1.13  Rare earth

2011-2013 As shown in Table 13, among the world’s major rare-earth-producing countries, China ranks first, India second, Australia third, the United States and Russia fourth, Brazil sixth, Malaysia seventh, and Vietnam eighth.

^★ Estimated value

1.14  Lithium

2011-2013 As shown in Table 14, the average production of the world’s major lithium-producing countries is as follows: Chile ranks first, Australia second, China third, Argentina fourth, Zimbabwe fifth, Portugal sixth, and Brazil seventh.

^★ Estimated value

1.15  Mercury

2011-2013 In the year, as shown in Table 15, the average production of the world’s major mercury-producing countries was as follows: China ranked first, Mexico second, Argentina third, Kyrgyzstan fourth, Russia fifth, Chile sixth, and the United States seventh.

2. Precious metals

2.1  Gold

2011-2013 In the year, as shown in Table 16, the average production of the world’s major gold-producing countries was as follows: China ranked first, Australia second, the United States third, Russia fourth, South Africa fifth, Peru sixth, Canada seventh, Mexico eighth, Ghana ninth, and Uzbekistan tenth.

2.2  Silver

2011-2013 In the year, as shown in Table 17, the average production of major global silver-producing countries is as follows: Mexico ranks first, China second, Peru third, Australia fourth, Russia fifth, Poland sixth, Bolivia seventh, Chile eighth, the United States ninth, and Kazakhstan tenth.

2.3  Platinum

2011-2013 As shown in Table 18, the average production of platinum mines in the world’s major producing countries is as follows: South Africa ranks first in global platinum production, followed by Russia in second place, Zimbabwe in third, Canada in fourth, the United States in fifth, Colombia in sixth, and Kazakhstan, Finland, and Australia tied for seventh.

3. Black metal

3.1  Iron ore

2011-2013 In the year, as shown in Table 19, the average production of the world’s major iron ore producing countries was among the top 10 global iron ore producers. The countries, in order, are China, Australia, Brazil, India, Russia, Ukraine, South Africa, the United States, Iran, and Canada.

3.2  Manganese

2011-2013 In the year, as shown in Table 20, the average production of the world’s major manganese ore-producing countries was among the top 10 globally. The countries, in order, are China, South Africa, Australia, Gabon, Brazil, Kazakhstan, India, Ghana, Ukraine, and Malaysia.

3.3  Chromium

2011-2013 In the year, as shown in Table 2.1, the average production of the world’s major chromium ore-producing countries was among the top 10 chromium ore producers worldwide. The countries, in order, are: South Africa, Kazakhstan, India, Turkey, Oman, Finland, Albania, Brazil, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe.

4. Radioactive metal: Uranium

2011-2013 In the year, as shown in Table 22, the average production of the world’s major uranium-producing countries was among the top 10 global uranium producers. The countries, in order, are: Kazakhstan, Canada, Australia, Namibia, Niger, Uzbekistan, Russia, the United States, China, and Malawi.

5. Coal

2011-2013 In the year, as shown in Table 23, the average production of the world’s major coal-producing countries was among the top 10 globally. The countries, in order, are: China, the United States, Australia, Indonesia, India, Russia, South Africa, Poland, Kazakhstan, and Colombia.

6. Evaluation Methods, Conclusions, and Discussion

For each mineral type, we select the top 10, with the first-place winner receiving 10 points. Points are awarded as follows: the second-place finisher receives 9 points, the third-place finisher receives 8 points, the fourth-place finisher receives 7 points, and so on, with the ninth-place finisher receiving 2 points and the tenth-place finisher receiving 1 point. At the same time, for a particular mineral type, if the output of the first-place producer significantly exceeds that of the second-place producer—defined as being more than four times greater (or, equivalently, five times or more of the second-place producer’s output)—an additional 5 points will be awarded. This indicates that the country in question has an exceptionally large-scale production of that mineral product, placing it in an absolutely dominant position or far ahead of the rest of the world. Based on this methodology, we have calculated the scores for various countries, as shown in Table 24. According to the ranking of scores presented in Table 24, we can draw the following key conclusions: The top ten major mining nations in the world are China, Australia, Russia, the United States, Canada, South Africa, Peru, India, Brazil, and Mexico.

It is worth noting that, if we consider only the output of metallic mineral products and exclude coal, the world’s top ten mining countries (mining nations) would be... The rankings have shifted slightly, with the top ten countries now listed as follows: China, Australia, Russia, Canada, the United States, South Africa, Peru, Brazil, Mexico, and India. The top three positions remain unchanged from the previous ranking.

If we adopt a simplified approach and do not award additional points based on the exceptionally large production scale of any single mineral type in first-place countries, the top ten mining nations in the world would still be China, Australia, Russia, the United States, Canada, South Africa, Peru, India, Brazil, and Mexico.

References:

[1] World Metal Statistics Yearbook 2014 [R] OL

[2] U.S. Geological Survey. Mineral Commodity Summaries, 2011, 2012, 2013 [R] 0L

[3] BP Statistical Review of World Energy, June 2014 [R]OL

About the Author: He Jinxian, male, born in July 1961. , Ph.D., Researcher at the Information Center of the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Research areas: Studies on overseas minerals, as well as policies, laws, and management.

Mailing address: Information Center, Ministry of Natural Resources, No. 64 Funei Avenue, Beijing.