Global residential countertop installations will grow by 3.3 percent annually and top 3.6 billion ft² by 2013, according to a new study from The Freedonia Group Inc.

The Cleveland-based research firm's World Residential Countertops also notes that North American demand in the next few years will be slightly less, with a growth rate of 3 percent every year, hitting 684 million ft² in 2013.

In 2008 C the base year for the study C Freedonia sets North America's countertop market at 589 million ft². That translated into an annual growth rate of only 1.8 percent from 2003-2008, lagging behind the worldwide 3.9-percent yearly growth for the same five years.

The Asia/Pacific region holds the largest potential for market expansion with countertops. Freedonias study estimates a 3.7-percent growth rate for the area in 2008-2013, with 1.6 billion ft² in demand for 2013.

Western Europe's countertop demand, meanwhile, will grow yearly by 2.3 percent, with 462 million ft² in 2013. The rest of the world will see an annual 3.4-percent growth rate, culminating in 911 million ft² in 2013.

The study also shows that natural stone and solid surface each accounted for one-fifth of global countertop demand in 2008, while laminate took one-quarter of the market. Solid surface made the biggest inroads in the Asia/Pacific region, accounting for 70 percent of total demand.

Laminate made its biggest mark in North America; the region ended up taking 40 percent of the total worldwide sales of the material.

The study sees rapid gains for engineered stone worldwide by 2013, mainly because of the small size of its current market.

Brazil, China and India will be some of the countries showing the largest gains in countertop demands with the continuing construction of modern housing units. There will also be increased upgrading from free-standing furniture to conventional countertops in many parts of the world.