Urea market seen topping $58 billion by 2030

The global urea market is projected to reach $58.17 billion by 2030, driven by fertilizer demand, industrial use and government-backed capacity expansion. The Business Research Company says Asia-Pacific and China will remain the biggest regional and national markets, while Nutrien, EuroChem and SABIC lead a fragmented field.

Why it matters: - Urea sits at the center of both food production and industrial manufacturing. - The market outlook points to continued demand for nitrogen fertilizers, diesel exhaust fluid and technical-grade applications through 2030. - Capacity, supply security and lower-carbon production are becoming competitive priorities for producers.

What happened: - The Business Research Company published its Urea Global Market Report 2026 – Market Size, Trends, And Forecast 2026-2035. - The report projects the global urea market will reach $58.17 billion by 2030. - The report says urea demand is being shaped by fertilizer producers, nitrogen manufacturers and companies investing in capacity, low-carbon ammonia, granulation technology and distribution. - Nutrien Ltd. is the largest player in the market, with a 3% global sales share in 2025. - EuroChem Group AG and Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) also hold 3% shares in 2025. - OCI N.V., Fertiglobe plc, PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero) and Yara International ASA each hold 2% shares. - CF Industries Holdings, Inc., Uralchem Group and Acron Group each hold 1% shares.

The details: - The top 10 urea companies together hold 21% of total revenue in 2025. - The market is moderately fragmented because of high capital needs, ammonia feedstock access, energy-intensive manufacturing and storage and distribution infrastructure. - Leading firms are using integrated production systems, broad distribution networks and geographic scale to defend share. - The report says fertilizer-grade urea will remain the dominant segment by 2030, reaching $52 billion and representing 89% of the market. - Technical-grade urea is used in resins, adhesives, laminates, specialty chemicals, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. - Diesel exhaust fluid demand is rising as commercial vehicles adopt selective catalytic reduction systems. - Asia-Pacific is projected to be the largest regional market by 2030 at $24 billion, up from $21 billion in 2025. - China is projected to be the largest single-country market in 2030 at $13 billion, up from $11 billion in 2025. - The report says the market will grow at a 4% compound annual growth rate through 2030. - The report also says urea will account for about 6% of the broader specialty chemicals market and nearly 1% of the chemicals industry by 2030. - Fertilizer demand, industrial and automotive use, and government support for capacity growth are identified as the main growth drivers. - The report estimates nitrogen-fertilizer demand contributes about 2.5% annual growth. - Industrial and automotive applications add roughly 2.3% annual growth. - Government initiatives and capacity growth contribute an estimated 1.9% annual growth.

Between the lines: - The market’s growth story is less about one end market and more about several demand pools moving at once. - Agricultural demand remains the anchor, but emissions-control and industrial uses are widening the addressable market. - The concentration of shares among a small group of players suggests scale and integration still matter more than pure price competition. - Fertiglobe’s May 2025 partnership with thyssenkrupp uhde fertilizer technology and DF Group points to rising interest in high-purity automotive-grade urea. - The collaboration is meant to build a value chain linking automotive-grade urea with diesel exhaust fluid for the European market.

What’s next: - The report says fertilizer, technical and feed-grade segments could add more than $9.2 billion in market value by 2030. - Fertilizer-grade urea is expected to add $8 billion, while technical and feed grades add $1 billion and $0.2 billion, respectively, from 2025 to 2030. - Producers are expected to keep investing in low-carbon ammonia, digital agriculture tools, advanced coatings and higher-capacity plants. - Asia-Pacific and China are likely to remain the main growth engines as governments support fertilizer access and domestic production.

The bottom line: - Urea is moving from a commodity fertilizer story to a broader industrial and emissions-control market, with growth still led by agriculture but reinforced by new technical uses.