US Americans spend an average of USD 49 per capita on industrial gases each year, making them global leaders in this field, ahead of Australians (USD 42) and western Europeans (USD 38). In China, this figure currently amounts to just USD 2 per year and is hardly higher in the majority of South and East Asian states. There is also still a significant gap between spending in Western and Eastern Europe. However, rising living standards in emerging economies will see demand for industrial gases increase in these regions. Industry experts from Spiritus Consulting put growth rates for Eastern Europe at 12 percent, and 11 percent for South and East Asia.