Ukraine continues to lose ground among the world's largest steel producers. As a result of September 2026, the country dropped to 41st place in the World Steel Association ranking, losing eight positions in just one month.

This is evidenced by Worldsteel data published on October 23. The ranking included 70 countries accounting for about 98% of world steel production.

In August, Ukraine was 33rd, in July — 26th, and in September last year it was in 21st place. Thus, over the year the country lost 20 places in the world ranking by monthly production volume.

The reason for this fall was a massive reduction in steel smelting at Ukrainian enterprises. In September they produced only 131 thousand tons — 4.7 times less than a year earlier, when output was 611 thousand tons.

Compared with August, production fell by 52.7%. Then Ukrainian metallurgists smelted 277 thousand tons of steel.

These production figures were known earlier. As reported by Kurs.com.ua on October 9, the sharp reduction in output occurred after Russian missile strikes led to the shutdown of major metallurgical enterprises.

In particular, Russian attacks disrupted the operations of Zaporizhstal, Kametstal, and ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih. The restoration of production capacity is complicated by extensive damage to equipment and infrastructure.

At the same time, the situation in the global steel industry differs significantly from the Ukrainian one. According to Worldsteel, in September 2026, enterprises in 70 countries produced 142.4 million tons of steel — only 0.2% less than in the same period last year.

China remained the largest producer with 73.6 million tons. India smelted 13.9 million tons, the United States — 7.2 million tons, Japan — 6.3 million tons, Russia — 5.5 million tons.

In the European Union countries, production decreased by 5% year-on-year to 10.1 million tons. The most notable decline among the largest EU producers was recorded in Germany, where output fell by 13% to 2.6 million tons.

In the first nine months of 2026, world steel production amounted to 1.37 billion tons, down 0.7% compared with the same period last year.

Thus, the reduction in Ukrainian metallurgy significantly exceeds the overall pace of decline in the global industry. The new Worldsteel ranking shows how seriously the shutdown of Ukrainian enterprises has changed the country's position among world steel producers.

Based on materials from: World Steel Association, GMK Center.