  We obtain strangeness production as function of centrality in a statistical
hadronization model analysis of all experimental hadron production data in
Au--Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=62.4\GeV$. Our analysis describes
successfully the yield of strange and multi-strange hadrons recently published.
We explore condition of hadronization as a function of centrality and find
universality for the case of chemical non-equilibrium in the hadron phase space
corresponding to quark--gluon plasma (QGP) in chemical equilibrium.
