China - Critical Mineral Production & Reserves
Statistical profile of China's critical mineral output across 33 quantified mineral chapters in the U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries (2020-2026). China holds 21 #1 global production ranks and 29 top-three global production ranks.
China Critical Mineral Production & World Shares (2020-2025)
| Mineral & Stage | Unit | 2020 | 2022 | 2024 | 2025e | Share | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gallium Primary production | kilograms | 317,000 | 600,000 | 839,000 | 900,000 | 100.0% | #1 |
| Bismuth Refinery production | metric tons | 16,000 | 15,500 | 14,000 | 14,000 | 87.5% | #1 |
| Silicon Silicon metal | thousand metric tons | - | 2,900 | 4,800 | 4,000 | 87.0% | #1 |
| Magnesium metal Smelter production | thousand metric tons | 886 | 933 | 953 | 950 | 86.4% | #1 |
| Tellurium Refinery production | metric tons | 330 | 380 | 750 | 800 | 80.0% | #1 |
| Tungsten Mine production | metric tons | 66,000 | 66,000 | 67,000 | 67,000 | 78.8% | #1 |
| Natural graphite Mine production | metric tons | 762,000 | 1,210,000 | 1,270,000 | 1,400,000 | 77.8% | #1 |
| Vanadium Mine production | metric tons | 70,000 | 66,900 | 84,000 | 82,000 | 74.5% | #1 |
| Silicon Ferrosilicon | thousand metric tons | - | 2,900 | 4,800 | 3,500 | 70.0% | #1 |
| Rare earths Mine production | metric tons | 140,000 | 210,000 | 270,000 | 270,000 | 69.2% | #1 |
| Indium Refinery production | metric tons | 540 | 670 | 760 | 760 | 69.1% | #1 |
| Bauxite Alumina, refinery production | thousand metric dry tons | 92,700 | 90,000 | 80,500 | 93,000 | 62.0% | #1 |
| Aluminum Smelter production | thousand metric tons | 37,100 | 40,200 | 44,000 | 45,000 | 60.8% | #1 |
| Fluorspar Mine production | thousand metric tons | 5,400 | 5,700 | 6,000 | 6,000 | 60.0% | #1 |
| Copper Refinery production | thousand metric tons | 1,720 | 1,940 | 1,840 | 14,000 | 48.3% | #1 |
| Phosphate rock Mine production | thousand metric tons | 88,000 | 93,000 | 105,000 | 110,000 | 44.0% | #1 |
| Lead Mine production | thousand metric tons | 1,900 | 1,950 | 1,940 | 1,900 | 42.2% | #1 |
| Arsenic Production (arsenic trioxide, gross weight) | metric tons | 24,000 | 24,000 | 24,000 | 24,000 | 39.3% | #2 |
| Antimony Mine production | metric tons | 61,000 | 40,000 | 40,000 | 40,000 | 36.4% | #1 |
| Titanium minerals Mine production: ilmenite | thousand metric tons | 2,800 | 3,140 | 3,040 | 3,200 | 34.0% | #1 |
| Zinc Mine production | thousand metric tons | 4,060 | 4,040 | 4,000 | 4,100 | 31.5% | #1 |
| Barite Mine production | thousand metric tons | 2,800 | 1,900 | 2,100 | 2,200 | 25.3% | #2 |
| Rhenium Mine production | kilograms | 2,500 | 2,500 | 20,000 | 20,000 | 24.7% | #2 |
| Tin Mine production | metric tons | 84,000 | 71,000 | 71,000 | 71,000 | 24.5% | #1 |
| Lithium Mine production | metric tons | 13,300 | 22,600 | 41,400 | 62,000 | 21.4% | #2 |
| Bauxite Bauxite, mine production | thousand metric dry tons | 92,700 | 90,000 | 80,500 | 87,000 | 19.8% | #3 |
| Beryllium Mine production | metric tons | 70 | 70 | 78 | 77 | 17.9% | #3 |
| Silver Mine production | metric tons | 3,380 | 3,480 | 3,430 | 3,400 | 13.1% | #3 |
| Potash Mine production | thousand metric tons | 6,000 | 6,000 | 6,300 | 6,300 | 12.9% | #3 |
| Zirconium & hafnium Zirconium mineral concentrates, mine production (thousand metric tons, gross weight) | thousand metric tons | 140 | 140 | 100 | 100 | 8.3% | #4 |
| Copper Mine production | thousand metric tons | 1,720 | 1,940 | 1,840 | 1,800 | 7.8% | #4 |
| Manganese Mine production | thousand metric tons | 1,340 | 743 | 690 | 700 | 3.5% | #7 |
| Tantalum Mine production | metric tons | 74 | 78 | 76 | 80 | 3.2% | #5 |
| Nickel Mine production | metric tons | 120,000 | 114,000 | 115,000 | 120,000 | 3.1% | #6 |
| Cobalt Mine production | metric tons | 2,200 | 2,200 | 2,000 | 2,000 | 0.6% | #9 |
| Niobium Mine production | metric tons | - | - | 44 | 40 | 0.0% | #6 |
China Reported Critical Mineral Reserves (2025)
| Mineral & Reserve Basis | Unit | Reported Reserves | Share of World Reserves | Global Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fluorspar Reserves | thousand metric tons | 110,000 | 33.3% | #1 |
| Natural graphite Reserves | metric tons | 100,000,000 | 32.3% | #1 |
| Vanadium Reserves | metric tons | 5,800,000 | 27.6% | #2 |
| Zinc Reserves | thousand metric tons | 60,000 | 25.0% | #2 |
| Lead Reserves | thousand metric tons | 22,000 | 23.2% | #2 |
| Manganese Reserves | thousand metric tons | 260,000 | 15.3% | #4 |
| Lithium Reserves | metric tons | 4,600,000 | 12.4% | #3 |
| Silver Reserves | metric tons | 67,000 | 11.0% | #4 |
| Phosphate rock Reserves | thousand metric tons | 3,400,000 | 4.7% | #2 |
| Copper Reserves | thousand metric tons | 41,000 | 4.2% | #8 |
| Bauxite Bauxite reserves | thousand metric dry tons | 710,000 | 2.4% | #7 |
| Cobalt Reserves | metric tons | 160,000 | 1.3% | #8 |
| Antimony Reserves | metric tons | 830,000 | - | #1 |
| Barite Reserves | thousand metric tons | 120,000 | - | #1 |
| Nickel Reserves | metric tons | 4,400,000 | - | #7 |
| Niobium Reserves | metric tons | 6,500,000 | - | #2 |
| Potash Reserves: K2O equivalent | thousand metric tons | 200,000 | - | #6 |
| Rare earths Reserves | metric tons | 44,000,000 | - | #1 |
| Rhenium Reserves | kilograms | 200,000 | - | #4 |
| Tantalum Reserves | metric tons | 240,000 | - | #1 |
| Tin Reserves | metric tons | 1,200,000 | - | #2 |
| Titanium minerals Reserves: ilmenite | thousand metric tons | 110,000 | - | #2 |
| Tungsten Reserves | metric tons | 2,500,000 | - | #1 |
| Zirconium & hafnium Zirconium reserves(thousand metric tons, ZrO2 content) | thousand metric tons | 500 | - | #7 |
Frequently Asked Questions - China
Which critical minerals does China lead in global production?
Among the 2026 USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries country tables, China ranks in the global top three for 29 production measures (#1 in 21), including Gallium (primary production, rank #1, 100.0% of world total), Bismuth (refinery production, rank #1, 87.5% of world total), Silicon (silicon metal, rank #1, 87.0% of world total), Magnesium metal (smelter production, rank #1, 86.4% of world total), Tellurium (refinery production, rank #1, 80.0% of world total).
What critical mineral reserves are reported for China?
Quantified reserve estimates reported for China in the 2026 USGS release include Antimony (830,000 metric tons), Barite (120,000 thousand metric tons), Bauxite (710,000 thousand metric dry tons), Cobalt (160,000 metric tons), Copper (41,000 thousand metric tons). Reserve definitions and assessment dates vary across reporting jurisdictions.
For which critical minerals is China a major import source to the United States?
In USGS 2021-24 US import-source statistics, China is a reported supplier across 32 tracked import categories, led by Arsenic (Arsenic metal: 95%), Rare earths (Rare-earth compounds and metals: 71%), Antimony (Oxide: 66%), Arsenic (Arsenic trioxide: 61%).