Chemicals made from petroleum are known as petrochemicals. Though many of the same chemical compounds can also be made from biomass, other fossil fuels, such as coal and natural gas, and renewable sources like corn, sugar cane, and biomass. Oil and associated petroleum gas must undergo several processing stages to make petrochemicals. The petrochemical industry uses petroleum oil refinery byproducts as important raw materials. Petrochemicals make benzene, propylene, and ethylene, as well as the source monomers for synthetic rubbers and the building blocks for technical carbon. Several refinement procedures result in converting crude oil into secondary products like petrochemicals and petroleum goods.
In the electronics and electrical industries, new materials are frequently the foundation for new product development and technological advancements. The current electronics and electrical sector heavily relies on petrochemical products to produce electronics and electrical goods. Commonplace items such as CD players, telephones, radios, computers, and televisions are mass-produced thanks to petrochemical industry support. This is done so that the electronic sector, dependent on the petrochemical industry's production and provision of specific commodities, can develop.
Additionally, petrochemical materials used in the electronics industry have advantages over traditional materials in terms of electrical insulation, safety, data storage, ease of assembly, and significant miniaturization capacity. Petrochemicals are used to produce microchips, which are an essential component of computers. The demand for petrochemical services is expected to rise in the near future as the global electronics sector expands.
The primary petrochemical companies are increasing petrochemical production to improve their position and gain a competitive edge in the global market. For example, thanks to an agreement between The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and Reliance Industries, a new petrochemical complex will be built in Ruwais, Abu Dhabi. Furthermore, the Middle East, the United States, and Asia-Pacific are investing heavily in petrochemical processing capacity to meet client demand. According to Hydrocarbon Processing's Construction Boxscore, approximately 280 new petrochemical projects were announced between 2016 and 2018, representing a 42% increase over the previous year. This could significantly impact the petrochemical industry's expansion rate, creating market growth opportunities over the forecast period.
Asia-Pacific is the most significant global petrochemical market shareholder and is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 7.1% during the forecast period. This is due to increased demand from the consumer goods sector. The rapid economic expansion in emerging economies such as China, India, and other ASEAN nations increased demand for petrochemical goods such as plastics, fertilizers, packaging, clothes, electronics, medical equipment, detergents, and tires. China, the region's dominant player, has made aggressive investments in transitioning to alternate feedstock for petrochemical production, such as naphtha and natural gas, rather than relying on coal-to-chemical manufacturing to supply raw materials to its sizable domestic industrial base. The region has also added a lot of crude oil refining capacity over the last ten years, which is expected to continue during the projected period.
The global petrochemicals market size was valued at USD 645.55 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach from USD 681.06 billion in 2025 to USD 1045.21 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 5.50% during the forecast period (2025-2033).