From Asia to Africa: are new refining hubs redrawing the alumina map?
Alumina production in Asia (including China) and Africa continued to rise in the first half of 2025, but fresh data from the International Aluminium Institute (IAI) indicates signs of cooling by mid-year. With China still dominating global output, new projects in Indonesia, India, and Africa are reshaping the supply landscape, as governments in bauxite-rich regions tighten rules to encourage local refining.
In the first half of 2025, alumina production across Asia and Africa reached 49.07 million tonnes, a 6.1 per cent increase from 46.26 million tonnes in the same period of 2024 and a 10.5 per cent rise from 44.41 million tonnes in 2023. The year began on a strong note, with output including China at 8.58 million tonnes in January, but volumes slipped to 8.03 million tonnes by June, reflecting a 6.3 per cent decline.
China accounted for most of this slowdown. Its production fell from 7.34 million tonnes in January to 6.84 million tonnes in June, a drop of 6.8 per cent. By contrast, Asia (excluding China) and Africa remained broadly stable, edging down only slightly from 1,238 thousand tonnes in January to 1.19 million tonnes in June.
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