billion
6. Thailand: $3 billion
7. Turkey: $2.9 billion
8. Malaysia: $2.4 billion
9. Taiwan: $1.8 billion
10. Indonesia: $1.4 billion
European Union (EU) Importers
European Union imported $65.9 billion worth of aluminum led by the following EU members:
1. Germany: $16.7 billion
2. Netherlands: $7.3 billion
3. France: $6.3 billion
4. Italy: $5.3 billion
5. United Kingdom: $4.6 billion
6. Poland: $3.6 billion
7. Austria: $3.1 billion
8. Spain: $3 billion
9. Belgium: $2.8 billion
10. Czech Republic: $2.3 billion
Latin American and Caribbean Importers
Latin America (excluding Mexico) and the Caribbean imported $3.9 billion worth of aluminum led by the following countries:
1. Brazil: $1.3 billion
2. Chile: $420.6 million
3. Colombia: $369.5 million
4. Argentina: $268.1 million
5. Guatemala: $179.8 million
6. Peru: $166 million
7. Ecuador: $132.5 million
8. Panama: $127.5 million
9. Dominican Republic: $122.7 million
10. Costa Rica: $116.7
Middle Eastern Importers
Middle East imported $4.7 billion worth of aluminum led by the following countries:
1. Saudi Arabia: $1.3 billion
2. United Arab Emirates: $1.1 billion
3. Israel: $519.4 million
4. Iran: $314 million
5. Iraq: $303.9 million
6. Kuwait: $268.3 million
7. Oman: $205.1 million
8. Lebanon: $176 million
9. Jordan: $168.3 million
10. Bahrain: $129.1 million
North American Importers
North America imported $27.6 billion worth of aluminum led by the following countries:
1. United States: $18.7 billion
2. Mexico: $5.3 billion
3. Canada: $3.6 billion
Oceanian Importers
Oceania imported $1.8 billion worth of aluminum led by the following countries:
1. Australia: $1.4 billion
2. New Zealand: $240 million
3. Papua New Guinea: $42.2 million
4. New Caledonia: $18 million
5. Fiji: $15.2 million
6. French Polynesia: $11.9 million
7. Solomon Islands: $5.5 million
8. Samoa: $3.8 million
9. Vanuatu: $2.7 million
10. Marshall Islands: $2.2 million
Data source: Trade Map, International Trade Centre, www.intracen.org/marketanalysis
To see the 25 fastest-growing aluminum importers from 2013 to 2017, use the slidebar on the accompanying list. Overall, the 5-year percentage gain for globally imported aluminum was 9%.
Research Note: Import numbers rarely match the source exporters’ stats. Reasons for import-export statistical discrepancies includere-exports, time lags, misallocations, distinct trade reporting systems, different quantity measurements and country confidentiality rules. Transportation or insurance costs are sometimes added to import totals.
This list reveals the top 10 aluminum importers based on their percentage of global import purchases (shown within parenthesis). In 2017, world aluminum imports totaled US$176.2 billion.
