Ethylene Trade Analysis 2015-2024 (Full Report)
This report offers clients a comprehensive analysis of the global and regional trade of Ethylene. ethylene is a key petrochemical building block, produced primarily via steam cracking of hydrocarbon feedstocks. Major applications include polymer production (polyethylene: HDPE, LDPE, LLDPE), intermediates such as ethylene oxide/ethylene glycol (antifreeze, PET), ethylbenzene/styrene (polystyrene), vinyl chloride (PVC), and linear alpha-olefins, as well as use as a plant hormone for fruit ripening. The analysis in this report is based exclusively on statistical data and covers the period from 2015 to 2024.
The raw statistical data has been systematically transformed into clear and reliable insights, encompassing the net trade balance, trade flows, transaction prices, means of transportation, and transportation cost analyses. Furthermore, key transit hubs have been identified and highlighted under the trade flow analysis section. Given the consistency of data across years, trade flow and transportation analyses are limited to 2024 to best represent current conditions and reduce analytical complexity. However, the transportation cost analysis may incorporate up to five years of data if a single year does not provide adequate information.
The transformed trade data is provided separately in accompanying MS Excel file.
SUMMARY
DELIVERABLES
DATA IN EXCEL FILE
METHODOLOGY
North America and the Middle East played leading roles as net exporters of ethylene between 2015 and 2024, while Northeast Asia remained the primary net importer despite a reduction in its trade deficit towards the end of the period. Western Europe and South America both transitioned from net export to net import positions, while Central & Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia experienced more variable trade balances. The decade was defined by the contraction of Middle Eastern exports, the expansion and partial retreat of North American exports, and the narrowing of Northeast Asia’s net import gap.
Intra-regional ethylene trade dominated in Northeast Asia and Western Europe, while North America’s exports were primarily inter-regional, targeting Europe and Asia. The largest single country flows were from South Korea to China and the Netherlands to Belgium.
The countries that acted as key transit hubs included Turkey and India, each receiving ethylene from origin countries and re-exporting it to various destinations. The primary origins in these flows were South Korea, Singapore, the United States, and Libya. Final destinations included Indonesia, Qatar, Italy, Belgium, and Algeria.
Ethylene prices showed both upward and downward movements across global markets. Prices generally moved within a broad range, with some years seeing increases followed by periods of decline or stabilization. The lowest price observed in the dataset was five hundred eighty six USD per metric ton in 2017, while the highest price reached was two thousand six hundred fourteen USD per metric ton in 2022.
Globally, sea transport was the primary mode for ethylene, while road and rail played meaningful roles in specific regions, and air transport remained very limited.
The global average transportation cost for ethylene during 2020 to 2024 was 80 USD per metric ton. The average cost was based on weighted average CIF-FOB price differences, which reflects the costs of freight, insurance, port handling, and other ancillary fees associated with bilateral trades between exporting and importing countries. Some data points were not available or were excluded as outliers during the data cleaning process.