Images: Shutterstock
Data: US Geological Survey (USGS), January 2025
Rare-earth minerals, such as neodymium, cerium and lanthanum are used in more than 200 high-tech products, from EVs and batteries to MRI machines and cancer drugs.
Here is a list of the top countries producing rare-earth minerals in the world.
6. Russia
Production: 2,500 metric tons*
Reserves: 3.8 million metric tons
Globally, Russia ranked 6th in terms of rare earth reserves.
*As of 2024
5. India
Production: 2,900 metric tons
Reserves: 6.9 million metric tons
Despite having the third-largest rare-earth reserves in the world, India produces less than 1% of the global output.
4. Thailand
Production: 13,000 metric tons
Reserves: 4,500 metric tons
The country produced more than its reserves because it imported raw ores and processed them into rare-earth exports.*
* Source: Thai PBS World
4. Nigeria*
Production: 13,000 metric tons
Reserves: Data not available
The country’s rare-earth mineral production surged 80.56% annually from 7,200 metric tons in 2023.
*shares rank with 2 countries
4. Australia
Production: 13,000 metric tons
Reserves: 5.7 million metric tons
Its production fell from 16,000 metric tons in 2023. It holds the world’s fourth-largest reserves.
3. Burma
Production: 31,000 metric tons
Reserves: Data not available
Its rare earth mineral production slumped nearly 28% in 2024 from 43,000 metric tons it produced the previous year.
2. USA
Production: 45,000 metric tons
Reserves: 1.9 million metric tons
In the US, the supply of rare earths comes only from the Mountain Pass mine in California.
1. China
Production: 270,000 metric tons
Reserves: 44 million metric tons
Not only is China the world’s largest producer of rare-earth minerals, but it is also the biggest exporter.
Image: Pexels
Special mention
While Brazil holds the second-largest rare-earth mineral reserves in the world at 21 million metric tons, it accounts for less than 1% of global production, having mined just 20 metric tons in 2024.
Mining rare-earth minerals is an extremely arduous process, as they’re spread thinly across the Earth’s surface, which is why some countries have large reserves but low output.
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