Visualizing 30 Years of Rare Earth Production, by Country
Description
Visualizing 30 Years of Rare Earth Production, by Country
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Key Takeaways
- China’s share of rare earth oxide (REO) mine output climbed from around 47% (1994) to almost 70% (2024), cementing its dominance.
- Global REO production more than doubled since 2018.
The global rare earths industry has transformed over the last three decades.
In the 1990s, the U.S. was still a major producer, anchored by the Mountain Pass mine in California. However, after a wastewater-related legal action in 1997 involving the mine, U.S. output collapsed, creating space for China to scale rapidly.
This visualization tracks those shifts in mine production from 1994 to 2024. The data comes from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
China’s Rise to Dominance
China increased REO output from around 31,000 metric tons in 1994 to 270,000 metric tons in 2024. During the period, Chinese suppliers undercut American producers thanks to state support, lower environmental standards, and cheaper labor.
| REO Mine Production | 1994 | 2004 | 2014 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 United States | 20,700 | 0 | 5,400 | 45,855 |
 Australia | 3,300 | 0 | 8,000 | 13,000 |
 Brazil | 400 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
 China | 30,600 | 95,000 | 105,000 | 270,000 |
 India | 2,500 | 2,700 | 0 | 2,900 |
 Malaysia | 234 | 250 | 240 | 130 |
 Thailand | 150 | 2,200 | 2,100 | 13,000 |
 Russia | 6,000 | 0 | 2,500 | 2,500 |
 Nigeria | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13,000 |
 Madagascar | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2,000 |
 Vietnam | 0 | 0 | 0 | 300 |
 Myanmar | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36,125 |
 Other countries | 548 | 2,000 | 0 | 1,100 |
 Total | 64,500 | 102,000 | 123,000 | 399,930 |
Currently, China not only dominates the extraction of rare earths, but it also produces around 90% of the world’s refined supply and hosts the largest capacity for separation and purification.
U.S. Decline and Rebound
Mountain Pass was the world’s top producer in the mid-1990s, with the U.S. mining around 20,000–22,000 metric tons per year. Following the 1997 wastewater spills and legal actions, the country’s output fell to 5,000 metric tons in 1998–2002, and then to zero for much of the 2000s and early 2010s.
A revival began in the late 2010s, with U.S. production reaching around 46,000 metric tons in 2024. Still, between 2020 and 2023, China accounted for 70% of U.S. rare earth imports, making it by far the country’s top supplier.
New and Returning Suppliers
Australia emerged as a consistent non-China producer after 2011, peaking near the mid-2010s and producing 13,000–16,000 metric tons in recent years. Thailand and Nigeria have recently entered the scene, each approaching 13,000 tons in 2024.
Myanmar supplied significant volumes in the late 2010s and early 2020s, though flows have been volatile due to regulatory and cross-border dynamics.
Why Rare Earths Are Important
Rare earth elements — a group of 17 metals including neodymium, dysprosium, and terbium — are essential to modern technology. They power everything from smartphones and electric vehicles to wind turbines, fighter jets, and missile guidance systems. Their unique magnetic, luminescent, and conductive properties make them irreplaceable in high-performance electronics and clean energy applications.
In recent months, the Trump administration has made efforts to reduce U.S. dependence on Chinese supply, launching initiatives to fund domestic mining projects
United States
