PUBLISHER: Prescient & Strategic Intelligence | PRODUCT CODE: 2112596
PUBLISHER: Prescient & Strategic Intelligence | PRODUCT CODE: 2112596
The global hydrogen market was valued at USD 223.9 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 349.5 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 6.6% between 2026 and 2032. Growth is being driven by hydrogen's key role in producing ammonia for fertilisers, as rising global population intensifies demand for higher crop productivity and efficient nutrient management.
The scale of feedstock demand keeps climbing. Global fertilizer market revenue reached USD 210.19 billion in 2024, expected to reach USD 281.92 billion by 2032, directly increasing demand for ammonia and the hydrogen feedstock it requires.
Stricter environmental regulations reducing sulphur in fuels are increasing hydrogen consumption in crude oil refining, as refineries rely on hydrodesulphurisation to meet clean fuel production standards under regulations like IMO 2020, which lowered the global sulphur cap for marine fuels to 0.50%.
Key Insights
Steam-Methane Reforming holds both the largest and fastest-growing production category, at 45% share and approximately 7.0% CAGR, remaining the dominant hydrogen production pathway globally.
On-Site Generation holds both the largest and fastest-growing generation category, at 60% share and approximately 6.8% CAGR, favored for integrated industrial hydrogen supply.
Chemical Industry holds both the largest and fastest-growing end-use category, at 45% share and approximately 7.2% CAGR, given hydrogen's central role in ammonia and chemical synthesis.
Asia-Pacific holds both the largest regional share, at 40%, and the highest CAGR, at approximately 7.5%, driven by expanding fertilizer and refining capacity across the region.
Eco-friendly production processes represent a defining trend, as green hydrogen produced through renewable-powered water electrolysis gains attention despite representing less than 1% of total production in 2024. Global hydrogen production was responsible for nearly 920 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2023, according to the International Energy Agency, mainly from unabated natural gas and coal pathways.
Growing fertiliser and refining industries remain the biggest driver. The world's population is expected to reach around 9.7 billion by 2050, according to the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, driving the FAO's estimate that global food production will need to increase by about 70% by 2050 compared with early 2000s levels.
Soil degradation reinforces fertilizer demand too. Over 60% of human-induced land degradation occurs on agricultural land, according to the FAO's State of Land, Soil and Water Resources report, with around 1.7 billion people living in areas where crop yields are reduced by at least 10% due to degraded soils.
Technical and infrastructure challenges remain a key restraint, as green hydrogen economics depend heavily on renewable electricity costs and electrolyser technology, though falling solar and wind costs are gradually closing the price gap with fossil-based hydrogen.
The competitive landscape spans established industrial gas producers and emerging green hydrogen developers competing on production cost efficiency and electrolyser technology innovation across agricultural and refining supply chains worldwide.