From a macroeconomic perspective, according to PwC’s latest watch report of May 2025, the outlook for GDP growth in the Middle East is positive (+2.8%), driven by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) perimeter, notably the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. “With robust non-oil growth and rising oil production, GDP growth in the GCC is expected to reach 3.1% in 2026 according to the IMF, the highest since 2022 and nearly triple the average growth recorded in 2023-24,” notes an analyst.

When it comes to the composites market, Estin makes the distinction between production and consumption. Composite production in the Middle East is a market of 0.5 Mt in 2024 (€1.7 billion or US$1.9 billion in value at primary materials level) and most of parts production is for consumption within the region. The Middle East composites industry is a net importer of fibres and a net exporter of resins and imports (particularly glass and carbon fibres). They are mainly for primary materials. Exports are driven by machinery for composites manufacturing, final composites parts sold to integrators internationally and final goods made with composites sold internationally. “The production market grew at 3% p.a. in volume over 2019- 2024 (Figure 1) and since 2021 over 5% p.a. (7% in 2023 and 6% in 2024),” underlines the study.

On the other hand, the Middle East has greater consumption than production of composites, as it consumed around 1 to 1.5 Mt of composites in 2024. Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Israel, the UAE, Iran and Egypt account for about 80% of composites consumption in the Middle East (Figure 2), Saudi Arabia and Türkiye being worth 45% of the market (600-610 Kt in total).

Composites market breakdown at a glance

The Middle Eastern composites market is driven by different factors per application (Figure 3).

First, construction is a critical application for composites in the Middle East (renovation and new building), with a focus on high-rise cities (Dubai, Abu Dhabi), with 45% of production in volume and 38% in value in 2024, and 3% growth in volume between 2019 and 2024.

The Middle East is also a global leader in traditional fossil fuels – creating a high degree of demand for composites in pipes and tanks – and is an emerging player in renewable energy (wind in particular), driving new demand for composites in wind turbine blades. Energy represents 24% of production in volume and 31% in value in 2024, with 8% growth in volume between 2019 and 2024.

There are significant investments in the automotive sector too in the Middle East, particularly in capacity for Electric Vehicle (EV) production, leading to 18% of production in volume for transports, and 18% in value in 2024, with 1% growth in volume between 2019 and 2024.