Manganese statistics span mine output, reserves, trade, steelmaking and emerging battery supply chains. The measures below identify the geography, period, unit and whether each figure is an estimate, observation or forecast.
Key Manganese Statistics
The most broadly useful manganese figures are:
- World mine production was an estimated 19,600 thousand metric tons of contained manganese in 2023.
- World mine production rose to an estimated 20,000 thousand metric tons in 2024.
- South Africa produced an estimated 7,400 thousand metric tons of contained manganese in 2024.
- Gabon produced an estimated 4,600 thousand metric tons of contained manganese in 2024.
- Global manganese reserves were estimated at 1,700,000 thousand metric tons in the 2025 USGS summary.
- South Africa held an estimated 560,000 thousand metric tons of reported reserves in the 2024 estimate published in 2025.
- South Africa accounted for an estimated 70% of global land-based manganese resources in the 2024 estimate published in 2025.
- U.S. apparent manganese consumption was estimated at 690 thousand metric tons in 2023.
- U.S. net import reliance was estimated at 100% of apparent manganese consumption in every year from 2019 through 2023.
- U.S. manganese ore imports were 500 thousand metric tons gross weight in 2023.
- Gabon supplied 62% of U.S. manganese ore imports by manganese content during 2019–2022.
- The China CIF average manganese-content price was $5.80 per metric ton unit in 2024.
- Manganese use in steel was estimated at about 6–9 kilograms per metric ton of steel.
- LFP batteries supplied almost half of the global electric-car market in the IEA 2025 outlook.
- Battery-grade manganese sulfate supply from the project pipeline would cover only 55% of projected STEPS demand in 2035.
- China had almost 100% of global LFP production capacity in 2023.
- The FY2025 U.S. stockpile listed 292 thousand metric tons of metallurgical-grade manganese ore for potential disposal.
Contents
- Key Manganese Statistics
- Manganese Production Statistics by Country
- Manganese Reserves and Supply Concentration Data
- U.S. Manganese Consumption, Imports and Stocks
- Manganese Prices, Trade Shares and Recent Trends
- Manganese in Steel and Battery Supply Chains
- Manganese Stockpiles, Operations and Industry Outlook
Manganese Production Statistics by Country
USGS production figures here measure contained manganese in thousand metric tons, not gross-weight ore. The 2023 and 2024 world totals are rounded estimates, so small differences should not be treated as precise changes.
| Producer | 2023 | 2024 | Unit and basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 7,300 | 7,400 | Thousand metric tons, contained manganese |
| Gabon | 4,490 | 4,600 | Thousand metric tons, contained manganese |
| Australia | 2,860 | 2,800 | Thousand metric tons, contained manganese |
| China | 767 | 770 | Thousand metric tons, contained manganese |
| India | 744 | 800 | Thousand metric tons, contained manganese |
| World | 19,600 | 20,000 | Thousand metric tons, contained manganese |
Source: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025. USGS labels these mine-production values as estimates and rounds the totals.
On a different gross-weight basis, world manganese ore production was 56.1 million metric tons in 2023. The same source reports 2023 gross-weight shares of 34% for South Africa, 18% for Gabon, 12% for Australia and 12% for China; these shares cannot be combined directly with contained-manganese totals.
Source: Manganese 2023, U.S. Geological Survey Minerals Yearbook. Gross weight is the mass of ore, whereas contained manganese measures the manganese within it.
Manganese Reserves and Supply Concentration Data
The 2025 USGS summary estimated global manganese reserves at 1,700,000 thousand metric tons for the 2024 estimate published in 2025. Reserve figures depend on national reporting and classification, and reported reserves are not the same as total resources.
| Geography | Reported reserves | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 560,000 | Thousand metric tons manganese content |
| Australia | 500,000 | Thousand metric tons manganese content |
| China | 280,000 | Thousand metric tons manganese content |
| Brazil | 270,000 | Thousand metric tons manganese content |
| Gabon | 61,000 | Thousand metric tons manganese content |
| Ghana | 13,000 | Thousand metric tons manganese content |
Source: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025. Australia’s figure uses a revised national reserve basis identified in a USGS footnote.
South Africa was also estimated to account for 70% of global land-based manganese resources in the 2024 estimate published in 2025. That is a resource-share estimate and differs from South Africa’s reported reserve share, so the two percentages describe different classifications.
U.S. Manganese Consumption, Imports and Stocks
The United States has no domestic production of manganese ore containing at least 20% manganese since 1970, according to the 2025 USGS summary. Its apparent manganese consumption was estimated at 690 thousand metric tons in 2023, while the Minerals Yearbook gives a separate 2023 estimate of 653 thousand metric tons, 19% below 2022; the figures come from different USGS presentations and should not be merged.
U.S. trade quantities below are gross weight unless stated otherwise:
- Manganese ore and concentrate imports were 434 thousand metric tons in 2019, 566 thousand in 2022 and 500 thousand in 2023.
- Ferromanganese imports were 332 thousand metric tons in 2019 and 300 thousand in 2023.
- Silicomanganese imports were 351 thousand metric tons in 2019 and 420 thousand in 2022.
- U.S. year-end manganese ore stocks were an estimated 312 thousand metric tons in 2022, covering producer and consumer stocks.
Source: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2024. The trade figures are quantities of material, not contained manganese.
USGS estimated U.S. net import reliance at 100% of apparent manganese consumption in every year from 2019 through 2023. That measure describes reliance on net imports for apparent consumption; it does not mean every imported product had the same grade or chemical form.
Manganese Prices, Trade Shares and Recent Trends
China CIF prices provide a market indicator for manganese content rather than a universal price for all manganese products. The average was $4.58 per metric ton unit in 2020, $5.97 in 2022, $4.80 in 2023 and $5.80 in 2024.
Source: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025. CIF means cost, insurance and freight for the China import market.
U.S. import-source shares also show concentration, but each applies to a specified product and four-year period:
| Product and period | Supplying geography | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Manganese ore, 2019–2022 | Gabon | 62% by manganese content |
| Manganese ore, 2019–2022 | South Africa | 24% |
| Ferromanganese, 2019–2022 | Malaysia | 20% |
| Silicomanganese, 2019–2022 | Georgia | 27% |
Source: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2024. These are product-specific import-source shares, not shares of global mine production.
The 2023 U.S. average spot price fell 44% for high-carbon ferromanganese, 50% for medium-carbon ferromanganese, 47% for silicomanganese and 50% for manganese metal compared with 2022. These are observed year-over-year price comparisons from the Minerals Yearbook, not forecasts.
Manganese in Steel and Battery Supply Chains
Manganese demand remains closely tied to steel. The USGS profile estimates manganese use in steel at about 6–9 kilograms per metric ton of steel, with actual use varying by steel grade and process; global finished steel consumption was estimated to decrease 0.9% in 2024.
Source: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025. The steel-consumption figure is a related demand driver, not a manganese-only measure.
Battery statistics describe chemistry and manufacturing capacity, not direct manganese tonnage unless explicitly stated. In the IEA 2025 outlook, LFP batteries supplied almost half of the global electric-car market, compared with less than 10% in 2020.
Source: Beyond NMC batteries: Supply chain issues for emerging battery technologies, Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2025. LFP is a chemistry category and does not itself measure manganese demand.
The IEA also forecasts that the announced and project-pipeline supply of battery-grade manganese sulfate would cover only 55% of projected STEPS demand in 2035. This is a scenario forecast, not realized production or a guaranteed shortage.
In 2023, China had almost 100% of global LFP production capacity and more than three-quarters of installed NMC and other nickel-based chemistry capacity. Korea held about 20% of the latter capacity; NMC contains manganese in some formulations, while the broader category includes other nickel-based chemistries.
Source: Trends in electric vehicle batteries, Global EV Outlook 2024. China also represented nearly 90% of global installed cathode-active-material capacity and more than 97% of installed anode-active-material capacity in 2023, but those measures include materials and chemistries that may not contain manganese.
Manganese Stockpiles, Operations and Industry Outlook
The U.S. Government National Defense Stockpile listed several potential actions for FY2025:
- 292 thousand metric tons of metallurgical-grade manganese ore were listed for potential disposal.
- 18 thousand metric tons of high-carbon ferromanganese were listed for potential disposal.
- 5 thousand metric tons of electrolytic manganese metal were listed for potential acquisition.
Source: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025. Potential disposal or acquisition is not an actual sale, purchase or addition to market supply.
Operational conditions can also affect supply without providing a quantified production total. At least two manganese mining and processing plants in Ukraine remained idle from November 2023, while another two resumed minimum production in the second quarter of 2024.
The USGS report records those plant statuses but does not quantify “minimum production.” They should therefore be read as categorical operating information rather than as a tonnage estimate.
Across these measures, manganese supply statistics require careful separation of contained content, gross-weight ore, chemical product, installed capacity and scenario demand. The distinction is especially important when comparing mine output with U.S. trade, steel use or battery-sector indicators, because each describes a different stage of the supply chain.