Energy Shift
70 Years of Global Uranium Production by Country
70 Years of Global Uranium Production by Country
Uranium was discovered just over 200 years ago in 1789, and today, it’s among the world’s most important energy minerals.
Throughout history, several events have left their imprints on global uranium production, from the invention of nuclear energy to the stockpiling of weapons during the Cold War.
The above infographic visualizes over 70 years of uranium production by country using data from the Nuclear Energy Agency.
The Pre-nuclear Power Era
The first commercial nuclear power plant came online in 1956. Before that, uranium production was mainly dedicated to satisfying military requirements.
In the 1940s, most of the world’s uranium came from the Shinkolobwe Mine in the Belgian Congo. During this time, Shinkolobwe and Canada’s Eldorado Mine also supplied uranium for the Manhattan Project and the world’s first atomic bomb.
However, the end of World War II marked the beginning of two events that changed the uranium industry—the Cold War and the advent of nuclear energy.
Peak Uranium
Between 1960 and 1980, global uranium production increased by 53% to reach an all-time high of 69,692 tonnes. Here’s a breakdown of the top uranium producers in 1980:
Country | 1980 Production (tonnes U) | % of Total |
---|---|---|
U.S. 🇺🇸 | 16,811 | 24% |
USSR | 15,700 | 23% |
Canada 🇨🇦 | 7,150 | 10% |
South Africa 🇿🇦 | 6,146 | 9% |
East Germany 🇩🇪 | 5,245 | 8% |
Niger 🇳🇪 | 4,120 | 6% |
Namibia 🇳🇦 | 4,042 | 6% |
France 🇫🇷 | 2,634 | 4% |
Czechoslovakia 🇨🇿 | 2,482 | 4% |
Australia 🇦🇺 | 1,561 | 2% |
Other 🌎 | 3,801 | 5% |
Total | 69,692 | 100% |
Several factors drove this rise in production, including the heat of the Cold War and the rising demand for nuclear power. For example, the U.S. had 5,543 nuclear warheads in 1957. 10 years later, it had over 31,000, and the USSR eventually surpassed this with a peak stockpile of around 40,000 warheads by 1986.
Additionally, the increasing number of reactors worldwide also propelled uranium production to new highs. In 1960, 15 reactors were operating globally. By 1980, this number increased to 245. What’s more, after the Oil Crisis in 1973, nuclear power emerged as a viable alternative to fossil fuels, and the price of uranium tripled between 1973 and 1975. Although the increase in uranium production was less dramatic, high prices made mining more profitable.
However, several nuclear accidents in the world such as the Three Mile Island reactor meltdown in the U.S. in 1979 and the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine in 1986 brought a stop to the rapid growth of nuclear power. Furthermore, following the end of the Cold War, military stockpiles of uranium were used as “secondary supply”, reducing the need for mine production to some extent. As a result, uranium production declined sharply after 1987.
The Current State of Uranium Mining
Uranium producers have changed considerably over time. Since the economic viability of uranium deposits often depends on the market price, many countries have dropped out due to lower uranium prices, while others have entered the mix.
Here are the top 10 uranium-producing countries based on 2019 production:
Country | 2019 Production (tonnes U) | % of Total |
---|---|---|
Kazakhstan 🇰🇿 | 22,808 | 42% |
Canada 🇨🇦 | 6,944 | 13% |
Australia 🇦🇺 | 6,613 | 12% |
Namibia 🇳🇦 | 5,103 | 9% |
Uzbekistan 🇺🇿 | 3,500 | 6% |
Niger 🇳🇪 | 3,053 | 6% |
Russia 🇷🇺 | 2,900 | 5% |
China 🇨🇳 | 1,600 | 3% |
Ukraine 🇺🇦 | 750 | 1% |
India 🇮🇳 | 400 | 1% |
Other 🌎 | 553 | 1% |
Total | 54,224 | 100% |
Kazakhstan has been the world’s leading uranium producer since 2009. In 2019, Kazakhstan mined more uranium than Canada, Australia, and Namibia combined, making up 42% of global production. It’s also worth noting that Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russia, and Ukraine—four countries that were formerly part of the USSR—made it into the top 10 list.
Canada was the world’s second-largest producer of uranium despite production cuts at the country’s biggest uranium mines. Australia ranked third with just three uranium-producing mines including Olympic Dam, the world’s largest known uranium deposit.
Overall, the top 10 countries accounted for 99% of global uranium production, and the majority of this came from the top three. However, global production has been on a downward trend since 2016, with a slight bump in 2019.
The Future of Uranium Production: Up or Down?
The uranium market is at an inflection point, with tightening supply and rising demand.
As of 2020, mine production covered only 74% of world reactor requirements, and analysts expect the market deficit to continue through 2022. Although secondary sources have historically filled the gap between demand and supply, recent developments in the uranium market have driven prices to six-year highs, which could also affect uranium production.
In addition, the shift towards clean energy could provide a boost to uranium demand, especially because of the advantages of nuclear power. With countries like China embracing nuclear energy and others planning for complete phase-outs, nuclear’s evolving role in the global energy mix will likely shape the future of uranium production.
Energy Shift
How Much Does the U.S. Depend on Russian Uranium?
Despite a new uranium ban being discussed in Congress, the U.S. is still heavily dependent on Russian uranium.
How Much Does the U.S. Depend on Russian Uranium?
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a ban on imports of Russian uranium. The bill must pass the Senate before becoming law.
In this graphic, we visualize how much the U.S. relies on Russian uranium, based on data from the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA).
U.S. Suppliers of Enriched Uranium
After Russia invaded Ukraine, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Russian-produced oil and gas—yet Russian-enriched uranium is still being imported.
Currently, Russia is the largest foreign supplier of nuclear power fuel to the United States. In 2022, Russia supplied almost a quarter of the enriched uranium used to fuel America’s fleet of more than 90 commercial reactors.
Country of enrichment service | SWU* | % |
---|---|---|
🇺🇸 United States | 3,876 | 27.34% |
🇷🇺 Russia | 3,409 | 24.04% |
🇩🇪 Germany | 1,763 | 12.40% |
🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 1,593 | 11.23% |
🇳🇱 Netherlands | 1,303 | 9.20% |
Other | 2,232 | 15.79% |
Total | 14,176 | 100% |
SWU stands for “Separative Work Unit” in the uranium industry. It is a measure of the amount of work required to separate isotopes of uranium during the enrichment process. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration
Most of the remaining uranium is imported from European countries, while another portion is produced by a British-Dutch-German consortium operating in the United States called Urenco.
Similarly, nearly a dozen countries around the world depend on Russia for more than half of their enriched uranium—and many of them are NATO-allied members and allies of Ukraine.
In 2023 alone, the U.S. nuclear industry paid over $800 million to Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy corporation, Rosatom, and its fuel subsidiaries.
It is important to note that 19% of electricity in the U.S. is powered by nuclear plants.
The dependency on Russian fuels dates back to the 1990s when the United States turned away from its own enrichment capabilities in favor of using down-blended stocks of Soviet-era weapons-grade uranium.
As part of the new uranium-ban bill, the Biden administration plans to allocate $2.2 billion for the expansion of uranium enrichment facilities in the United States.
Energy Shift
Visualizing the Rise of the U.S. as Top Crude Oil Producer
Over the last decade, the U.S. has surpassed Saudi Arabia and Russia as the world’s top producer of crude oil.
Visualizing the Rise of the U.S. as Top Crude Oil Producer
Over the last decade, the United States has established itself as the world’s top producer of crude oil, surpassing Saudi Arabia and Russia.
This infographic illustrates the rise of the U.S. as the biggest oil producer, based on data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
U.S. Takes Lead in 2018
Over the last three decades, the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Russia have alternated as the top crude producers, but always by small margins.
During the 1990s, Saudi Arabia dominated crude production, taking advantage of its extensive oil reserves. The petroleum sector accounts for roughly 42% of the country’s GDP, 87% of its budget revenues, and 90% of export earnings.
However, during the 2000s, Russia surpassed Saudi Arabia in production during some years, following strategic investments in expanding its oil infrastructure. The majority of Russia’s oil goes to OECD Europe (60%), with around 20% going to China.
Crude Oil Production | United States | Saudi Arabia | Russia |
---|---|---|---|
1992 | 11.93% | 13.97% | 12.74% |
1993 | 11.50% | 13.68% | 11.35% |
1994 | 10.96% | 13.32% | 10.50% |
1995 | 10.60% | 13.17% | 9.96% |
1996 | 10.21% | 12.87% | 9.49% |
1997 | 9.84% | 12.73% | 9.29% |
1998 | 9.39% | 12.58% | 9.05% |
1999 | 9.06% | 11.99% | 9.33% |
2000 | 8.67% | 12.33% | 9.64% |
2001 | 8.65% | 11.89% | 10.45% |
2002 | 8.63% | 11.49% | 11.53% |
2003 | 8.05% | 12.92% | 12.10% |
2004 | 7.46% | 12.74% | 12.67% |
2005 | 7.00% | 13.21% | 12.82% |
2006 | 6.85% | 13.00% | 12.90% |
2007 | 6.84% | 12.38% | 13.29% |
2008 | 6.71% | 12.44% | 12.56% |
2009 | 7.32% | 11.28% | 12.98% |
2010 | 7.37% | 11.31% | 13.03% |
2011 | 7.55% | 12.81% | 13.02% |
2012 | 8.50% | 13.04% | 12.94% |
2013 | 9.76% | 12.86% | 13.10% |
2014 | 11.18% | 12.60% | 12.86% |
2015 | 11.67% | 12.77% | 12.66% |
2016 | 10.92% | 13.12% | 13.02% |
2017 | 11.53% | 12.68% | 13.05% |
2018 | 13.21% | 12.77% | 12.96% |
2019 | 14.90% | 12.15% | 13.20% |
2020 | 14.87% | 12.37% | 12.97% |
2021 | 14.59% | 12.06% | 13.10% |
2022 | 14.73% | 13.17% | 12.76% |
Over the 2010s, the U.S. witnessed an increase in domestic production, much of it attributable to hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” in the shale formations ranging from Texas to North Dakota. It became the world’s largest oil producer in 2018, outproducing Russia and Saudi Arabia.
The U.S. accounted for 14.7% of crude oil production worldwide in 2022, compared to 13.1% for Saudi Arabia and 12.7% for Russia.
Despite leading petroleum production, the U.S. still trails seven countries in remaining proven reserves underground, with 55,251 million barrels.
Venezuela has the biggest reserves with 303,221 million barrels. Saudi Arabia, with 267,192 million barrels, occupies the second spot, while Russia is seventh with 80,000 million barrels.
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