Rare earth statistics span mine output, reserves, magnet supply chains, recycling and investment. The measures below distinguish metric tons of rare-earth-oxide equivalent (REO), magnet-specific elements, observed values, estimates and forecasts by geography and period.
Key Rare Earth Statistics
The most useful headline figures are:
- In 2024, world mine production was 380,000 metric tons REO equivalent.
- In 2025, world mine production reached 390,000 metric tons REO equivalent.
- In the 2025 edition, world rare-earth reserves exceeded 85 million metric tons REO equivalent.
- In 2025, China produced 270,000 metric tons REO equivalent.
- In 2025, the United States produced 51,000 metric tons REO equivalent.
- In 2025, Australia produced 29,000 metric tons REO equivalent.
- In the 2025 edition, China held 44 million metric tons of rare-earth reserves.
- In the 2025 edition, Brazil held 21 million metric tons of rare-earth reserves.
- In 2024, China accounted for 60% of global mined magnet rare-earth production.
- In 2024, China accounted for 91% of global refined magnet rare-earth output.
- From 2005 to 2024, China’s share of sintered permanent-magnet production rose from about 50% to 94%.
- By 2030, magnet rare-earth demand is projected to grow by one-third globally under today’s policy settings.
- By 2035, outside-China magnet rare-earth demand is projected to rise 50% under today’s policy settings.
- In 2035, existing ex-China refining capacity is projected to meet about 25% of ex-China demand.
- By 2050, rare-earth recycling could reduce reliance on primary mining by up to 35% in the IEA’s upper-bound scenario.
- Currently, permanent-magnet end-of-life collection rates are below 15% globally.
- In 2010 and after, Japan’s demand-side policies reduced total rare-earth demand by 30% relative to 2010.
- At 2023 price levels, the combined market value of key energy-transition minerals was about $325 billion.
Contents
- Global rare earth production and reserves
- Rare earth production by country
- Rare earth reserves by country and region
- Magnet demand and supply-chain concentration
- Recycling, substitution and diversification
- Rare earth market outlook and investment
Global Rare Earth Production and Reserves Statistics
USGS reports rare-earth production in metric tons of REO equivalent unless otherwise stated. Its table includes lanthanides and yttrium but excludes most scandium; the world totals are estimates and rounded.
| Measure | Period | Result |
|---|---|---|
| World mine production | 2024 | 380,000 metric tons REO equivalent |
| World mine production | 2025 | 390,000 metric tons REO equivalent |
| World reserves | 2025 edition | More than 85 million metric tons REO equivalent |
Source: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Rare Earths. USGS uses reserve definitions described in Appendix C, and reserves are not interchangeable with resources.
The production figures are estimates, while the country table contains reported or estimated values depending on the country. That distinction matters when comparing annual output with the longer-lived reserve estimate.
Rare Earth Production Statistics by Country
The leading producer comparison shows China far ahead of the other listed countries, while several smaller producers changed substantially between 2024 and 2025.
| Country or category | 2024 | 2025 | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 270,000 | 270,000 | metric tons REO equivalent |
| United States | 45,500 | 51,000 | metric tons REO equivalent |
| Australia | 29,000 | 29,000 | metric tons REO equivalent |
| Burma/Myanmar | 27,000 | 22,000 | metric tons REO equivalent |
| India | 2,900 | 2,900 | metric tons REO equivalent |
| Russia | 2,600 | 2,600 | metric tons REO equivalent |
| Nigeria | 1,500 | 1,500 | metric tons REO equivalent |
Source: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Rare Earths. The China value includes lanthanides and yttrium and excludes most scandium; Burma/Myanmar estimates use reported import data for China and exclude monazite concentrates.
Additional country estimates and observations include:
- Brazil rose from 560 metric tons in 2024 to 2,000 metric tons in 2025; USGS revised the estimate using government and industry reports.
- Madagascar rose from 1,400 metric tons in 2024 to 2,700 metric tons in 2025, based on reported import data for China.
- Malaysia fell from 140 metric tons in 2024 to 110 metric tons in 2025, based on reported import data for China.
- Thailand rose from 2,100 metric tons in 2024 to 4,800 metric tons in 2025, based on reported import data for China.
- Vietnam fell from 300 metric tons in 2024 to 150 metric tons in 2025, based on reported import data for China.
- The 2025 USGS table lists 550 metric tons for the residual “Other” category, which is not a single-country observation.
USGS’s separate Australia country information estimated 2024 production at 31,000 metric tons REO equivalent, a record and a 7% increase from 2023. This is a separate estimate from the later revised Mineral Commodity Summaries table.
The same Australia source reported that Lynas’s Mount Weld expansion was expected to raise mine and concentration-plant throughput from 300,000 to 1.3 million metric tons per year, while Lynas Malaysia neodymium-praseodymium oxide capacity was expected to rise from 7,000 to 12,000 metric tons per year. These are planned capacities, not realized output; Lynas concentrate production fell 8% in the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024, attributed to shutdown, shipping delays and construction.
Source: Australia — U.S. Geological Survey country minerals information. The company capacity figures are expectations reported by USGS.
Rare Earth Reserves Statistics by Country and Region
The USGS 2025-edition reserve estimates vary widely across countries, and national reserve definitions and sources are not perfectly uniform.
| Geography | Reserves, 2025 edition | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| China | 44 million | metric tons REO equivalent |
| Brazil | 21 million | metric tons REO equivalent |
| Australia | 6.3 million | metric tons REO equivalent |
| Russia | 3.8 million | metric tons REO equivalent |
| Vietnam | 3.5 million | metric tons REO equivalent |
| United States | 1.9 million | metric tons REO equivalent |
| Greenland | 1.5 million | metric tons REO equivalent |
Source: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Rare Earths. Australia’s broader table figure includes 3.3 million tons identified by USGS as JORC-compliant or equivalent.
Further reserve estimates in the same table were 890,000 metric tons for Tanzania, 860,000 for South Africa, 830,000 for Canada and 710,000 for Malaysia, all in REO equivalent. USGS also estimated measured and indicated resources at 3.6 million tons in the United States and more than 14 million tons in Canada, but resources are not the same as economically recoverable reserves.
Mount Weld in Western Australia had estimated proven and probable reserves of 32 million metric tons of ore containing 6.4% total rare-earth oxide equivalent in a 2024 reserve update. The estimate used a 2.8% cutoff grade and is not equivalent to contained REO tonnage.
Source: Australia — U.S. Geological Survey country minerals information.
Magnet Rare Earth Demand and Supply-Chain Concentration
IEA magnet statistics cover neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium, rather than every rare-earth element. This narrower definition explains why magnet-specific shares should not be treated as identical to the USGS mine-production totals.
China accounted for 60% of global mined magnet rare-earth production in 2024 and 91% of global refined magnet rare-earth output. Its share of sintered permanent-magnet production rose from about 50% in 2005 to 94% in 2024, and China exported 58,000 metric tons of rare-earth magnets in 2024.
Source: Rare Earth Elements: Pathways to secure and diversified supply chains — Executive summary.
Under today’s policy settings, global magnet rare-earth demand is projected to grow by one-third by 2030, while demand outside China is projected to rise 50% by 2035. The IEA projects refined rare-earth supply to remain 77% China-origin in 2030 based on announced projects and scenario assumptions.
The IEA also estimates that 70% to 75% of projected 2030 supply growth for refined rare earths and several other energy minerals will come from today’s top three producers. This range groups rare earths with refined lithium, nickel and cobalt, so it is not a rare-earth-only measure.
Source: Rare Earth Elements: Pathways to secure and diversified supply chains — Executive summary and Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2024 — Outlook for key minerals.
Rare Earth Recycling, Substitution and Supply Diversification Data
The IEA’s capacity comparisons show a pronounced gap outside China by 2035. Existing ex-China mining capacity is projected to meet about 50% of ex-China mining demand, existing refining capacity about 25% of ex-China demand, and existing magnet-manufacturing capacity well below 20% of ex-China demand.
By 2035, announced ex-China metals, alloys and finished-magnet projects total around 18 kilotons of rare-earth element content. This is cumulative planned production from projects announced by early 2026, not operating output.
Source: Rare Earth Elements: Pathways to secure and diversified supply chains — Executive summary.
Recycling and demand-side measures provide separate routes to reduce primary supply needs:
- The IEA estimates that rare-earth recycling could reduce reliance on primary mining by up to 35% by 2050 in an upper-bound scenario dependent on collection and technology deployment.
- Permanent-magnet end-of-life collection rates are currently below 15% globally, limiting available recycling feedstock.
- Europe is projected to generate half of global magnet scrap from wind power by 2030 and one-quarter of global magnet scrap from EVs by 2030, subject to installed-base, end-of-life and collection assumptions.
- Japan’s demand-side policies after the 2010 export controls reduced total rare-earth demand by 30% relative to 2010; the IEA reports this policy-linked outcome, but it was not a controlled experiment.
Source: Rare Earth Elements: Pathways to secure and diversified supply chains — Executive summary and Recycling of Critical Minerals — Executive summary.
Rare Earth Market Outlook and Investment Statistics
Several IEA market-value and capital figures cover key energy-transition minerals collectively, not rare earths alone. They are useful for scale, but should not be read as a standalone rare-earth market valuation.
| Measure | Period or scenario | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Combined market value of key energy-transition minerals | 2023 price basis | About $325 billion |
| Projected combined market value | 2040, NZE Scenario | $770 billion |
| Projected value growth | To 2030, APS | 55% |
| Projected value growth | To 2030, NZE Scenario | 80% |
| China’s projected share of refined-market value | 2030 | Nearly 50% |
Source: Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2024 — Outlook for key minerals. The projections use scenario assumptions and assumed price levels.
Meeting the IEA APS mineral requirements through 2040 requires approximately $590 billion in new mining capital investment. The NZE Scenario requires nearly $800 billion through 2040, about 30% more than the APS estimate; both are aggregate key-mineral figures rather than rare-earth-specific investments.
A June 2026 U.S. Department of Energy announcement selected two U.S. rare-earth demonstration projects for award negotiations totaling $134 million. The amount was not a final funding commitment and could change.
Source: DOE Announces $134 Million To Bolster Rare Earth Element Supply Chains.