Windows and Doors Around the World—The Global Market for Fenestration Products
By Kenneth Long and Andrew Gross
Kenneth Long is an industry analyst at The Freedonia Group in Cleveland, Ohio. Andrew C. Gross is professor of marketing and international business at Cleveland State University in Cleveland, Ohio.
Global demand for windows and doors was $78 billion in 1999 and rose to $100 billion by 2004; it is expected to hit the $125 billion mark by 2009. The annual rate of growth was and is expected to be in the 4.5 to 5.0 percent range, in line with growth in building construction around the world. Doors and windows each take about 50 percent of total demand. In regional terms, North America, Western Europe, and Japan accounted for 75 percent of global demand in 1999; but by 2009 their share will drop to 65 percent. Put differently, China, India, Russia, and other industrializing nations are likely to show annual growth rates in the 5.5 to 12 percent range, though intensity of product use will remain comparatively low. Worldwide, residential buildings will continue to account for roughly two-thirds and nonresidential buildings for one-third of total demand for fenestration products.
