Global cement consumption is projected to increase more than 1 percent year-on-year in 2021, following a recovery in several major cement markets from Covid-19, as vaccinations advance worldwide and governments increase spending to stimulate economies, according to CW Research's 2H2021 update of the Global Cement Volume Forecast Report (GCVFR).

In October, cement export prices in the Mediterranean Basin continued to rise supported by growing exports from major regional markets, namely Algeria, Turkey and Spain. Meanwhile in the Persian Gulf-Arabian Sea region, export prices once again declined after a short-lived increase the previous month, according to CW Research's Cement and Clinker Price Assessment for Med Basin and Persian Gulf-Arabian Sea & East Africa.

The evolution of cement demand in 2021 is marked by wide discrepancies across regions, however, the only difference is the magnitude of the recovery in demand with the exception of China, with Asia ex-China and Latin America as the main drivers of growth this year, shows CW Research's 2H2021 update of the Global Cement Volume Forecast Report (GCVFR).