The global exports of ceramic tiles decreased to 2.67 billion sqm in 2024

According to the latest surveys by the MECS / Acimac Research Center, in 2024, world exports of ceramic tiles fell for the third consecutive year with a decline of 2.5%

According to the latest surveys by the MECS / Acimac Research Center, in 2024, world exports of ceramic tiles fell for the third consecutive year with a decline of 2.5% (essentially repeating the -2.4% of 2023).

A total of 2,674 million sqm of ceramic tiles were exported worldwide, 69 million sqm less than the previous year. This drop is almost entirely attributable to Asia (down from 1,539 to 1,472 million sqm; -4.3%), which in effect means China and India.

By contrast, exports from other areas remained substantially unchanged.

·       Exports from the European Union dropped from 770 to 768 million sqm (-0.2%);

·       Those from Central and South America decreased from 138 to 132 million sqm (-4.2%);

·       North America fell from 43 to 39 million sqm (-10.8%);

·       and Africa from 121 to 111 million sqm (-7.9%).

·       One positive exception was the recovery in exports from non-EU Europe (from 132 to 151 million sqm; +14.7%), driven by the strong performance of Turkey.

But how much is exported, and where?

The 2,674 million square meters of ceramic tiles exported worldwide last year correspond to 17.9% of global production (14,950 million sqm) and 18.4% of global consumption (14,552 million sqm).

With regard to the export propensity of the various continents or macro-regions, the European Union remained the area with the highest export share in 2024 at 73% of its overall production.

All the other areas lagged well behind: non-EU Europe exported 27% of its output volumes, Asia 13.5%, North and South America both 12% and Africa 10.8%.

If we analyze in even greater detail the destination of exports — whether within or outside the macro-region where the tiles are produced — the data continue to confirm the trend of exporting to nearby consumer markets. In 2024, 62% of exports remained within the same geographical area as production:

·       80.2% of South American countries’ exports stayed in South America;

·       80.7% of North American exports remained within the NAFTA area (Mexico, USA, Canada);

·       64.7% of all Asian exports were shipped to other Asian countries;

·       91.5% of African exports remained in Africa.

·       The European Union remained a partial exception, shipping 54% of its exports to other EU Countries and 46% to non-EU markets.

This is confirmed by a comparison between each continent’s contribution to global tile production and consumption, which shows that the values are essentially aligned: Asia represents 72.8% of production and 69.2% of consumption; Europe (EU + non-EU) 10.9% and 10.1% respectively; the Americas 9.6% and 12%; and Africa 6.9% and 8.4%.

The biggest ceramic tile exporting countries

In 2024, the ranking of the world’s largest tile exporters once again saw China, India, Spain, and Italy at the top, together accounting for 65.3% of global exports.

In 2024, Chinese exports fell to 600 million sqm (-2.5%), equivalent to 22.4% of world exports and increasingly shipped to destinations in Asia (442.5 million sqm; +0.9% on 2023). Fourteen of the Chinese ceramic industry’s top 20 foreign markets are in Asia, led by the Philippines, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia and Thailand. In Australia, China’s sixth-largest market and one in which it holds a market share of around 75%, sales rose to 33 million sqm. China saw a decline in exports to Latin America (66 million sqm; -11% on 2023), Africa (34 million sqm; -29%) and Europe (8 million sqm).

In the first half of 2025, Chinese exports experienced a further fall of 3.9% in volume (271 million sqm) and 11.6% in value ($1.51 billion), with an average price of $5.56/sqm.

In 2024, India recorded its first slowdown in exports, which dropped from 589 to 525 million sqm (-10.9%). Export revenues declined to about €2 billion, while average price remained stable at €3.8/sqm. In this case, as well, Asian markets continued to absorb the largest share of Indian exports: 216 million sqm (-13%), equal to 41.2% of total volumes. With the exception of South America, which continued to grow to 41 million sqm (+14%), all other destination areas experienced a decline: Africa -18.5% (98 million sqm); North America and Mexico -7% (62 million sqm); European Union -8% (54 million sqm); non-EU Europe -7.5% (50 million sqm).

Spain, the world’s third-largest exporter, closed 2024 with another drop of exports, from 344 to 329 million sqm (-4.4%), equal to 79% of national production. The exports turnover was €3.481 billion (-2.4%) at an average price of €10.6/sqm.

France remained the top export market (40.3 million sqm; -9.9%), followed by the United States (34.4 million sqm; -4.9%), Italy (16.5 million sqm; -3.6%), Morocco (15.8 million sqm; +3.5%), the United Kingdom (15.3 million sqm; -12.8%) and Israel, which grew strongly to 13.8 million sqm (+19.2%). Considering macro-regions, Europe accounted for 49.7% of Spain’s exports by volume, Asia 15.2%, Africa 14.1%, North America 12.4% and South America 7.9%.

In 2024, Italy remained the world’s fourth-largest exporter by volume and the largest by value. Exports (equal to 79.2% of production) grew by 3.1% to 293.5 million sqm, generating revenues of €4.979 billion (-1.4%) and with the average price falling from €17.7/sqm to €17/sqm.

The top three foreign markets for Italian tiles were Germany (43.9 million sqm; +1.1%), France (40.6 million sqm; -4.5%) and the United States (33 million sqm; +9.3%). These were followed by Greece (9.4 million sqm; +67.5%), Austria (9 million sqm; -1%), Belgium (8.6 million sqm; +1.6%), Switzerland (8 million sqm; -1.6%), the United Kingdom (7.3 million sqm; -5.3%), the Netherlands (7 million sqm; -4.9%) and Canada (6.3 million sqm; -7.8%).

Looking at macro-regions, Italy’s sales within the European Union remained stable at 165 million sqm (equal to 56% of total exports), while those in non-EU Europe grew by 12% to 30 million sqm. Italy’s tile exports to North America (41 million sqm; +8%) and to Asia (36 million sqm; +14.3%) also increased, while sales in Africa (12.5 million sqm) and Oceania (3.7 million sqm) remained stable and exports to South America declined (4.6 million sqm; -29.5%).

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