Misc
All the World’s Metals and Minerals in One Visualization
All the World’s Metals and Minerals in One Visualization
We live in a material world, in that we rely on materials to make our lives better. Without even realizing it, humans consume enormous amounts of metals and minerals with every convenient food package, impressive building, and technological innovation.
Every year, the United States Geological Service (USGS) publishes commodity summaries outlining global mining statistics for over 90 individual minerals and materials. Today’s infographic visualizes the data to reveal the dramatic scale of 2019 non-fuel mineral production.
Read all the way to the bottom; the data will surprise you.
Non-Fuel Minerals: USGS Methodology
A wide variety of minerals can be classified as “non-fuel”, including precious metals, base metals, industrial minerals, and materials used for construction.
Non-fuel minerals are those not used for fuel, such as oil, natural gas and coal. Once non-fuel minerals are used up, there is no replacing them. However, many can be recycled continuously.
The USGS tracked both refinery and mine production of these various minerals. This means that some minerals are the essential ingredients for others on the list. For example, iron ore is critical for steel production, and bauxite ore gets refined into aluminum.
Top 10 Minerals and Metals by Production
Sand and gravel are at the top of the list of non-fuel mineral production.
As these materials are the basic components for the manufacturing of concrete, roads, and buildings, it’s not surprising they take the lead.
| Rank | Metal/Mineral | 2019 Production (millions of metric tons) |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Sand and Gravel | 50,000 |
| #2 | Cement | 4,100 |
| #3 | Iron and Steel | 3,200 |
| #4 | Iron Ore | 2,500 |
| #5 | Bauxite | 500 |
| #6 | Lime | 430 |
| #7 | Salt | 293 |
| #8 | Phosphate Rock | 240 |
| #9 | Nitrogen | 150 |
| #10 | Gypsum | 140 |
These materials fertilize the food we eat, and they also form the structures we live in and the roads we drive on. They are the bones of the global economy.
Let’s dive into some more specific categories covered on the infographic.
Base Metals
While cement, sand, and gravel may be the bones of global infrastructure, base metals are its lifeblood. Their consumption is an important indicator of the overall health of an economy.
Base metals are non-ferrous, meaning they contain no iron. They are often more abundant in nature and sometimes easier to mine, so their prices are generally lower than precious metals.
| Rank | Base Metal | 2019 Production (millions of metric tons) |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Aluminum | 64.0 |
| #2 | Copper | 20.0 |
| #3 | Zinc | 13.0 |
| #4 | Lead | 4.5 |
| #5 | Nickel | 2.7 |
| #6 | Tin | 0.3 |
Base metals are also the critical materials that will help to deliver a green and renewable future. The electrification of everything will require vast amounts of base metals to make everything from batteries to solar cells work.
Precious Metals
Gold and precious metals grab the headlines because of their rarity — and their production shows just how rare they are.
| Rank | Precious Metal | 2019 Production (metric tons) |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Silver | 27,000 |
| #2 | Gold | 3,300 |
| #3 | Palladium | 210 |
| #4 | Platinum | 180 |
While metals form the structure and veins of the global economy, ultimately it is humans and animals that make the flesh of the world, driving consumption patterns.
A Material World: A Perspective on Scale
The global economy’s appetite for materials has quadrupled since 1970, faster than the population, which only doubled. On average, each human uses more than 13 metric tons of materials per year.
In 2017, it’s estimated that humans consumed 100.6B metric tons of material in total. Half of the total comprises sand, clay, gravel, and cement used for building, along with the other minerals mined to produce fertilizer. Coal, oil, and gas make up 15% of the total, while metal makes up 10%. The final quarter are plants and trees used for food and fuel.
Misc
Ranked: The Top Countries Relying on Mining Exports
For these economies, mining exports (minerals, ores, and metals) are the primary category of goods sent abroad.
Ranked: The Top Countries Relying on Mining Exports
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.
This graphic ranks the countries where mining exports (minerals, ores, and metals) are more than 60% of their total exports. Data is from sourced from UN Trade and Development, based on 2019–2021 averaged figures
This sort of resource dependency can make a country vulnerable to economic shocks via price fluctuations.
Diamonds, Gold, and Copper: Key Exports for Many Countries
Around 90% of Botswana’s exports are concentrated in mining, making it the most mineral resource dependent country in the world. Within the sector, diamonds alone account for 80% of all exports.
As a result, Botswana is the top producer of raw, uncut diamonds in the world. The IMF estimates that 25% of the country’s $20 billion GDP is from diamond mining.
| Rank | Country | % of Exports from Mining | Top Mineral/Metal Export (2022) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇧🇼 Botswana | 92% | 💎 Diamonds |
| 2 | 🇬🇳 Guinea | 87% | 🏅 Gold |
| 3 | 🇲🇱 Mali | 85% | 🏅 Gold |
| 4 | 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso | 84% | 🏅 Gold |
| 5 | 🇸🇷 Suriname | 83% | 🏅 Gold |
| 6 | 🇿🇲 Zambia | 79% | 🪨 Copper |
| 7 | 🇨🇩 DRC | 77% | 🪨 Copper |
| 8 | 🇲🇷 Mauritania | 66% | 🏅 Gold |
| 9 | 🇬🇾 Guyana | 64% | 🏅 Gold |
| 10 | 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan | 62% | 🏅 Gold |
| 11 | 🇳🇦 Namibia | 61% | 💎 Diamonds |
| 12 | 🇵🇪 Peru | 61% | 🪨 Copper |
Figures rounded. The top mining export per country sourced from The Observatory of Economic Complexity.
Meanwhile, in Mali (#3), Burkina Faso (#4), and Suriname (#5) gold is responsible for most of the mining export dependency. However, Guinea (#2) also exports a significant amount of aluminum ore as well.
In Zambia (#6) and the DRC (#7) where more than 70% of their exports are from mining, copper plays a crucial role. However Zambia also exports a significant amount of gold, and the DRC is a major cobalt exporter.
Of the top 10 countries whose exports are predominantly mining-based, seven are from Africa.
It’s also apparent that this kind of commodity dependence is more common in developing economies (wealthy oil nations are exceptions to the rule). And as commodity demand tends to run in boom-bust cycles, it leaves these less-wealthy countries particularly susceptible to price shocks.
Learn More on the Voronoi App 
Resource dependency comes in many flavors. Check out Ranked: The Countries Most Dependent on Agricultural Exports for the economies where food products take center stage.
Visualizing Raw Steel Production in 2023
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.
Steel is essential for the economy due to its crucial role in infrastructure, construction, manufacturing, and transportation sectors.
This graphic breaks down the estimated global production of raw steel in 2023. The data was sourced from the U.S. Geological Survey as of January 2024.
China Produces More Than Half the World’s Steel
One major issue facing the steel industry is overcapacity in top producer China.
Steel production in China has surpassed demand in recent years, leading to downward pressure on the profit margins of steel mills worldwide.
Historically, China’s troubled real estate sector has accounted for over one-third of the country’s steel consumption. To address this issue, the Chinese government has mandated steel production cuts since 2021.
Far behind China, India is the second-biggest producer of steel, followed by Japan.
| Country | Region | 2023 Production (million tonnes) |
|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇳 China | Asia | 1,000 |
| 🇮🇳 India | Asia | 140 |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | Asia | 87 |
| 🇺🇸 U.S. | North America | 80 |
| 🇷🇺 Russia | Europe | 75 |
| 🇰🇷 S. Korea | Asia | 68 |
| 🌍 Rest of World | 420 | |
| Total | 1,870 |
Infinite Recyclability
Steel is an alloy primarily composed of iron ore containing less than 2% carbon, 1% manganese, and other trace elements. It is 1,000 times stronger than iron and can be recycled over and over without sacrificing quality.
Steel is widely used in various industries. It is a fundamental material in construction, providing support through beams, internal structures, and roofing.
Moreover, steel’s corrosion-resistant properties make it ideal for water infrastructure. Stainless steel pipes are the preferred choice for underground water systems, ensuring longevity and purity in water transportation.
Additionally, most canned foods are stored in steel containers for preservation, as steel does not rust.
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