The global polymer market has witnessed a remarkable demand in 2019 and is projected to achieve an impressive CAGR of 5.45% during the forecast period. Augmenting demand for material with high tensile strength, resilience, and thermal expansion in end-use industries like construction, packaging, electronics, and automobile has strongly contributed towards the growth of global polymer market in the last 5 years.
Polymer compounds have been segmented into three types-thermosets, elastomers, and thermoplastics. Owing it its ideal remolding and reshaping capabilities, thermoplastics encompass majority of the consumption share in the global market. In 2019, the construction industry held the maximum consumption share of polymers across the globe, backed by increasing number of residential, commercial, and smart-building projects. Future of global polymer market appears promising as its consumption from the food packaging industry has been escalated after the onset of coronavirus in 2020.
In line with the foresight outlook, several new manufacturers emerged in the global market to secure appreciable revenue amidst its substantial demand. Amidst the fast-paced growth of plastic products, a few renowned companies have announced expansion of their existing polymer capacities in the upcoming 5 years. Since crude-based polymers still pose a threat to environment, several organizations have come up to produce bio based and eco-friendly polymer materials having identical properties. Furthermore, manufacturers are also upgrading their technologies to enhance the yield, quality and affordability of polymer materials. As of 2019, some of the leading manufacturers operating in global polymer market include Shell Chemicals, Dow, Formosa Plastics, Westlake, Sasol, Total S.A., Reliance Industries Limited, Covestro AG and others. Contrary to other sectors, polymer compounds are likely to witness a steep growth in the coming years, thus providing vivid opportunities for new players to emerge in the market.

Majority of the consumption of Polymers has been adhered by Asia Pacific region owing to consistent increment in its downstream capacities by developing countries like India and Japan. In addition, rapid expansion of electrical and electronic sector is also driving the demand for polymer plastics in the Asia-Pacific region. Continuous increment in production capacities of Polymers is aided by the prohibition and stringent measures on new capacity additions in the western region, which has compelled several companies to establish their production base in the Asia Pacific region.
Years Considered for this Report:
Historical Years: 2015 – 2018
Base Year: 2019
Estimated Year: 2020
Forecast Period: 2021 – 2025
Objective of the Study:

  • The primary objective of the study was to evaluate and forecast Polymer capacity, production, demand, inventory, and demand–supply gap globally.
  • To categorize Polymer demand based on product type, application, region and distribution channel.
  • To identify major customers of Polymer globally.
  • To evaluate and forecast Polymer pricing globally.
  • To identify and profile major companies operating globally Polymer market.
  • To identify major news, deals and expansion plans globally Polymer market.



Some of the major players operating global polymer market are LyondellBasell Industries N.V., Shin-Etsu Chemical Corporation Limited, Nan Ya Plastics Corporation, SABIC, Covestro A.G., Total S.A., Borealis AG, Braskem, Formosa Plastics Corporation, Reliance Industries Limited, Dow Incorporation, Indian Oil Corporation Limited, PTTGC and others. Increasing investments in the downstream electrical and electronics sector followed by packaging sector would further augment the growth of the market in the foreseeable future.

Polymer prices are highly susceptible to the volatility of upstream crude oil. The vivid fall in crude prices during H1 2020 was appreciably counterbalanced by the demand for polymers from plastic packaging and healthcare industry amidst the peak of Coronavirus pandemic. Cheaper feedstock prices in contrast to the rich demand outlook of downstream plastics in various end use industries has made Polystyrene CFR China price to settle between USD XX/MT to USD XX/MT. Similarly, Polystyrene prices in Europe and the America have followed similar trajectory and witnessed appreciable gains in 2020.
To extract data for Global Polymer market, primary research surveys were conducted with Polymer manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, wholesalers and end users. While interviewing, the respondents were also inquired about their competitors. Through this technique, ChemAnalyst was able to include manufacturers that could not be identified due to the limitations of secondary research. Moreover, ChemAnalyst analyzed various end user segments and projected a positive outlook for Global Polymer market over the coming years.
ChemAnalyst calculated polymer demand globally by analyzing the historical data and demand forecast which was carried out considering imported crude prices which is an upstream for polymer product. ChemAnalyst sourced these values from industry experts and company representatives and externally validated through analyzing historical sales data of respective manufacturers to arrive at the overall market size. Various secondary sources such as company websites, association reports, annual reports, etc., were also studied by ChemAnalyst.
Key Target Audience

  • Polymer manufacturers and other stakeholders
  • Organizations, forums and alliances related to Polymer distribution
  • Government bodies such as regulating authorities and policy makers
  • Market research organizations and consulting companies


The study is useful in providing answers to several critical questions that are important for industry stakeholders, such as Polymer manufacturers, distributors, and policymakers. The report also provides useful insights about which market segments should be targeted over the coming years to strategize investments and capitalize on growth opportunities.
Report Scope:
In this report, the Global Polymer market has been segmented into following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below:

  • Market, by Product Type : Polyethylene, Polypropylene, Polyvinyl Chloride, Polyurethane, Polyethylene Terephthalate, Polystyrene, and Others
  • Market, by Application : Packaging, Building and Construction, Automotive, Electrical and Electronics, Household, Agriculture, and Others.
  • Market, by Distribution Channel : Direct/Institutional Sales, Retail Sales, Other Channel Sales
  • Market, by Region : North America, APAC, Europe, MEA, South America



Market, by Region

  • North America : United States, Mexico, Canada
  • APAC : China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia
  • Europe : Germany, France, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy
  • MEA : Saudi Arabia, UAE, South Africa
  • South America : Brazil, Argentina, Colombia



Competitive Landscape
ChemAnalyst offers detailed analysis of major players including basic company details, Segmental/product information, financial matrices, growth strategies, expansion plans, collaborations, SWOT analysis etc.to give a comprehensive and meaningful insights on the respective product market.
Available Customizations:
With the given market data, ChemAnalyst offers customizations according to a company’s specific needs.