Mining Critical Minerals: Where Output Is Concentrated
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Mining of critical minerals is concentrated: in USGS's 2025 estimates a single country mined more than half of the world's output for 8 of the 15 commodities below. Brazil mined 93% of niobium, the Democratic Republic of the Congo 73% of cobalt, China 79% of tungsten and 75% of vanadium, and Indonesia 67% of nickel. Copper is the least concentrated of the group, with Chile at 23%.
93%
of world niobium mine output in 2025 came from Brazil
73%
of world cobalt mine output came from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (USGS estimate)
79%
of world tungsten mine output was Chinese (67,000 of 85,000 tonnes)
Which country mines the most of each critical mineral?
The table ranks the commodities by the leading producer's share of 2025 world mine output. Shares are our arithmetic on the USGS estimates, except graphite where USGS states the share itself.
| Commodity | Largest producer | Output | World output | Share | Second |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niobium | Brazil | 104,000 t | 112,000 t | 93% | Canada, 6,000 t |
| Cobalt | Congo (Kinshasa) | 230,000 t | 310,000 t | 73% | Indonesia, 44,000 t |
| Natural graphite | China | about 82% (USGS) | 1.8 million t | 82% | Madagascar, 80,000 t |
| Tungsten | China | 67,000 t | 85,000 t | 79% | Vietnam, 3,000 t |
| Vanadium | China | 82,000 t | 110,000 t | 75% | Russia, 21,000 t |
| Rare earths (oxide) | China | 270,000 t | 390,000 t | 69% | United States, 51,000 t |
| Nickel | Indonesia | 2.6 million t | 3.9 million t | 67% | Philippines, 270,000 t |
| Platinum | South Africa | 120,000 kg | 170,000 kg | 71% | Russia, 20,000 kg |
| Chromite ore | South Africa | 23 million t | 51 million t | 45% | Turkey, 9 million t |
| Palladium | Russia | 84,000 kg | 190,000 kg | 44% | South Africa, 70,000 kg |
| Manganese (contained) | South Africa | 7.6 million t | 20 million t | 38% | Gabon, 5 million t |
| Molybdenum | China | 97,000 t | 260,000 t | 37% | Chile, 42,000 t |
| Antimony | China | 40,000 t | 110,000 t | 36% | Russia, 32,000 t |
| Lithium (contained) | Australia | 92,000 t | about 290,000 t (excludes the U.S.) | 32% | China, 62,000 t |
| Copper | Chile | 5.3 million t | 23 million t | 23% | Congo (Kinshasa), 3.2 million t |
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 world production tables for niobium, cobalt, graphite, tungsten, vanadium, rare earths, nickel, platinum group metals, chromium, manganese, molybdenum, antimony, lithium and copper. Chromite is gross weight of ore, antimony and cobalt are as USGS tabulates them.
Is the mine or the refinery the bigger concentration?
For some minerals the refinery is far more concentrated than the mine. China mined 8% of the world's copper in 2025 (1.8 of 23 million tonnes) but produced 48% of refined copper (14.0 of 29.0 million tonnes), and the EU's 2023 assessment found that for rare earths, gallium, magnesium and tungsten the bottleneck is processing, not mining. The page on Chinese processing covers the downstream steps, and the refining page the metallurgy.
What does mining concentration mean for the United States?
The United States produces little of several of these minerals. USGS notes the United States has not mined tungsten commercially since 2015, has not produced manganese ore of 20% or more manganese since 1970, and has not reported significant niobium mining since 1959. Rare earths are the exception among the group: the United States mined 51,000 tonnes of rare earth oxide in 2025, second to China, though most of the concentrate leaves the country for separation. Uranium mining is led by Kazakhstan (39% of 2024 output), Canada (24%) and Namibia (12%), according to the World Nuclear Association.
Frequently asked questions
Which country mines the most critical minerals?
China is the largest mine producer of graphite, tungsten, vanadium, rare earths, molybdenum and antimony in the USGS 2025 estimates. Other countries lead elsewhere: Brazil for niobium, the Congo for cobalt, Indonesia for nickel, South Africa for platinum, chromite and manganese, and Australia for lithium.
Which critical mineral is the most concentrated at the mine?
Niobium. USGS estimates Brazil mined 104,000 of the world's 112,000 tonnes in 2025, about 93%. Cobalt is next among those tabulated, with the Congo at about 73%.
Is copper mining concentrated?
Less than most critical minerals. Chile mined 5.3 of 23 million tonnes in 2025, about 23%, followed by the Congo at 3.2 million tonnes. Refining is more concentrated: China produced about 48% of refined copper.
Where is uranium mined?
Kazakhstan mined 23,270 tonnes of uranium in 2024, 39% of the world total of 60,213 tonnes, according to the World Nuclear Association. Canada mined 14,309 tonnes and Namibia 7,333 tonnes.
Sources
Read on October 13, 2026. Figures on this page come from these documents; where a number is an estimate, the source says so.
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 (14 commodity chapters). World production tables read from the PDFs; each chapter is linked under the table
- World Nuclear Association: World uranium mining production. 2024 data
- European Commission: Study on the Critical Raw Materials for the EU 2023. Table A, stage of largest supplier share
