Global steel output grows 3.7% in 2021 despite Chinese weakness

LONDON (Reuters) - Global crude steel production gained 3.7% last year to 1.95 billion tonnes, World Steel Association data showed on Tuesday, despite weaker output in top producer China as an energy crunch curtailed operations.

Chinese steel production dropped 3% in 2021, while second-ranked India saw output surge by 17.8% and third-place Japan jumped 15.8% as economies recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Data for the last month of the year showed global steel production fell 3% year on year to 158.7 million tonnes, a statement said.

Crude steel output from China, also the world's top consumer of the metal, dropped by 6.8% to 86.2 million tonnes in December.

(Reporting by Eric Onstad; Editing by David Goodman and Mark Porter)