Who makes the EU's 17 strategic raw materials?
The EU's Critical Raw Materials Act picks them for clean tech, digital, defence and space. Each tile shows how much of the world's
supply comes from one place.
Sources: the list is from the EU's Critical Raw Materials Act . Production figures are the US Geological
Survey's (USGS) estimates for 2025, from its Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 .
Top country
The EU
In 2025, China came first in 10 of the 15 we have figures for.
Xx
Element
70%
How full share of world supply: the top country's, or the EU's
Colour
Step refined output where we have it, mined if not
Arrow
by-product: comes out of the other's ore
? no usable figures
Zn faded: the rest of the table, not on the EU list
Hover over a tile for the headline. Click it for the full picture.
bauxite
: Reddish rock formed by heavy tropical weathering. The main ore of aluminium.
gives gallium →
Dug up
Guinea 34%
Australia 22%
China 20%
7%
34%
22%
20%
7%
6%
11%
Bauxite
· United States not shown: USGS keeps the figure confidential to protect company data.
Guinea
34%
Australia
22%
China
20%
Brazil
7%
India
6%
Refined
China 62%
11%
7%
62%
11%
7%
5%
14%
Alumina
China
62%
Australia
11%
Brazil
7%
India
5%
Smelted
China 61%
61%
6%
5%
28%
Aluminium metal
China
61%
India
6%
Russia
5%
No separate figures for recycling · USGS: bauxite alumina , aluminum
lead ore
: Rock mined for lead. Other metals are recovered from it as by-products.
zinc ore
: Rock mined for zinc. Other metals are recovered from it as by-products.
comes out of tungsten →
Mostly a by-product of lead ore. In China and Vietnam, also of tungsten ore.
Dug up
No figures by country
USGS counts bismuth only once refined. It is rarely mined for itself: most comes out of lead and tungsten ore.
Refined
China 86%
86%
6%
8%
Refined bismuth
China
86%
South Korea
6%
No separate figures for recycling · USGS: bismuth
kernite
: A sodium borate mineral, mined mainly in California.
tincal
: Natural borax, a sodium borate mineral. Mined mainly in Türkiye and California.
ulexite
: A sodium-calcium borate mineral, often found in dry salt lakes in South America.
colemanite
: A calcium borate mineral, mined mainly in Türkiye.
brine
: Very salty water pumped from under salt flats and salt lakes. The dissolved minerals are extracted from it.
Each country reports a different form, from crude ore to refined borates, so the figures can't be turned into shares.
What each country reports, 2025
Türkiye
1,500
thousand tonnes of refined borates
Bolivia
380
thousand tonnes of ulexite
Chile
300
thousand tonnes of ulexite
China
230
thousand tonnes of boric oxide equivalent
Peru
220
thousand tonnes of crude borates
Argentina
170
thousand tonnes of crude ore
Russia
80
thousand tonnes of datolite ore
Germany
40
thousand tonnes of compounds
United States
withheld
No separate figures for recycling · USGS: boron
comes out of copper →
comes out of nickel →
Most known cobalt sits in copper deposits (DR Congo, Zambia) and in nickel deposits.
Dug up
DR Congo 73%
14%
73%
14%
13%
Cobalt in ore
DR Congo
73%
Indonesia
14%
Refined
No figures by country
USGS publishes country figures for cobalt at the mine only, not once refined.
No separate figures for recycling · USGS: cobalt
gives cobalt →
Dug up
Chile 23%
14%
12%
8%
23%
14%
12%
8%
6%
38%
Copper in ore
Chile
23%
DR Congo
14%
Peru
12%
China
8%
Russia
6%
Refined
China 48%
10%
48%
10%
6%
36%
Refined copper
China
48%
DR Congo
10%
Chile
6%
No separate figures for recycling · USGS: copper
zinc ore
: Rock mined for zinc. Other metals are recovered from it as by-products.
comes out of aluminium →
Never mined for itself. Most is recovered while refining bauxite into alumina, the rest from zinc residues.
Comes out of
China 62%
11%
7%
62%
11%
7%
5%
14%
Alumina refining
· Gallium is not mined. Most is recovered while refining bauxite into alumina.
China
62%
Australia
11%
Brazil
7%
India
5%
Refined
China 99%
99%
1%
Primary gallium
China
99%
No separate figures for recycling · USGS: bauxite alumina , gallium
zinc ore
: Rock mined for zinc. Other metals are recovered from it as by-products.
lignite coal
: Soft brown coal. Some deposits contain germanium, recovered from the ash.
Recovered from zinc ores. Also found in some coal.
USGS publishes no output figures by country for germanium.
No separate figures for recycling · USGS: germanium
spodumene
: A hard, pale mineral found in granite-like rock. Australia's lithium comes from it.
brine
: Very salty water pumped from under salt flats and salt lakes. The dissolved minerals are extracted from it.
claystone
: Rock made of hardened clay. Some deposits hold lithium, but few are mined yet.
Dug up
Australia 32%
China 21%
Chile 19%
10%
8%
32%
21%
19%
10%
8%
10%
Lithium in ore and brine
· All lithium mined. The Act lists battery grade.
· United States not shown: USGS keeps the figure confidential to protect company data.
Australia
32%
China
21%
Chile
19%
Zimbabwe
10%
Argentina
8%
Refined
No figures by country
USGS publishes country figures for lithium at the mine only, not once refined.
No separate figures for recycling · USGS: lithium
dolomite
: A common rock of calcium and magnesium carbonate. Most magnesium metal is made from it.
brine
: Very salty water pumped from under salt flats and salt lakes. The dissolved minerals are extracted from it.
Dug up
No figures by country
USGS counts magnesium from the metal onwards. The dolomite and brine it is made from are not broken down by country.
Refined
China 86%
86%
5%
8%
Magnesium metal
China
86%
Russia
5%
No separate figures for recycling · USGS: magnesium metal
Dug up
South Africa 38%
Gabon 25%
10%
8%
38%
25%
10%
8%
20%
Manganese in ore
· All manganese mined. The Act lists battery grade.
South Africa
38%
Gabon
25%
Ghana
10%
Australia
8%
Refined
No figures by country
USGS publishes country figures for manganese at the mine only, not once refined.
No separate figures for recycling · USGS: manganese
flake graphite
: Graphite in thin, shiny flakes. The purer kind, used for batteries.
amorphous graphite
: Fine-grained, lower-grade graphite.
Dug up
China 78%
78%
22%
Natural graphite
· All natural graphite mined. The Act lists battery grade.
China
78%
Refined
No figures by country
USGS publishes country figures for graphite at the mine only, not once refined.
No separate figures for recycling · USGS: graphite
laterite
: A soil-like layer formed by tropical weathering. Indonesia's and the Philippines' nickel comes from it.
sulfide ore
: Hard rock in which metals are bound to sulfur. Canada's and Russia's nickel comes from it.
gives cobalt →
Dug up
Indonesia 67%
67%
7%
5%
21%
Nickel in ore
· All nickel mined. The Act lists battery grade.
Indonesia
67%
Philippines
7%
Russia
5%
Refined
No figures by country
USGS publishes country figures for nickel at the mine only, not once refined.
No separate figures for recycling · USGS: nickel
Platinum metals
EU list: Platinum group metals · Figures: US Geological Survey (USGS), estimates for 2025
Ru
Ruthenium
Rh
Rhodium
Pd
Palladium
Os
Osmium
Ir
Iridium
Pt
Platinum
Platinum, palladium and four rarer metals (rhodium, ruthenium, iridium, osmium) that come out of the same ore. The figures cover platinum and palladium.
Dug up
South Africa 52%
Russia 29%
9%
52%
29%
9%
6%
4%
Palladium and platinum
· Palladium and platinum added together.
South Africa
52%
Russia
29%
Zimbabwe
9%
Canada
6%
Refined
No figures by country
USGS publishes country figures for platinum metals at the mine only, not once refined.
No separate figures for recycling · USGS: platinum group
Rare earths
EU list: Rare earth elements for magnets (Nd, Pr, Tb, Dy, Gd, Sm, Ce) · Figures: US Geological Survey (USGS), estimates for 2025
Ce
Cerium
Pr
Praseodymium
Nd
Neodymium
Sm
Samarium
Gd
Gadolinium
Tb
Terbium
Dy
Dysprosium
bastnäsite
: The most mined rare-earth mineral, found at Bayan Obo in China and Mountain Pass in the US.
monazite
: A rare-earth mineral often found in beach sands. Usually contains radioactive thorium.
xenotime
: A scarcer mineral, valued as a source of heavy rare earths such as dysprosium.
Dug up
China 69%
13%
7%
69%
13%
7%
6%
5%
Rare-earth oxide
· All rare earths mined. The Act lists the magnet ones.
China
69%
United States
13%
Australia
7%
Myanmar
6%
Refined
No figures by country
USGS publishes country figures for rare earths at the mine only, not once refined.
No separate figures for recycling · USGS: rare earths
quartzite
: Very pure quartz rock. Silicon metal is made by smelting it with carbon.
Dug up
No figures by country
USGS counts silicon from the metal onwards. Mining of quartzite, its raw rock, is not broken down by country.
Refined
China 87%
87%
13%
Silicon metal
· United States not shown: USGS keeps the figure confidential to protect company data.
China
87%
No separate figures for recycling · USGS: silicon
ilmenite
: A black iron-titanium mineral, often from beach sands. The main titanium ore.
rutile
: Nearly pure titanium dioxide. Scarcer and richer than ilmenite.
Dug up
China 33%
Mozambique 19%
14%
10%
33%
19%
14%
10%
24%
Ilmenite and rutile
· Counted as titanium dioxide content, not the gross weight of ore concentrate shipped. Demand comes mainly from white pigment for paint, paper and plastics, not metal.
China
33%
Mozambique
19%
South Africa
14%
Australia
10%
Refined
China 70%
14%
70%
14%
7%
9%
Titanium sponge
China
70%
Japan
14%
Russia
7%
No separate figures for recycling · USGS: titanium minerals , titanium
gives bismuth →
Dug up
China 79%
79%
21%
Tungsten in ore
China
79%
Refined
No figures by country
USGS publishes country figures for tungsten at the mine only, not once refined.
No separate figures for recycling · USGS: tungsten