In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA region), the print industry is witnessing a decent growth rate even though they are facing a host of challenges and the stiff competition from online media has increased the competition in market inviting more and more players to sustain positive trends in the region. Middle East remains one of the world's key commercial print growth regions and has great potential for the adoption of new technologies.

The Mena market for printing machinery was worth $446.1 million in 2017 and is forecast to reach $545.7 million by 2022. By that time, over 13.46 million tonnes of print materials will be used in the region. The industry has been capable of raiding above the issues of commoditization of print, the growing challenge to print from online media, rising materials, consumables and labor costs, and a shortage of suitably trained operators. The package printing business is the most valuable end-use application for print in the Mena region and will be worth $20 billion in 2019.

The print industry's growth potential in the Mena region will be largely driven by an overwhelmingly youthful consumer demographic. Some 60 per cent of the Arab population is under 25 years old, and with a median age of 22 years compared to a global average of 28, means that Mena has one of the youngest populations in the world.

This is helping drive the region's print revenue at 8.7 per cent year-on-year against a global growth rate of just one per cent, and will hit a value of $40.7 billion in 2022, up from $32 billion in 2019. Reports also confirm that the Mena region's 1,700 printers have a proven investment culture and stay up-to-date with the latest machinery and materials developments.

It is world's key growth regions for printing in 2019. The region presents a great opportunity for companies in the commercial printing business, as the market is estimated to grow to be on constant growth from this year onward and become world's highest growth regions for printing.