South Africa - Critical Mineral Production & Reserves
Statistical profile of South Africa's critical mineral output across 11 quantified mineral chapters in the U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries (2020-2026). South Africa holds 3 #1 global production ranks and 7 top-three global production ranks.
South Africa Critical Mineral Production & World Shares (2020-2025)
| Mineral & Stage | Unit | 2020 | 2022 | 2024 | 2025e | Share | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platinum-group metals Mine production: Platinum | kilograms | 112,000 | 124,000 | 82,600 | 120,000 | 70.6% | #1 |
| Chromium Mine production | thousand metric tons | 13,200 | 19,100 | 22,900 | 23,000 | 45.1% | #1 |
| Manganese Mine production | thousand metric tons | 6,500 | 7,300 | 7,490 | 7,600 | 38.0% | #1 |
| Platinum-group metals Mine production: Palladium | kilograms | 112,000 | 124,000 | 82,600 | 70,000 | 36.8% | #2 |
| Zirconium & hafnium Zirconium mineral concentrates, mine production (thousand metric tons, gross weight) | thousand metric tons | 280 | 300 | 290 | 270 | 22.5% | #2 |
| Titanium minerals Mine production: rutile | thousand metric tons | 1,020 | 1,100 | 1,260 | 100 | 22.2% | #3 |
| Titanium minerals Mine production: ilmenite | thousand metric tons | 1,020 | 1,100 | 1,260 | 1,300 | 13.8% | #3 |
| Vanadium Mine production | metric tons | 8,580 | 8,870 | 8,050 | 5,000 | 4.5% | #4 |
| Fluorspar Mine production | thousand metric tons | 330 | 406 | 447 | 410 | 4.1% | #4 |
| Phosphate rock Mine production | thousand metric tons | 1,800 | 1,990 | 2,220 | 2,200 | 0.9% | #15 |
| Silicon Ferrosilicon | thousand metric tons | - | - | 15 | 35 | 0.7% | #11 |
| Tellurium Refinery production | metric tons | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 0.5% | #6 |
| Silicon Silicon metal | thousand metric tons | - | - | 15 | 10 | 0.2% | #10 |
South Africa Reported Critical Mineral Reserves (2025)
| Mineral & Reserve Basis | Unit | Reported Reserves | Share of World Reserves | Global Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manganese Reserves | thousand metric tons | 550,000 | 32.4% | #2 |
| Fluorspar Reserves | thousand metric tons | 41,000 | 12.4% | #3 |
| Vanadium Reserves | metric tons | 520,000 | 2.5% | #4 |
| Phosphate rock Reserves | thousand metric tons | 1,500,000 | 2.1% | #8 |
| Chromium Reserves: Cr2O3 content | thousand metric tons | 110,000 | - | #1 |
| Platinum-group metals PGM reserves | kilograms | 63,000,000 | - | #1 |
| Rare earths Reserves | metric tons | 860,000 | - | #9 |
| Titanium minerals Reserves: ilmenite | thousand metric tons | 28,000 | - | #6 |
| Titanium minerals Reserves: rutile | thousand metric tons | 6,200 | - | #2 |
| Zirconium & hafnium Zirconium reserves(thousand metric tons, ZrO2 content) | thousand metric tons | 5,900 | - | #2 |
Frequently Asked Questions - South Africa
Which critical minerals does South Africa lead in global production?
Among the 2026 USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries country tables, South Africa ranks in the global top three for 7 production measures (#1 in 3), including Platinum-group metals (mine production: platinum, rank #1, 70.6% of world total), Chromium (mine production, rank #1, 45.1% of world total), Manganese (mine production, rank #1, 38.0% of world total), Platinum-group metals (mine production: palladium, rank #2, 36.8% of world total), Zirconium & hafnium (zirconium mineral concentrates, mine production (thousand metric tons, gross weight), rank #2, 22.5% of world total).
What critical mineral reserves are reported for South Africa?
Quantified reserve estimates reported for South Africa in the 2026 USGS release include Chromium (110,000 thousand metric tons), Fluorspar (41,000 thousand metric tons), Manganese (550,000 thousand metric tons), Phosphate rock (1,500,000 thousand metric tons), Platinum-group metals (63,000,000 kilograms). Reserve definitions and assessment dates vary across reporting jurisdictions.
For which critical minerals is South Africa a major import source to the United States?
In USGS 2021-24 US import-source statistics, South Africa is a reported supplier across 15 tracked import categories, led by Chromium (Chromite (ores and concentrates): 96%), Platinum-group metals (Platinum: 49%), Zirconium & hafnium (Zirconium ores and concentrates: 48%), Vanadium (Vanadium pentoxide: 43%).