Rio Tinto says?the global?demand for iron ore will grow over the next eight years. [Web photo]

Global iron ore production growth needs to be at a rate of at least 100 million tones a year over the next eight years to meet rising demand, the world's mining giant Rio Tinto said on Thursday.

David Joyce, managing director of Rio Tinto Iron Ore expansion projects, said many African nations were well placed to meet demand growth.

"As markets like China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam and countries in Africa and South America continue to industrialize and urbanize, we will see an increase in demand for better housing, cars, infrastructure and mobile phones," Joyce told the Africa Down Under mining conference in Perth on Thursday.

"The level of metal intensity per capita will increase with this development and urbanisation."

Joyce also said Rio Tinto was heading in the right direction to increase its iron ore production capacity in Western Australia's Pilbara region to 333 million tones a year, from current annual capacity of 225 million tones.