Latest mineral production statistics for 2019 to 2023 released

World Mineral Production has provided a reliable and continuous set of data covering the minerals that enter international trade since 1913. The latest volume includes production figures for more than 70 mineral commodities over the five-year period from 2019 to 2023.

Key considerations

During 2023, there were several challenges for researchers to overcome, including volatility in areas such as the Middle East, Ukraine, South America and central Africa, which drove conflict as well as political and civil unrest. There was a general decrease in mineral output from these regions and obtaining mineral production data became especially challenging.

China’s increasingly key role in the supply of minerals crucial for green energy technologies and energy infrastructure became increasingly prominent. This supply includes graphite, refined gallium and germanium; China provides more than 70 per cent of global supply of these materials. China also imposed export restrictions on the trade of refined gallium and germanium in response to export restrictions that Europe placed on the trade of technology used to manufacture semiconductors, alongside export restrictions on certain graphite products. China cited national security concerns in the context of increasing US controls.

Over the past five years, several commodities experienced a significant decrease in their production volume, such as:

• Chinese tungsten, which decreased by about 18 per cent and has contributed to the overall global decrease in tungsten output of about 15 per cent — growing concerns about tungsten supply have led several other countries to increase investment in the tungsten sector
• mercury production decreased by 45 per cent during the past five years
  

Global production of lithium, nickel and cobalt continued to increase during 2023 because of their importance in the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries and energy storage systems:

• lithium saw the greatest increase in 2023, with a 30 per cent rise on 2022 production
• cobalt production increased significantly in 2023 by almost 23 per cent
• global nickel production in the last five years has increased by 47 per cent: in the last year alone it has grown by more than 15 per cent, driven by huge growth in Indonesia

International interest

International interest in the security of supply of minerals also continues to grow. The UK Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre (CMIC) is hosted by BGS. Notable publications during the last year include the UK 2024 Criticality Assessment and several foresight studies: these and other reports can be downloaded from the CMIC website.

Previous volumes

Previous editions of World Mineral Production can be found on the Minerals UK website. The information is compiled from a wide range of sources including government departments, national statistical offices, specialist commodity authorities, company reports and a network of contacts throughout the world.

Contact

For more information, please contact Naomi Idoine.