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Abstract
Worldwide demand for some of the more important metals was analyzed to identify the most significant factors that explain differences in the level of demand between countries and between groups of countries. The per capita demand for steel, aluminum, copper, and total nonferrous metals was examined for more than 40 countries over a 22-year period.
World metal consumption per capita has risen over this period but the intensity of use, defined as tonnage of metal consumed divided by Gross Domestic Product (GDP), has declined. Consumption per capita has risen almost everywhere but the intensity of use has risen only in the developing countries and in Japan (nonferrous only).
The trend in world consumption of metals for the last decade is significantly different from the trend in the preceeding decade. This difference can be explained by a large drop in the rate of growth in GDP per capita worldwide during the last decade and a steep upward trend in real metal prices that occurred in the post-1973 period.