Global alumina output totalled 12.88 million tonnes in September, up by 7.4% from the same month last year but down by 3.3% from August, according to the latest data released by the International Aluminium Institute (IAI).
On a daily average basis, worldwide alumina production reached 429,500 tonnes last month, marking a marginal 0.05% drop from the previous month, Mysteel Global's calculation based on the IAI data showed. The modest on-month dip was largely due to September having one day less than August.
By grade, production of metallurgical-grade alumina accounted for 12.14 million tonnes or 94.2% of total production, while chemical-grade contributed 746,000 tonnes, the data showed.
China remained the world's top alumina producer for the ninth consecutive month, with an estimated 7.95 million tonnes of output, equivalent to 61.7% of the global total. The volume reflected a 10.4% on-year increase but a 1% on-month decline.
The IAI's estimate for China closely aligned with data from the country's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), which showed that September alumina production amounted to 8 million tonnes, up by 0.9% from the previous month and by 8.7% from a year earlier. The NBS figure was 49,000 tonnes higher than the IAI's estimate, Mysteel Global noted.
Outside China, Oceania ranked as the world's second-largest alumina-producing region, with its output rising by 5.2% on year to 1.42 million tonnes last month, according to the IAI data. Africa and Asia (excluding China) followed with a combined 1.2 million tonnes, representing an 8.3% increase from the same period last year.
During the first nine months of 2025, global alumina output reached 114 million tonnes, marking a 4.8% rise from the January-September period of 2024.
Alumina output of the world's top countries/regions |
Country/Region | Sep-25 |
Unit: '000 tonne | Y-o-Y change |
Total | 12,884 | 7.4% |
China (E) | 7,950 | 10.4% |
Oceania | 1,424 | 5.2% |
Africa & Asia (ex China) | 1,207 | 8.3% |
South America | 952 | -2.8% |
Europe (inc Russia) | 586 | -2.0% |
North America | 151 | 11.0% |
Unreported to IAI (E) | 614 | - |
E: Estimated
Source: IAI