CAD Around the World

At the end of 2011, Jon Peddie Research released its 2012 CAD Report, which estimated the number of active CAD users worldwide to be 19.3 million. Of those 19.3 million global CAD seats, according to JPR, 27% are based in Asia; 34% in North America; and 37% in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The Brazil, Russia, India, and China are growing most quickly. Indeed, China seems to lead the pack for Bentley as well as Siemens PLM Software and PTC -- and as is true for many other emerging markets, it's an investment in infrastructure that is spurring growth. One country that's had a surprisingly robust increase in the number of CAD licenses is Turkey. The primary reason for Turkey's thriving economy may be its close economic ties to China. Africa will follow this growth, although not immediately, but it is clear that CAD use will continue to trend upwardly for some time to come.