Which countries have the least of what they mine?

Of 159 country-and-mineral pairs where the country mines at least 2% of the world's output, 14 have reserves worth under ten years of that country's own output (chromium in Brazil, tin in Vietnam, antimony in Tajikistan, chromium in Turkey), and 34 have a hundred years or more. 88 of the 159 have a shorter reserve life than the world as a whole.

This divides each country's USGS reserve figure by its own production in the same units. National reserves are what a country has had reason to prove up under its own rules, rounded by USGS, so a short life is as likely to mean little exploration or a strict definition as a deposit about to run out, and countries with large resources can show short reserve lives. It is a ratio, not a countdown; see how much is left for why. Click a heading to sort.

Each producing country's reserves in years of its own output, with its share of world output and reserves
Mineral	Country	Years of reserves	World years	Share of world output	Share of world reserves
Chromium	Brazil	2	24	3.9%	0.3%
Tin	Vietnam	2	21	3.8%	0.4%
Antimony	Tajikistan	3	22	20%	2.5%
Chromium	Turkey	3	24	18%	2.3%
Tin	DR Congo	3	21	9.3%	1.5%
Tin	Peru	5	21	11%	2.5%
Silver	Mexico	6	23	24%	6.1%
Manganese	Ghana	7	90	10%	0.7%
Gold	Ghana	7	20	4.5%	1.5%
Molybdenum	Mexico	8	66	6.5%	0.8%
Silver	Argentina	8	23	3.1%	1.1%
Bauxite	China	8	66	20%	2.4%
Gold	China	8	20	12%	4.8%
Lead	India	9	21	4.9%	2%
Gold	Mexico	10	20	4.2%	2.1%
Silver	India	10	23	3.1%	1.3%
Antimony	Russia	11	22	29%	15%
Zinc	India	11	18	6.7%	4.2%
Lead	China	12	21	42%	23%
Zinc	Peru	12	18	12%	7.5%
Manganese	Gabon	12	90	25%	3.4%
Zinc	United States	14	18	5.2%	3.9%
Copper	Canada	14	43	2.2%	0.7%
Tungsten	North Korea	15	55	2.4%	0.6%
Zinc	China	15	18	32%	25%
Silver	Bolivia	15	23	5.8%	3.6%
Chromium	South Africa	15	24	45%	29%
Nickel	Canada	16	36	3.6%	1.6%
Gold	Canada	16	20	6.1%	4.8%
Lead	Bolivia	16	21	2.2%	1.7%
Lead	United States	16	21	6.2%	4.8%
Tin	China	17	21	24%	20%
Gold	Uzbekistan	17	20	3.9%	3.3%
Barite	India	17	46	34%	13%
Lead	Peru	17	21	6.4%	5.3%
Cobalt	Indonesia	17	39	14%	6.3%
Gold	Kazakhstan	18	20	3.9%	3.5%
Vanadium	Brazil	18	189	4.7%	0.4%
Nickel	Philippines	18	36	6.9%	3.4%
Lithium	Zimbabwe	18	128	9.7%	1.4%
Zinc	Mexico	18	18	6%	5.8%
Fluorspar	China	18	33	60%	33%
Gold	United States	19	20	4.8%	4.5%
Silver	China	20	23	13%	11%
Gold	Peru	20	20	3.3%	3.3%
Zinc	Kazakhstan	21	18	2.8%	3.1%
Antimony	China	21	22	36%	35%
Silver	United States	21	23	4.2%	3.8%
Titanium	South Africa	22	53	14%	5.7%
Copper	Zambia	22	43	4.1%	2.1%
Fluorspar	Mongolia	23	33	15%	10%
Copper	China	23	43	7.8%	4.2%
Tin	Indonesia	23	21	21%	23%
Silver	Chile	24	23	5.4%	5.4%
Nickel	Indonesia	24	36	67%	44%
Copper	DR Congo	25	43	14%	8.2%
Tin	Brazil	25	21	9.7%	12%
Molybdenum	Peru	26	66	15%	5.8%
Bauxite	India	26	66	5.7%	2.2%
Cobalt	DR Congo	26	39	74%	50%
Chromium	India	26	24	5.9%	6.6%
Tin	Bolivia	27	21	5.2%	6.7%
Lead	Mexico	28	21	4.4%	5.9%
Copper	Kazakhstan	28	43	3.1%	2%
Molybdenum	Armenia	28	66	2%	0.9%
Titanium	Ukraine	30	53	2.1%	1.2%
Copper	Indonesia	30	43	3.1%	2.1%
Silver	Peru	31	23	14%	18%
Phosphate rock	China	31	292	44%	4.7%
Antimony	Myanmar	31	22	4.1%	5.8%
Gold	Brazil	31	20	2.4%	3.8%
Copper	Peru	31	43	12%	8.7%
Potash	China	32	121	13%	3.4%
Chromium	Kazakhstan	33	24	14%	19%
Antimony	Turkey	33	22	2.7%	4.1%
Chromium	Finland	33	24	3.7%	5.3%
Copper	Chile	34	43	23%	18%
Lead	Russia	34	21	5.8%	9.4%
Titanium	China	34	53	34%	22%
Nickel	China	37	36	3.1%	3.1%
Rare earths	United States	37	193	13%	2.5%
Tungsten	China	37	55	79%	53%
Bauxite	Australia	38	66	22%	13%
Gold	Russia	39	20	9.4%	18%
Lithium	Mali	39	128	3.2%	1%
Gold	Indonesia	40	20	2.7%	5.5%
Nickel	Russia	42	36	5.1%	5.9%
Manganese	India	43	90	4%	1.9%
Lithium	Brazil	45	128	4.1%	1.5%
Fluorspar	Mexico	45	33	15%	21%
Silver	Poland	45	23	5%	9.7%
Gold	Australia	46	20	8.5%	20%
Copper	United States	47	43	4.3%	4.8%
Tin	Australia	48	21	4.1%	9.5%
Bauxite	Guinea	49	66	34%	26%
Phosphate rock	United States	50	292	8%	1.4%
Potash	Germany	50	121	6.1%	2.5%
Nickel	New Caledonia	51	36	3.6%	5.1%
Bauxite	Brazil	52	66	7.5%	5.9%
Barite	Russia	52	46	2.6%	3%
Barite	China	55	46	25%	30%
Gold	South Africa	56	20	2.7%	7.6%
Tungsten	Vietnam	57	55	3.5%	3.6%
Zinc	Australia	58	18	8.5%	27%
Tin	Myanmar	58	21	4.1%	12%
Copper	Russia	62	43	5.7%	8.2%
Molybdenum	Chile	62	66	16%	15%
Antimony	Bolivia	62	22	4.5%	13%
Titanium	India	63	53	2.6%	3%
Zinc	Russia	67	18	3.3%	12%
Phosphate rock	Jordan	68	292	4.8%	1.1%
Chromium	Zimbabwe	70	24	3.9%	12%
Vanadium	China	71	189	72%	27%
Lead	Australia	71	21	11%	36%
Graphite	China	71	172	78%	32%
Manganese	South Africa	72	90	38%	31%
Potash	Canada	73	121	31%	19%
Lithium	China	74	128	21%	12%
Silver	Russia	77	23	4.6%	15%
Copper	Mexico	77	43	3%	5.4%
Molybdenum	China	80	66	37%	45%
Molybdenum	United States	88	66	15%	20%
Silver	Australia	91	23	3.8%	15%
Lithium	Australia	91	128	32%	23%
Titanium	Norway	95	53	4.1%	7.5%
Fluorspar	South Africa	100	33	4.1%	12%
Phosphate rock	Saudi Arabia	100	292	4%	1.4%
Titanium	Madagascar	100	53	3.2%	6.1%
Cobalt	Russia	104	39	2.5%	6.7%
Vanadium	South Africa	104	189	4.4%	2.4%
Niobium	Canada	107	191	5.4%	3%
Barite	Kazakhstan	121	46	8%	21%
Potash	Belarus	125	121	12%	13%
Barite	Turkey	131	46	3%	8.5%
Niobium	Brazil	135	191	93%	66%
Copper	Australia	137	43	3.2%	10%
Titanium	Canada	139	53	3.8%	10%
Rare earths	China	163	193	69%	58%
Lithium	Chile	164	128	19%	25%
Phosphate rock	Russia	171	292	5.6%	3.3%
Lithium	Argentina	191	128	7.9%	12%
Potash	Russia	200	121	20%	34%
Tungsten	Russia	200	55	2.4%	8.5%
Rare earths	Australia	217	193	7.4%	8.4%
Titanium	Australia	218	53	8.3%	34%
Vanadium	Russia	238	189	19%	23%
Graphite	Tanzania	240	172	4.2%	5.8%
Bauxite	Indonesia	290	66	2.3%	10%
Phosphate rock	Brazil	320	292	2%	2.2%
Barite	Iran	333	46	3.4%	25%
Graphite	Madagascar	338	172	4.4%	8.7%
Manganese	Australia	363	90	8%	32%
Manganese	China	371	90	3.5%	14%
Manganese	Brazil	375	90	4%	17%
Graphite	Mozambique	417	172	3.3%	8.1%
Potash	Laos	417	121	4.9%	17%
Phosphate rock	Egypt	509	292	2.2%	3.8%
Graphite	Brazil	over 1,000	172	3.6%	24%
Phosphate rock	Morocco	over 1,000	292	14%	68%

USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: reserves and mine production by country (the same figures as each commodity page), for the minerals on how much is left whose reserves and production are on the same basis; iron ore, platinum-group metals and the fuels are left out. Only countries with both figures and at least 2% of world output are shown. For some minerals the reserve year (2024 for chromium) is a year earlier than production (2025). Reserves are as USGS reports them, rounded, and definitions vary by country.

More patterns

Concentration: How much of each commodity comes from one country?
Producer or exporter?: Is the biggest producer also the biggest seller abroad?
Prices in real terms: Which prices are records once inflation is removed?
Growth and decline: Whose output is rising or falling fastest?
Linked prices and seasons: Which prices move together, and which have a season?
A century of real prices: Are minerals getting scarcer, judging by their real prices since 1900?
Supplier exposure: Which big buyers lean on one supplier for critical minerals?
Trade after export controls: What happened to a country's exports after it controlled them?
Export share history: Who has gained and lost share of world exports since 2000?
Prices around export controls: What happened to mineral prices after export controls?
Export basket prices: What would a country's commodity exports have fetched at each month's prices?
Substitution coverage: How large are other exporters' sales to other buyers next to an importer's biggest supplier?
Critical risk matrix: Which critical minerals combine concentrated mining, export controls and import reliance?
Prices and cumulative output: Do prices fall as the world digs up more of a mineral?
US import reliance and recycling: How much of each mineral does the United States import, and how much comes from scrap?
Data confidence: How firm are each commodity's production numbers?
Export controls and bans: Which governments restrict exports of minerals, and what is still in force?
Chokepoints: Which narrow passages do the world's commodities depend on?
By-product minerals: Which minerals are by-products of other metals?
Peak production: Which minerals and fuels are still setting records, and which peaked years ago?
Reserves and mining: Where are the deposits, and who digs them up?
Supply concentration: Which commodities depend on the fewest suppliers?
Land or yield?: Did output grow because farmers planted more or farmed better?
Supply shocks and prices: When world output falls, do prices rise?
Category price indices: How have energy, metals and food prices moved since 1960?
Drawdowns and volatility: How far do prices fall, and do they recover?
Stocks and prices: Are prices lower when the world holds more stock?
Which prices follow oil?: How closely does each commodity track crude oil?
How reliable is the data?: How much of world output rests on estimates?
Net exporters and importers: Who is a net seller and who a net buyer?
Country leaders: Which countries lead across the most commodities?
Export dependency: Which countries rely on one commodity?
Concentration over time: Has production spread out or narrowed?
Import dependency: Which countries buy most of a commodity from one supplier?
Supplier shifts: Who gained and lost importers' business?
Trade price against benchmark: Does traded product sell above or below the benchmark price?
Prices in other currencies: How much of a price move is the dollar?
Do prices lead each other?: Does one commodity price move before another?
Volatility over time: Are prices more volatile than they used to be?
Seasonality: Which prices have a calendar-month pattern?
Price ratios: What does one commodity buy of another, and is that high or low?
El Niño and prices: Do El Niño and La Niña years move commodity prices?
Who consumes it: Which countries consume each commodity, and how much per person?
Self-sufficiency: Which large markets depend on imports, and which produce far more than they use?
Trade flows: Who sells each commodity to whom?

Every figure is computed from the same tables as the commodity pages. The full set is in patterns.json, and single facts from it appear each day on the facts page.