Exports from Iran have ended and global trade flows are being impacted by the conflict that began February 28, 2026, spreading to other suppliers in the region, and delaying or rerouting shipments of polyethylene through the Strait of Hormuz. Middle East exports of polyethylene in 2025 (18.7 million tons) represented 43% of total global exports of 43.8 million tons.

The Middle East is the world’s largest exporter of polyethylene, shipping polymer to every world region except North America. (Exports from Iran – which stopped reporting regular trade statistics as of March 2025 – are estimated at 3.5 million tons of the Middle East total, shipped mainly to China and Turkey.) As such, a protracted disruption in the region would have a major impact on global trade flows.

The next largest polyethylene exporting region is North America – 15.6 million tons in 2025. Because of secure feedstocks and ample supply, the region is poised to fill some of the supply void.

Exports from other exporting regions in 2025: Western Europe, 4.2 million tons; Asia-Pacific, 2.7 million tons; Eastern Europe, 1.5 million tons; Latin America, 0.8 million tons; Africa, 0.3 million tons.

Middle East exports by region in 2025 were:

From International Trader Publications’ World Trade Analyses on all grades of polyethylene, continuously updated based on statistics from all reporting countries.