The industry reports publish a share for each colour, each year. This page is what Colourwise calculated from those 573 published shares: how far the neutral share moved and when it peaked, how concentrated the mix is, how far regions differ from the global picture, and which colours are rising, fading or back.
Every figure below is derived — a calculation the reports themselves do not publish — and every table names the editions it rests on. The formulas are at the foot of the page. The explorer shows the published figures themselves.
White, black, grey and silver together, from the first to the latest edition of each publisher’s series, for every region with at least three yearly points. The largest move is North America in the DuPont / Axalta series: 57% in 2002 to 79% in 2025. One series stands two points or more below an earlier peak: Global (DuPont / Axalta), down 3.0 from 84% in 2024.
| Region (publisher) | First | Peak | Latest | Change | Since peak | Volatility | Neutral per coloured |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South America (BASF) | 87% (2019) | 87% (2019) | 86% (2023) | −1.0 pts | −1.0 pts | 0.8 pts/yr | 6.1 |
| Asia Pacific (BASF) | 77% (2019) | 85% (2025) | 85% (2025) | +8.0 pts | at peak | 1.4 pts/yr | 5.7 |
| Global (BASF) | 78% (2019) | 83% (2025) | 83% (2025) | +5.0 pts | at peak | 1.6 pts/yr | 4.9 |
| Europe (DuPont / Axalta) | 74% (2008) | 82% (2025) | 82% (2025) | +8.0 pts | at peak | 1.3 pts/yr | 4.6 |
| Global (DuPont / Axalta) | 77% (2009) | 84% (2024) | 81% (2025) | +4.0 pts | −3.0 pts | 2.4 pts/yr | 4.3 |
| EMEA (BASF) | 77% (2019) | 80% (2024) | 80% (2025) | +3.0 pts | at peak | 1.4 pts/yr | 4.0 |
| North America (DuPont / Axalta) | 57% (2002) | 80% (2023) | 79% (2025) | +22.0 pts | −1.0 pts | 0.8 pts/yr | 3.8 |
| South Korea (DuPont / Axalta) | 78% (2023) | 78% (2023) | 78% (2025) | 0.0 pts | at peak | 2.0 pts/yr | 3.5 |
| Japan (DuPont / Axalta) | 74% (2011) | 77% (2025) | 77% (2025) | +3.0 pts | at peak | 1.6 pts/yr | 3.3 |
The mean neutral share of the editions that fall in each decade, with the number of yearly points behind each mean. Where a decade has one or two points it is a sample of that decade, not a summary of it — which is the honest state of the 2000s in this dataset.
| Region (publisher) | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|
| South America (BASF) | — | 87.0% (n=1) | 86.0% (n=3) |
| Asia Pacific (BASF) | — | 77.0% (n=1) | 82.3% (n=3) |
| Global (BASF) | — | 78.0% (n=1) | 80.5% (n=4) |
| Europe (DuPont / Axalta) | 74.0% (n=1) | 77.0% (n=2) | 80.7% (n=3) |
| Global (DuPont / Axalta) | 77.0% (n=1) | 78.8% (n=4) | 82.0% (n=4) |
| EMEA (BASF) | — | 77.0% (n=1) | 77.7% (n=3) |
| North America (DuPont / Axalta) | 57.0% (n=1) | 70.0% (n=1) | 79.7% (n=3) |
| Japan (DuPont / Axalta) | — | 74.0% (n=1) | 74.0% (n=2) |
A neutral share says how much of the market four colours hold; it does not say whether the market is spread across several colours or piled into one. The effective number of colours does: it is the number of equally popular colours that would be as concentrated as the real mix. In the global figures it runs from 5.7 in 2009 (silver leading at 25%) to 4.7 in 2025 (white at 33%). The figure depends on how many categories a publisher prints, so read each publisher as its own series.
| Year (publisher) | Effective colours | Entropy (bits) | HHI | Leading colour | Categories |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 (DuPont / Axalta) | 5.7 | 2.72 | 0.174 | Silver 25% | 9 |
| 2010 (DuPont / Axalta) | 5.3 | 2.65 | 0.188 | Silver 26% | 9 |
| 2011 (DuPont / Axalta) | 6.0 | 2.83 | 0.166 | White 22% | 10 |
| 2012 (DuPont / Axalta) | 6.1 | 2.83 | 0.163 | White 23% | 10 |
| 2019 (BASF) | 4.6 | 2.60 | 0.219 | White 39% | 10 |
| 2021 (BASF) | 4.8 | 2.67 | 0.208 | White 37% | 10 |
| 2022 (BASF) | 4.4 | 2.58 | 0.226 | White 39% | 11 |
| 2023 (DuPont / Axalta) | 5.1 | 2.68 | 0.195 | White 31% | 10 |
| 2024 (DuPont / Axalta) | 4.7 | 2.50 | 0.212 | White 31% | 8 |
| 2024 (BASF) | 4.8 | 2.66 | 0.207 | White 34% | 11 |
| 2025 (DuPont / Axalta) | 5.1 | 2.68 | 0.197 | White 29% | 10 |
| 2025 (BASF) | 4.7 | 2.59 | 0.211 | White 33% | 10 |
For each year in which a publisher gives a full global mix and full regional ones, the distance of each region from the global figure: the share of cars that would have to change colour for the region’s mix to become the global one. A falling mean would mean regions converging; the years available are too few to call a trend either way.
| Year (publisher) | Mean distance | Furthest region | Closest region | Neutral-share spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 (DuPont / Axalta) | 14.2 pts | India 30.8 | North America 5.0 | 16.0 pts |
| 2025 (DuPont / Axalta) | 14.3 pts | India 36.0 | Asia 6.0 | 9.0 pts |
| 2019 (BASF) | 14.0 pts | South America 15.0 | EMEA 13.0 | 10.0 pts |
| 2021 (BASF) | 13.3 pts | South America 15.0 | Asia Pacific 11.0 | 12.0 pts |
| 2024 (BASF) | 10.0 pts | EMEA 12.0 | Asia Pacific 7.0 | 3.0 pts |
| 2025 (BASF) | 9.0 pts | Americas 13.0 | Asia Pacific 3.0 | 8.0 pts |
Individual colours ranked by how far their global share moved between the first and the latest edition of each series that reports them. The neutral total hides most of this: the colours inside it have traded places while the total held.
| Colour | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver | 25% (2009) | 7% (2025) | −18.0 pts |
| White | 16% (2009) | 29% (2025) | +13.0 pts |
| Grey | 13% (2009) | 22% (2025) | +9.0 pts |
| Red | 8% (2009) | 3% (2025) | −5.0 pts |
| Blue | 9% (2009) | 6% (2025) | −3.0 pts |
| Brown and beige | 4% (2009) | 2% (2025) | −2.0 pts |
| Colour | From | To | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 16% (2019) | 23% (2025) | +7.0 pts |
| White | 39% (2019) | 33% (2025) | −6.0 pts |
| Grey | 13% (2019) | 19% (2025) | +6.0 pts |
| Red | 7% (2019) | 3% (2025) | −4.0 pts |
| Blue | 9% (2019) | 6% (2025) | −3.0 pts |
| Silver | 10% (2019) | 8% (2025) | −2.0 pts |
A state read off each colour’s global series by fixed rules, with the numbers that triggered it. These describe what the published figures did; they are observed, not forecast, and a state resting on a one- or two-point move is weak evidence because the shares are rounded.
| Colour (publisher) | Editions | State | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| White (DuPont / Axalta) | 11, 2009–2025 | declining | Down 10 points from its 39% peak in 2017 to 29% in 2025, and 2 points lower over the last two editions. |
| Black (DuPont / Axalta) | 10, 2009–2025 | revived | Fell 6 points from 24% in 2010 to 18% in 2023, and has recovered 5 points of that to reach 23% in 2025. |
| Grey (DuPont / Axalta) | 10, 2009–2025 | peak | 22% in 2025 is within a point of the series high (23% in 2024), 9 points above its low. |
| Silver (DuPont / Axalta) | 8, 2009–2025 | historical | Peaked at 26% in 2010 and stands at 7% in 2025, under 40% of that peak. |
| Blue (DuPont / Axalta) | 8, 2009–2025 | declining | Down 3 points from its 9% peak in 2009 to 6% in 2025, and 1 point lower over the last two editions. |
| Red (DuPont / Axalta) | 8, 2009–2025 | historical | Peaked at 8% in 2009 and stands at 3% in 2025, under 40% of that peak. |
| Green (DuPont / Axalta) | 8, 2009–2025 | emerging | Still under 5% (3% in 2025) but up 1 point over the last two editions. |
| Brown and beige (DuPont / Axalta) | 7, 2009–2025 | historical | Peaked at 6% in 2012 and stands at 2% in 2025, under 40% of that peak. |
| Yellow and gold (DuPont / Axalta) | 6, 2009–2025 | emerging | Still under 5% (3% in 2025) but up 2 points over the last two editions. |
| White (BASF) | 5, 2019–2025 | declining | Down 6 points from its 39% peak in 2019 to 33% in 2025, and 6 points lower over the last two editions. |
| Black (BASF) | 5, 2019–2025 | peak | 23% in 2025 is the highest share in the series, 7 points above its low. |
| Grey (BASF) | 5, 2019–2025 | peak | 19% in 2025 is the highest share in the series, 6 points above its low. |
| Silver (BASF) | 5, 2019–2025 | small and steady | Between 8% and 10% throughout, with no move the rules register. |
| Blue (BASF) | 5, 2019–2025 | declining | Down 3 points from its 9% peak in 2019 to 6% in 2025, and 2 points lower over the last two editions. |
| Red (BASF) | 5, 2019–2025 | declining | Down 4 points from its 7% peak in 2019 to 3% in 2025, and 2 points lower over the last two editions. |
| Green (BASF) | 5, 2019–2025 | emerging | Still under 5% (3% in 2025) but up 2 points over the last two editions. |
| Brown and beige (BASF) | 5, 2019–2025 | small and steady | Between 2% and 3% throughout, with no move the rules register. |
| Yellow and gold (BASF) | 5, 2019–2025 | small and steady | Between 1% and 2% throughout, with no move the rules register. |
For what these movements mean and what might explain them, see is colour coming back? and why everyday colour became neutral.