Australia - Critical Mineral Production & Reserves
Statistical profile of Australia's critical mineral output across 20 quantified mineral chapters in the U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries (2020-2026). Australia holds 3 #1 global production ranks and 8 top-three global production ranks.
Australia Critical Mineral Production & World Shares (2020-2025)
| Mineral & Stage | Unit | 2020 | 2022 | 2024 | 2025e | Share | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titanium minerals Mine production: rutile | thousand metric tons | 480 | 400 | 600 | 200 | 44.4% | #1 |
| Zirconium & hafnium Zirconium mineral concentrates, mine production (thousand metric tons, gross weight) | thousand metric tons | 400 | 500 | 400 | 400 | 33.3% | #1 |
| Lithium Mine production | metric tons | 39,700 | 74,700 | 82,700 | 92,000 | 31.7% | #1 |
| Bauxite Bauxite, mine production | thousand metric dry tons | 104,000 | 102,000 | 100,000 | 97,000 | 22.0% | #2 |
| Bauxite Alumina, refinery production | thousand metric dry tons | 104,000 | 102,000 | 100,000 | 17,000 | 11.3% | #2 |
| Lead Mine production | thousand metric tons | 494 | 435 | 481 | 480 | 10.7% | #2 |
| Zinc Mine production | thousand metric tons | 1,310 | 1,240 | 1,100 | 1,100 | 8.5% | #3 |
| Titanium minerals Mine production: ilmenite | thousand metric tons | 480 | 400 | 600 | 780 | 8.3% | #4 |
| Manganese Mine production | thousand metric tons | 3,330 | 3,040 | 1,600 | 1,600 | 8.0% | #4 |
| Rare earths Mine production | metric tons | 21,000 | 18,000 | 29,000 | 29,000 | 7.4% | #3 |
| Tin Mine production | metric tons | 8,120 | 9,000 | 11,300 | 12,000 | 4.1% | #7 |
| Silver Mine production | metric tons | 1,340 | 1,167 | 1,050 | 1,000 | 3.8% | #9 |
| Copper Mine production | thousand metric tons | 885 | 819 | 765 | 730 | 3.2% | #8 |
| Aluminum Smelter production | thousand metric tons | 1,580 | 1,510 | 1,570 | 1,500 | 2.0% | #7 |
| Tantalum Mine production | metric tons | 34 | 46 | 52 | 50 | 2.0% | #6 |
| Copper Refinery production | thousand metric tons | 885 | 819 | 765 | 460 | 1.6% | #13 |
| Cobalt Mine production | metric tons | 5,630 | 5,790 | 4,780 | 3,700 | 1.2% | #5 |
| Antimony Mine production | metric tons | 3,900 | 2,290 | 1,270 | 1,300 | 1.2% | #7 |
| Tungsten Mine production | metric tons | - | 200 | 920 | 1,000 | 1.2% | #8 |
| Nickel Mine production | metric tons | 169,000 | 155,000 | 98,000 | 45,000 | 1.2% | #8 |
| Silicon Silicon metal | thousand metric tons | - | 48 | 47 | 47 | 1.0% | #5 |
| Phosphate rock Mine production | thousand metric tons | 2,000 | 2,500 | 2,500 | 2,500 | 1.0% | #13 |
Australia Reported Critical Mineral Reserves (2025)
| Mineral & Reserve Basis | Unit | Reported Reserves | Share of World Reserves | Global Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanadium Reserves | metric tons | 10,000,000 | 47.6% | #1 |
| Lead Reserves | thousand metric tons | 34,000 | 35.8% | #1 |
| Manganese Reserves | thousand metric tons | 580,000 | 34.1% | #1 |
| Zinc Reserves | thousand metric tons | 64,000 | 26.7% | #1 |
| Lithium Reserves | metric tons | 8,400,000 | 22.7% | #2 |
| Silver Reserves | metric tons | 91,000 | 14.9% | #3 |
| Cobalt Reserves | metric tons | 1,700,000 | 14.2% | #2 |
| Bauxite Bauxite reserves | thousand metric dry tons | 3,700,000 | 12.8% | #2 |
| Copper Reserves | thousand metric tons | 100,000 | 10.2% | #2 |
| Phosphate rock Reserves | thousand metric tons | 800,000 | 1.1% | #13 |
| Antimony Reserves | metric tons | 110,000 | - | #6 |
| Nickel Reserves | metric tons | 25,000,000 | - | #2 |
| Rare earths Reserves | metric tons | 6,300,000 | - | #3 |
| Tantalum Reserves | metric tons | 120,000 | - | #2 |
| Tin Reserves | metric tons | 570,000 | - | #5 |
| Titanium minerals Reserves: ilmenite | thousand metric tons | 170,000 | - | #1 |
| Titanium minerals Reserves: rutile | thousand metric tons | 35,000 | - | #1 |
| Tungsten Reserves | metric tons | 570,000 | - | #2 |
| Zirconium & hafnium Zirconium reserves(thousand metric tons, ZrO2 content) | thousand metric tons | 55,000 | - | #1 |
Frequently Asked Questions - Australia
Which critical minerals does Australia lead in global production?
Among the 2026 USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries country tables, Australia ranks in the global top three for 8 production measures (#1 in 3), including Titanium minerals (mine production: rutile, rank #1, 44.4% of world total), Zirconium & hafnium (zirconium mineral concentrates, mine production (thousand metric tons, gross weight), rank #1, 33.3% of world total), Lithium (mine production, rank #1, 31.7% of world total), Bauxite (bauxite, mine production, rank #2, 22.0% of world total), Bauxite (alumina, refinery production, rank #2, 11.3% of world total).
What critical mineral reserves are reported for Australia?
Quantified reserve estimates reported for Australia in the 2026 USGS release include Antimony (110,000 metric tons), Bauxite (3,700,000 thousand metric dry tons), Cobalt (1,700,000 metric tons), Copper (100,000 thousand metric tons), Lead (34,000 thousand metric tons). Reserve definitions and assessment dates vary across reporting jurisdictions.
For which critical minerals is Australia a major import source to the United States?
In USGS 2021-24 US import-source statistics, Australia is a reported supplier across 13 tracked import categories, led by Tantalum (Tantalum ores and concentrates: 64%), Niobium (Niobium and tantalum ores and concentrates: 62%), Zirconium & hafnium (Zirconium ores and concentrates: 35%), Manganese (Silicomanganese: 18%).