Global polyacrylamide market overview: size climbs, supply and demand balanced by multiple factors

Polyacrylamide market share
According to data from YH Research, the global polyacrylamide (PAM) market size will reach US$4.52 billion in 2023. It is projected that the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) will remain at 6.8% during the 2023–2030 period. This growth trend is primarily driven by stable demand from water treatment, oil and gas extraction, and the paper industry. Meanwhile, increasingly stringent environmental policies are also driving the industry toward efficient, low-pollution transformation and upgrading.

In 2024, the global polyacrylamide market sales reached 2.599 billion USD. Market analysis predicts that by 2031, this figure will grow to 3.685 billion USD, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.2% between 2025 and 2031. Key players in the global polyacrylamide industry include SNF Group, Solenis, and Kemira, among others, with the top three companies accounting for approximately 62% of the global market share. SNF Group is the industry leader, as the world's largest polyacrylamide producer, holding over 45% of the market share. From a regional perspective, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America are the primary global markets for polyacrylamide, collectively accounting for over 92% of the market share, with the Asia-Pacific region leading as the largest market with a 47% share.

In terms of the application distribution of China's total polyacrylamide production, approximately 42% is used in oil extraction, 31% in water treatment, 13% in the papermaking industry, and the remaining 14% in other industries such as coal washing and metallurgy. In 2023, the global economy was in a slow recovery phase, and the supply scale of China's polyacrylamide industry expanded once again. However, due to factors such as the slow recovery of market demand expectations and overseas trade disputes, the growth rate of downstream demand for polyacrylamide has been relatively sluggish, and the contradiction between supply and demand in the market has gradually become more pronounced.

Polyacrylamide Market Supply and Demand
Polyacrylamide is widely used in urban wastewater treatment and industrial wastewater treatment. As global environmental awareness continues to grow, wastewater treatment standards are also gradually improving, leading to a sustained increase in demand for polyacrylamide in the water treatment industry. Especially in developing countries like China and India, as urbanization accelerates, water treatment demand has surged, strongly driving the development of the polyacrylamide market. Additionally, polyacrylamide is extensively used in the oil extraction industry, primarily as a fracturing fluid and oil displacement agent to enhance oil recovery rates. With the continuous rise in global energy demand and the emergence of shale oil and gas extraction, the demand for polyacrylamide in the oil extraction industry is also on the rise.

Due to its extremely broad range of applications, polyacrylamide is often referred to as the “universal additive” and the “all-purpose product.” In oil extraction processes, it can serve as an injection agent to improve the physical properties of oil reservoirs, thereby increasing crude oil recovery rates; it can also function as a drilling fluid additive to enhance the viscosity and lubricity of drilling fluids, thereby reducing friction resistance during drilling operations. In water treatment, polyacrylamide is commonly used as a flocculant aid, accelerating the flocculation process to promote the rapid settling of impurities, thereby achieving wastewater purification and impurity removal.

In recent years, with the advancement of industrial transformation and upgrading and the continuous improvement of environmental protection standards, the market demand for high-quality water treatment products has continued to grow. As an important auxiliary agent, the market demand for polyacrylamide has also been steadily increasing, providing strong support for its price. However, the supply of polyacrylamide is influenced by various factors, including production process upgrades, environmental protection investments, and large-scale production. When market supply exceeds demand, price competition is likely to arise; conversely, when supply falls short of demand, prices tend to rise significantly. Thus, market supply-demand imbalances are one of the key factors driving price fluctuations.

Overall, the supply-demand dynamics of the polyacrylamide market are influenced by a combination of factors including production technology, raw material prices, environmental regulations, and demand from various industries. Currently, the overall market supply and demand remain largely balanced, but there are still supply gaps in certain specific sectors. With the further enhancement of global environmental awareness and the continued advancement of industrialization, the future development prospects for the polyacrylamide market are highly promising.

The above data can be found in the “2025 Global and China Polyacrylamide Industry Leading Enterprises Market Share and Ranking Research Report” published by YH Research. YH Research provides in-depth industry research reports, business plans, feasibility studies, customized services, and other one-stop industry consulting services.