China continues to dominate rare earths as diversification efforts gain momentum

Global uncommon earths accumulation is estimated to person accrued by a humble 2.6% successful 2025 implicit 2024 to 390,000 tonnes of rare-earth oxide (REO), supported by unchangeable proviso chains and sustained output from China. China retains its ascendant presumption successful the planetary uncommon earths market, accounting for 69.2% of planetary uncommon earths output successful 2025. China’s dominance extends beyond mining, with the state processing astir 90% of planetary uncommon earths, strengthening its power crossed the worth chain.

The US and Australia are the world’s second-largest and third-largest producers, accounting for 13.1% and 7.4% of planetary accumulation successful 2025, respectively.

The US reinforced its presumption arsenic the world’s second-largest uncommon earths shaper successful 2025, with output reaching 51,000t. This was supported by national initiatives specified arsenic the Defense Production Act (DPA), which helped mobilise backing and semipermanent offtake arrangements to grow the Mountain Pass excavation and physique retired home separation capacity. However, contempt accelerated gains successful mining, the US remains astatine an aboriginal signifier successful processing commercial-scale refining capability, leaving it abbreviated of the end-to-end capableness needed for afloat supply-chain independence.

Meanwhile, Australia produced 29,000t and is progressively focusing connected downstream processing and magnet proviso chains done government-backed captious minerals programs and partnerships with the US and Japan.

Myanmar contributed 22,000t, rebounding from earlier disruptions caused by equipped conflicts and logistical issues. However, accumulation remains volatile owed to regulatory uncertainty, biology scrutiny and intermittent borderline controls, keeping Myanmar a high-risk but indispensable supplier.

While Thailand is not a large player, it has a niche relation successful the industry, peculiarly successful downstream processing (and chiefly relies connected imports from China). While it has constricted home reserves, it functions arsenic a processing hub for refining uncommon earths. Thailand has a developed downstream processing manufacture for REEs that includes the accumulation of uncommon world magnets and different high-value products. The country’s excavation output doubled from 2,100t successful 2024 to 4,800t successful 2025, underpinned by intensified home mining owed to the beingness of reserves successful the Northeastern portion (particularly Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat) and Buriram region).

Nigeria’s uncommon earths output is estimated to person declined importantly from 7,200t successful 2023 to 1,500t successful 2025, owed to the deficiency of extended geological surveys, on with the method challenges of extracting uncommon world elements, which person constricted progress. The state is readying to make its uncommon earths assemblage done collaborations with different countries, the astir caller 1 being the memorandum of knowing (MoU) with France successful December 2024 to unafraid proviso chains for uncommon earths by leveraging France's technological expertise.