Paris, August 12. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development published its annual Steel Outlook report for 2026, delivering a cautious assessment for the global steel sector. According to the report, world steel demand is projected to rise by only 0.4 percent in 2026, reaching roughly 1.8 billion metric tonnes, after a notable contraction recorded in 2025. Demand growth will remain highly uneven geographically. China's long-term steel consumption will keep gradually declining, while OECD-member economies will see moderate demand improvement. India, Southeast Asia and MENA nations are expected to register the strongest steel-demand growth, driven by large-scale infrastructure investment and ongoing industrialization. Excess global steel capacity continues to squeeze profit margins across the whole industry, putting continuous pressure on international steel prices. The OECD also pointed out that steel-trade diversion and quota-evasion activities remain widespread, even as more economies implement anti-dumping duties, import quotas and carbon-related trade measures. The report called for enhanced international cooperation to tackle overcapacity challenges, alongside greater investment in green steel technologies to accelerate industry decarbonization worldwide.