Market Analysis
According to provisional data for July 2023, the Natural Stone sector is expecting exports to grow, although at a more moderate rate than at the end of the first half of the year. In 2023 there was a worldwide export of natural stone of 308 million euros, an increase of 3.49% compared to the same period in 2022.
Following the patterns of the previous year, there's still a balance between the Intra-European Union and Extra-European Union markets. On the other hand, OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) suffered a drop compared to 2022, with a negative variation in price/tonne of 6.66% (in 2022 the price/tonne was EUR 450.33 and in 2023 it is EUR 420.32), and PALOP (Portuguese-speaking African Countries) showed an increase compared to the previous year, with a positive variation of 13.09% (in 2022 the price/tonne was EUR 426.92 and in 2023 it is EUR 482.82).
Within Europe, France ranks first in terms of the volume of exports (EUR 62M), followed by Spain (EUR 34M) and Germany (EUR 18M), contributing 20%, 11% and 6% worldwide, respectively. Outside the EU, China (EUR 43M), the United States of America (EUR 20M) and the United Kingdom (EUR 16M) lead the way, contributing 35%, 6% and 5% respectively. These 6 countries together account for 63% of exports.
In terms of turnover growth, Honduras is in the lead, with a growth of 1,953% (ER 1M and 378 tons), followed by Vietnam with 946% (EUR 10,000 and 11,000 tons).
In terms of price per ton, Honduras has a value of EUR 3,000, followed by the United States of America and Austria, both with a price per ton of EUR 1,000. In terms of percentage change compared to 2022, Vietnam was in the lead, with a price/ton change of 196.72%. In 2nd and 3rd place are Austria (137.24%) and Angola (87%).
