Rare earth reserves worldwide 2023, by country

China's reserves of rare earths amounted to an estimated 44 million metric tons of rare earth oxide equivalent (REO) in 2023, thereby making it the world's leading country based on reserves of rare earths.

Global snapshot of rare earth reserves

According to estimates, the total worldwide reserves of rare earths amount to approximately 110 million metric tons. Most of these reserves are located within China, estimated at some 44 million metric tons. After China, the major rare earth countries based on reserve volume are Vietnam, Russia, and Brazil. The United States also has significant reserves, estimated to amount to 1.8 million metric tons.

The largest rare earth producers

With an estimated 240,000 metric tons produced from mines in 2023, China was also the world's largest producer of rare earths that year. China produces most of its rare earths in the southeastern part of the country, such as in the provinces Jiangxi and Fujian, however production also occurs in other parts of the country such as Inner Mongolia and Sichuan. The second-largest producer of rare earths from mines is the United States, which extracted some 43,000 metric tons of rare earth mineral concentrates in 2023, as well as 250 metric tons of rare earth compounds and metals.