Positive outlook for the Indian ceramic tile industry

Indian tile exports partially recovering in 2025. Production and consumption are expected to grow by 3.7% and 6.3% per year respectively over the 2025–2029 period.

From 28 to 30 January 2026, the 20th edition of Indian Ceramics Asia will provide a valuable opportunity to assess the state of health of the Indian ceramic industry and its ability to resume investments after two years of slowdown.

Over the past two years, the Indian ceramic tile industry has confirmed its position as a global player in the sector and as the world’s second largest manufacturer, consumer and exporter behind China. This is despite the downturn recorded in 2024, when national production fell by 2% to 2.4 billion sqm and domestic consumption declined by 4.7% to 1.62 billion sqm. In the same year, total exports dropped to 525 million sqm (–11% compared with 2023), accounting for 22% of India’s total tile production and 19.6% of total global exports. Export revenues fell to around €2 billion, with an average price remaining stable at €3.8/sqm.

Exports recovering in 2025

In volume terms, Indian tile exports are expected to close 2025 with a partial recovery. In the first nine months of the year (January–September), overseas sales increased by 7.9% compared with the same period of 2024, reaching 420 million sqm.

The United Arab Emirates was the leading export market, where sales of Indian tiles rose by 20% to 31.7 million sqm over the nine months, generating revenues of USD 125 million (+15.3%).

Russia followed with 23.4 million sqm, up 11% compared with the first nine months of 2024, although export revenues declined by 3.3% to USD 105 million.

The United States lost its position as the leading foreign market for Indian tiles, falling to third place in volume terms with sales of 22.7 million sqm (–14.7% compared with 2024); revenues dropped to USD 108 million, down 18.8% on the same period of 2024.

The next four major destination markets for Indian tiles are all located in the Middle East: Iraq (22.4 million sqm; +7.1%), Israel (14.8 million sqm; +62.3%), Kuwait (14.5 million sqm; –18%) and Oman (13.2 million sqm; –2.3%). Exports of between 10 and 12 million sqm over the nine months were also recorded in Thailand, Senegal, the United Kingdom and Poland.

Production and consumption set to rise through 2029

On the production side, India is set to increase its share of global tile output. This is highlighted in “Ceramic Tile Market Forecast Analysis. TRENDS 2025–2029”, the forecast report for the global ceramic tile market published last November by the MECS-Acimac Research Centre.

According to the study, Indian production is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 3.7% between 2025 and 2029, reaching 2.9 billion sqm by the end of the five-year period - around 500 million sqm more than in 2024.

Growth in domestic consumption is expected to be even stronger (+6.3% CAGR over 2025–2029), with volumes reaching 2.2 billion sqm in 2029, or 580 million sqm more than in 2024.

The expansion of the Indian ceramic market will be supported by the strong performance of the national economy. India’s GDP is forecast to grow by 6.5% per year over the next five years, also acting as a driving force for investment in the construction sector.