Driven down by the rapidly deteriorating state of the world economy, global rubber consumption reached 21.1 million tons in the year to March 2009, its lowest level since April 2006 - according to the latest report issued by IRSG (International Rubber Study Group). Year-on-year consumption growth plunged to -9.4%, compared to growth rates of -3.2% at the end of 2008 and (providing a stark illustration of how markets have evolved over the last twelve months) 6.9% in March 2008. Global natural rubber (NR) consumption declined by over 0.4 million tons between the end of 2008 and March 2009, with the rate of decline in consumption accelerating from -1.6% to -6.8% in year-on-year terms over the period; global synthetic rubber (SR) consumption fell by over 0.7 million tons over the same period, with consumption growth declining from -4.5 to -11.3%. Global rubber output fell from 22.7 million tons at the end of 2008 to 21.8 in March 2009, while the rate of decline in production in year-on-year terms accelerated from -2 to -6.5% over the same period.