Tools
Mineral export concentration
How much world exports of each mineral depend on a single country or a few: the largest exporter's share, the top 3 and a concentration index, from 2012 to the latest year.
How to use and read it| Mineral | Largest exporter | Share of the largest | Top 3 | HHI index | Largest exporter's share, 2012–2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminium ores (bauxite)EU strategic | ••• | ••• | ••• | ••• | |
| Bentonite | ••• | ••• | ••• | ••• | |
| Chromium ores and concentrates | ••• | ••• | ••• | ••• | |
| Copper ores and concentratesEU strategic | ••• | ••• | ••• | ••• | |
| FeldsparEU critical | ••• | ••• | ••• | ••• | |
| FluorsparEU critical | ••• | ••• | ••• | ••• | |
| Gypsum and plasters | ••• | ••• | ••• | ••• | |
| Kaolin | ••• | ••• | ••• | ••• | |
| Lead ores and concentrates | ••• | ••• | ••• | ••• | |
| Magnesite and magnesia | ••• | ••• | ••• | ••• | |
| Mica | ••• | ••• | ••• | ••• | |
| Natural barytesEU critical | ••• | ••• | ••• | ••• | |
| Natural boratesEU strategic* | ••• | ••• | ••• | ••• | |
| Natural graphiteEU strategic* | ••• | ••• | ••• | ••• | |
| Natural phosphates (phosphate rock)EU critical | ••• | ••• | ••• | ••• | |
| Nickel ores and concentratesEU strategic* | ••• | ••• | ••• | ••• | |
| Precious-metal ores and concentratesEU strategic* | ••• | ••• | ••• | ••• | |
| Quartz | ••• | ••• | ••• | ••• | |
| Salt | ••• | ••• | ••• | ••• | |
| Sulphur | ••• | ••• | ••• | ••• | |
| Talc and steatite | ••• | ••• | ••• | ••• | |
| Tin ores and concentrates | ••• | ••• | ••• | ••• | |
| Tungsten ores and concentratesEU strategic | ••• | ••• | ••• | ••• | |
| Zinc ores and concentrates | ••• | ••• | ••• | ••• | |
| Zirconium ores and concentrates | ••• | ••• | ••• | ••• |
How to read it
- World exports of ores and concentrates (UN Comtrade), not mine production nor refined metal: a country that processes its ore before exporting (e.g. China in tungsten) weighs little here.
- Shares are computed over the largest exporters listed for each HS code and year (50 per code); a mineral with several codes adds them up by country.
- HHI (Herfindahl–Hirschman index) = sum of the squared shares, from 0 to 10,000: below 1,500 low, 1,500–2,500 moderate, above 2,500 high concentration.
- EU strategic / critical = Annex I / II of Regulation (EU) 2024/1252. Its 65 % benchmark — no single third country above 65 % of the EU's supply of a strategic raw material by 2030 — concerns the EU's supply, not world exports; it is shown for reference only. * the HS code covers more than the material named in the regulation (e.g. battery-grade graphite).
- Source: UN Comtrade (extracted on 08-11-2026), processed by KEYSTONE. Derived values only (shares, ranks, indices); values in USD and tonnes are in the world minerals dashboard.