World steel demand is likely to fall 14.9 per cent this year, making the decline by far the biggest in the industry since the end of the second world war, according to forecasts issued yesterday by the World Steel Association.

The projection is considerably more pessimistic than the 10 per cent demand fall for 2009 that is the current central assumption by ArcelorMittal, the world's biggest steelmaker, which reports its first-quarter results tomorrow.

According to the WSA, the main trade body for steelmakers, the US is expected to experience a particularly large fall in steel demand of more than 36 per cent this year, with the European Union experiencing a fall of nearly 30 per cent.

The association's projections underline the difficulties piling up for the world's biggest steelmakers, which have had steep falls in output and profits.