Global Maps of Critical Mineral Production in 2023

Fact Sheet 2025-3038
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Introduction 

The global production of many mineral commodities, especially critical minerals, is concentrated in a few countries that have mineral resources and the infrastructure necessary to mine and process those resources. For this reason, the type and amount of mineral production differ by country. For example, many countries produce such metallic ores as gold and silver, whereas only a few countries produce magnesium, niobium, platinum-group metals, and rare earths. The concentration of mining and processing in certain countries necessitates the existence of a global supply chain.

A mineral supply chain is the sequence of mining and processing of minerals and manufacturing of products. Mineral supply chains are global in scale, complex, and dynamic. Supply chain data can be used to understand how a country’s mineral resources and various economic, technical, and environmental factors affect the complexity of global supply chains.

This fact sheet summarizes the world’s leading countries (those accounting for 5 percent or more of a commodity’s global production in 2023) for production of select mineral commodities (mainly critical minerals) in the mining and processing stages. These countries and the minerals they produce are synthesized on global maps to communicate the status of, and potential risk to, mineral commodity supply chains from geographic production concentration. Trade data from United Nations Statistics Division (2025) is used to support assessments of the observed production data.

Suggested Citation

Chung, J., Xun, S., and Textoris, S.D., 2025, Global maps of critical mineral production in 2023: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2025–3038, 5 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20253038.

ISSN: 2327-6932 (online)

ISSN: 2327-6916 (print)

Table of Contents

  • Introduction
  • Background
  • Data
  • Major Producing Countries
  • Supply Chain Characteristics
  • Supply Chain Diversification
  • References Cited
Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title Global maps of critical mineral production in 2023
Series title Fact Sheet
Series number 2025-3038
DOI 10.3133/fs20253038
Publication Date August 05, 2025
Year Published 2025
Language English
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Publisher location Reston, VA
Contributing office(s) National Minerals Information Center
Description 5 p.
Online Only (Y/N) N
Additional Online Files (Y/N) N
Additional publication details