What Are Rare Earth Elements?
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Rare earth elements are 17 metals: the 15 lanthanides from lanthanum to lutetium, plus scandium and yttrium, which behave like the heavier lanthanides. The name is a historical misnomer. The US Geological Survey says the elements are not scarce in the Earth's crust, and that even the two least abundant, thulium and lutetium, are nearly 200 times more common than gold. What is rare is a concentration high enough to mine.
17
elements in the IUPAC definition: 15 lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium
80-99%
of most rare earth deposits is lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium and neodymium
Source: USGS Fact Sheet 087-02
~200x
how much more common thulium and lutetium, the rarest two, are than gold in the crust
Source: USGS Fact Sheet 087-02
270,000 t
of 390,000 t world rare earth oxide mine output came from China in 2025
Which elements are rare earths?
The rare earths are lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium and lutetium, together with scandium and yttrium. Promethium has no stable isotope and is not mined. The USGS counts 15 naturally occurring lanthanides and treats yttrium as a rare earth because its geochemistry is almost identical to the heavier lanthanides. Each element, with its price and control status, is on the list of the 17 rare earths, and the light and heavy groups have their own page.
Why are they called rare?
They are called rare because ore deposits rich enough to mine are uncommon, not because the elements are scarce. The USGS describes the name as a historical misnomer that reflects unfamiliarity. The more abundant rare earths occur at crustal concentrations similar to chromium, nickel, copper and zinc, but they have little tendency to concentrate in exploitable ore. The USGS 2026 summary says the same: rare earths are relatively abundant in the Earth's crust, but minable concentrations are less common than for most other mineral commodities.
What are rare earths used for?
Rare earths are used for magnets, catalysts, phosphors, polishing and ceramics, and the mix differs by element. The USGS reports that the leading global use is magnets while the leading US use is catalysts, and that other uses include batteries, ceramics and glass, metallurgical alloys and polishing.
| Use | Elements and examples | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent magnets | Neodymium-based alloys; the EU lists neodymium, praseodymium, terbium, dysprosium, gadolinium, samarium and cerium as magnet rare earths. Samarium goes into samarium-cobalt magnets for high-temperature use. | USGS 2026, EU Regulation 2024/1252 |
| Catalysts | Petroleum cracking and automotive catalytic converters; the leading US end use | USGS fact sheet, USGS 2026 |
| Phosphors | Europium in displays and lighting; yttrium in phosphors | USGS fact sheet, USGS yttrium |
| Lasers and optics | Erbium in fiber-optic amplifiers; yttrium-aluminum-garnet lasers for communication, industry and medicine | USGS fact sheet, USGS yttrium |
| Glass polishing | Cerium oxide | USGS fact sheet |
| Batteries | Lanthanum in nickel-metal-hydride batteries | USGS fact sheet |
The USGS fact sheet dates from 2002, so its list reflects the technologies of that time. The 2026 summary lists magnets as the leading global use.
Why are rare earths critical?
Rare earths are on all four major critical mineral lists, and the supply chain is concentrated at the processing stage. They are on the US list, are a priority mineral in Canada, are on Australia's critical list, and the EU lists both heavy and light rare earths as critical and the magnet rare earths as strategic. China mined 69% of world output in 2025, and the International Energy Agency says planned rare earth refining capacity would reach only about two thirds of expected mine output in 2035. See why China dominates processing and the list comparison.
Frequently asked questions
What are rare earth elements?
Rare earth elements are 17 metals made up of the 15 lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium. They are used in magnets, catalysts, phosphors, lasers and polishing, and they are chemically so similar that separating them is difficult.
Why are rare earth elements called rare?
Rare earth elements are called rare because deposits concentrated enough to mine are uncommon, not because the elements are scarce in the crust. The USGS says the name is a historical misnomer and that even thulium and lutetium are nearly 200 times more common than gold.
How many rare earth elements are there?
There are 17 rare earth elements under the IUPAC definition: the 15 lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium. Promethium is one of the lanthanides but has no stable isotope, so 16 are mined in practice.
What is the main use of rare earths?
The main global use of rare earths is permanent magnets, according to the USGS. The leading use in the United States is catalysts, and other uses include batteries, ceramics, glass, alloys and polishing.
Sources
Read on October 12, 2026. Figures on this page come from these documents; where a number is an estimate, the source says so.
- USGS Fact Sheet 087-02: Rare earth elements, critical resources for high technology (2002)
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Rare earths, yttrium
- IUPAC: Nomenclature of Inorganic Chemistry (Red Book, 2005)
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1252, Annexes I and II
- Global Mining Review: report on the IEA Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2026
Related topics
The 17 Rare Earth Elements
Each element with price and control status.
Light vs Heavy Rare Earths
How the groups are defined and why it matters.
Magnet Rare Earths
The elements that go into permanent magnets.
Critical Minerals vs Rare Earths
How rare earths fit within the wider critical minerals lists.
