In 2006, almost half (14) of the 30 world chemicals majors had their headquarters in the EU - representing 16% of world chemicals sales. These 30 companies had a combined sales turnover of €526 billion. This was a significant increase compared to the previous year and reflects not only the positive sales development in 2006 but also the ongoing consolidation in the chemicals sector. Additionally, Asia (excluding Japan) develops more and more as a leading region in chemicals. Three out of the five companies headquartered in “other countries” come from Asia, namely China and South Korea.