Rare Earths Reserves: Top 7 Countries

2026-06-03 16:55:00 ET

The outlook for rare earths is supported by strong supply and demand fundamentals as the world heads into a new economic era with a focus on clean energy and technological advancements.

But with supply chain worries rising, it’s worth knowing which countries have the highest rare earths reserves. Many of the world’s major rare earths producers have large reserves, but some countries with high reserves have low output.

Case in point — mines in Brazil produced only 2,000 metric tons (MT) of rare earth elements in 2025, but Brazil’s rare earths reserves are the second highest in the world. Countries like this could become bigger players in the space in the future.

Top rare earth reserves by country

Here’s an overview of rare earths reserves by country, with a focus on the seven countries whose reserves are over 1 million metric tons. Data is taken from the US Geological Survey’s latest report on rare earth elements from its 2026 Mineral Commodity Summary . Reserves are measured in metric tons of rare earth oxide equivalent.

Reserves information is unavailable for a few rare earths producers, including Myanmar (also known as Burma), which took the third spot for rare earths production last year.

?1. China

Rare earths reserves: 44 million metric tons

Unsurprisingly, China has the highest reserves of rare earths at 44 million metric tons. The country was also the world’s leading rare earths producer in 2025 by a long shot, producing 270,000 metric tons.

Despite already holding the top position, China remains focused on ensuring that its rare earths reserves remain elevated. Back in 2012, the Asian nation declared that its reserves of these materials were declining; it then announced in 2016 that it would raise domestic reserves by establishing both commercial and national stockpiles.

China’s dominance in both rare earth elements production and reserves has caused problems in the past. Rare earths prices surged when the country cut exports in 2010 , resulting in an ongoing rush to secure supply elsewhere .

China and the US have been in a trade war over rare earths as each nation battles over who will dominate the global electric vehicle and tech sectors. Taking aim at the US, China banned the export of technology to make rare earth magnets in December 2023.

The country has also been reining in illicit rare earths mining for a number of years, shutting illegal or environmentally non-compliant rare earths mines and limiting production and exports. These production limits have been easing, and in the last few years the country has raised mining quotas several times.

China raised its production quotas for rare earth metals in 2024 as a means to boost its domestic supplies. However, in 2026, the Chinese government enacted stricter controls on its rare earth miners and refiners by enforcing fines for those that exceed quotas.

In recent years, China has begun importing more heavy rare earths from Myanmar, for which the US Geological Survey does not have rare earths reserves data. While China has stricter environmental regulations, the same cannot be said for Myanmar, and the mountains along its border with China have been heavily damaged by rare earths mining.

2. Brazil

Rare earths reserves: 11 million metric tons

Brazil holds the world's second largest rare earths reserves at 11 million metric tons.

In Goiás state, Pela Ema, one of the world's largest ionic clay rare earth deposits, produces the four critical magnet rare earth elements : neodymium, praseodymium, terbium and dysprosium. According to Serra Verde, the deposit's owner, it is the only rare earths operation outside of China to produce all four of those heavy rare earth metals.

While the nation was not a major producer of rare earths in 2025, that will soon be changing. Serra Verde began Phase 1 commercial production from its Pela Ema deposit at the top of 2024. By 2027, the company expects to ramp up to full Phase 1 capacity of 6,400 MT of rare earth oxides annually.

Serra Verde is currently the subject of a US$2.8 billion acquisition by USA Rare Earth (NASDAQ:USAR) that includes a 15 year offtake agreement with the US government. The deal is expected to close in Q3 2026. However, Brazil's Administrative Council for Economic Defense is investigating the transaction for potential competition impacts of the acquisition.

3. Australia

Rare earths reserves: 6.3 million metric tons*

Australia holds the third largest reported rare earth mineral reserves in the world at 6.3 million metric tons. Rare earths are found across the country in a mix of hard rock, heavy mineral sands and clay-hosted deposits.

Australia was also the third largest rare earths mining country at 29,000 MT in production, a number that has increased significantly in recent years.

Rare earths have only been mined in Australia since 2007, when mining started at the Mount Weld rare earths deposit in Western Australia. The Mount Weld mine and concentration plant are operated by Lynas Rare Earths (ASX:LYC,OTCQX:LYSDY) , considered the largest non-Chinese rare earths supplier. The Mount Weld rare earths deposit hosts 2 million metric tons of rare earth oxides reserves as of 2024 .

The company's new rare earths processing facility in Kalgoorlie commenced production in mid-2024, producing a mixed rare earth carbonate feed for Lynas' refining and processing facility in Malaysia.

There are multiple rare earth minerals projects advancing to production in Australia. Hastings Technology Metals' (ASX:HAS,OTCPL:HSRMF) Yangibana rare earths mine is shovel ready, and the company has an offtake agreement with Baotou Sky Rock. Hastings expects the operation to deliver first concentrate in Q4 2026 and reach annual capacity of 36,000 MT of rare earths concentrate by the end of 2028.

*As per the USGS, "Joint Ore Reserves Committee-compliant or equivalent reserves were 3.3 million tons"

4. Russia

Rare earths reserves: 3.8 million metric tons

In 2025, Russia's rare earth reserves total 3.8 million metric tons. The country's reserves were lowered significantly from 10 million MT in 2023 based on data from company and government reports.

Russia produced 2,600 MT of rare earths in 2025, on par with the previous year.

The Russian government shared plans in 2020 to invest US$1.5 billion in order to compete with China in the rare earths market. The country’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 caused trading partners to turn away from Russian exports.

As of 2026, Russia plans to use its rare earth reserves for diplomatic leverage over European countries looking to break dependence on China's rare earths. To accomplish this, the country is planning the Angara-Yenisei Valley project, a US$9.2 billion rare earths processing hub in Siberia, hoping to bring investments and technology from partners in "friendly countries" primarily in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

5. Vietnam

Rare earths reserves: 3.5 million metric tons

Vietnam’s rare earths reserves stand at 3.5 million metric tons. The majority of its rare earth minerals deposits are located in the country's mountainous northern region, including in the provinces of Lai Chau and Lao Cai, and some are also found along its eastern coastline.

In 2024, the USGS revised down Vietnam's rare earths reserves from a whopping 22 million MT in the previous year based on company and government reports.

Vietnam’s rare earths production in 2025 was just 150 metric tons. In 2023, the country had stated a goal to produce 2.02 million MT of rare earths by 2030.

However, the country's rare earth industry was disrupted by the arrests of six rare earths executives in October 2023. An investigation resulted in accusations against mining company Thai Duong Group and co-conspirators including illegally mining over US$30 million in rare earth minerals and iron, dumping 348,000 metric tons of tailings, evading taxes and more. The company's CEO allegedly conspired with individuals such as Vietnam Rare Earth's chairman and the country's former Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment.

6. United States

Rare earths reserves: 1.9 million metric tons

While the country holds second place for rare earths production in 2025 at 51,000 metric tons, the United States takes only the sixth top spot when it comes to global rare earths reserves at 1.9 million metric tons.

Large-scale rare earths mining in the US happens only at California’s Mountain Pass mine, owned by MP Materials (NYSE:MP) . MP Materials has established downstream capabilities at its rare earth hub in Fort Worth, Texas, to convert a some of its production into rare earth magnets and precursor products.

Over the past few years, the US government has made several moves toward strengthening the nation's rare earths industry. In April 2024, under the Biden Administration, the US Department of Energy earmarked US$17.5 million for four rare earths and critical minerals and materials processing technologies that would produce rare earths from secondary coal and coal by-products as feedstocks.

Under the Trump Administration, the government is working to create a mine-to-magnet domestic supply chain to reduce reliance on China. As part of that, the administration committed US$1.6 billion in funding to the company USA Rare Earth under the Biden-era CHIPS Act, invested US$400 million and took a 15 percent stake in domestic producer MP Materials , and expanded Pentagon funding to support the extraction and refining of heavy rare earths.

7. Greenland

Rare earths reserves: 1.5 million metric tons

Greenland’s rare earths reserves total 1.5 million metric tons, but the island nation currently doesn't produce the metals. However, it does have two significant rare earths projects with large reserves, the Tanbreez heavy rare earths project and the Kvanefjeld project.

In March 2026, Critical Metals (NASDAQ:CRML) announced a US$30 million program to fast track Tanbreez through to production. The company is targeting first ore production in Q4 2028 or Q1 2029, and the first concentrate export by Q3 2029.

Meanwhile, Energy Transition Minerals (ASX:ETM,OTCPL:GDLNF) has had some challenges with the Greenland government over permitting for the Kvanefeld project. Its license for was revoked by Greenland's current government due to the company's plans to exploit uranium, and its amended plan that did not include uranium was rejected as well in September 2023. MDO reports that as of April 2026, the government of Greenland has "informed Energy Transition Minerals of a potential rejection of its exploration licence renewal application for the Kvanefjeld project."

With US President Donald Trump back in the White House, Greenland (an autonomous region in the Kingdom of Denmark) and its rare earths reserves are on his radar . However, Greenland's Prime Minister and the King of Denmark have made it clear that the Greenland is not for sale.

FAQs for rare earths reserves

?What are rare earth metals?

Rare earth metals are a basket of 17 naturally occurring elements comprised of 15 elements in the lanthanide series, plus yttrium and scandium. Other than scandium, all rare earths can be divided into “heavy” and “light” categories based on their atomic weight. Heavy rare earths are generally more sought after, but light rare earth elements can of course be important too.

What is the global total for rare earths reserves?

Global economic rare earths reserves amount to 75 million metric tons, according to the USGS. With demand for rare earth minerals ramping up as hype about electric vehicles and other high-tech products continues, it will be interesting to see how the top producers contribute to future supply.

?What is the annual production of rare earths?

According to the US Geological Survey, global rare earth minerals production in 2025 came in at 390,000 metric tons, up from 380,000 MT the previous year. The production of rare earths has ramped up aggressively in recent years — only a decade ago , global production was at 124,000 MT, and it first broke 200,000 MT in 2019 .

?Is lithium a rare earth metal?

Lithium is not a rare earth metal. It is an alkali metal in the same group as sodium, potassium, rubidium and cesium.

?Who is the largest producer of rare earth metals in the world?

China has consistently been the largest producer of rare earths, and its 2025 production made up 270,000 metric tons of the world's 390,000 MT. In terms of specific rare earths mines, the top producer is the Bayan Obo mine in Inner Mongolia, an autonomous region in Northern China. The mine is owned by the state-owned Baotou Iron and Steel Group.

?Are there rare earth minerals in Europe?

There are currently no rare earths mines in Europe, but there are multiple countries with reserves, including one with a significant new discovery. In early 2023, Swedish state-owned company LKAB announced it had identified the continent's largest rare earths deposit, the Per Geijer deposit, with rare earths resources of over 1 million MT of oxides.

With the European Union focusing heavily on building its own supply chain with the European Critical Raw Materials Act , the Per Geijer deposit could develop into an important source of rare earths for the region.

Several other countries in Europe hold significant rare earths reserves as well. Greenland hosts many deposits totaling 1.5 million MT of rare earths reserves along its coastline, with the majority located in the southwest of the country. The Gardar igneous province in the south hosts the largest ones.

Countries in the Fennoscandian Shield — such as Norway , Finland and, of course, Sweden — also host rare earth deposits, as the region has similar mineralization to Greenland.

?What are the most technologically useful rare earth metals?

Rare earth metals play a significant role in various technologies. They are often used in electronics such as laptops and smartphones. Rare earth oxides such as neodymium and praseodymium are used in magnets, aircraft engines and green technologies, including wind turbines and electric vehicles. Samarium and dysprosium are also used in rare earth magnets. Phosphor rare earths such as europium, terbium and yttrium are used in lighting, as are cerium, lanthanum and gadolinium.

How are rare earths mined?

Rare earth elements are either mined from open pits, like many other metals and minerals, or they are mined through in-situ leaching. The metals are found in hard-rock deposits, ionic clay deposits and mineral sands. Some minerals that are mined for rare earths are bastnäsite, monazite, loparite and xenotime.

The open-pit mining process for rare earths is similar to that of other minerals: hard rock is mined, ore is separated from tailings and then it is refined. In in-situ leaching , which is also a common method of mining uranium, miners pump a chemical solution into an orebody. The solution dissolves the targeted materials into a brine that is then pumped back out of the ore and into collection pools. Rare earths mining also has a final step, which is the separation of the different rare earths from each other.

?Why is it difficult to mine rare earth metals?

Although rare earths aren't as rare as you might assume from the name, finding economic deposits is very difficult. This is even more so the case for the heavy rare earths, as orebodies containing them are less abundant versus light rare earths.

Another road bump for rare earths is the separation process. Because the rare earth elements all have similar chemical behavior to each other, they are very tough to separate, making the process difficult and expensive. The most common separation method is solvent extraction, but it is lengthy and can take hundreds to thousands of cycles to achieve high purity levels, according to the Science History Institute .

Lastly, the environmental risks associated with rare earths mining mean even more care needs to be taken to minimize damage to the environment and to the people near the mine.

Is rare earths mining bad for the environment?

Rare earths mining can be very damaging to local environments, especially when it comes to illegal and unregulated mines. A major issue with mining rare earths is that the ore they are extracted from also often contains thorium and uranium, which are both radioactive. This means the separation of rare earths from this ore must be handled carefully, as the waste produced will be radioactive as well.

Unfortunately, it is common for this radioactive waste to make its way into groundwater and streams, which is incredibly damaging to the environment and to nearby communities that rely on this water. This can be seen in the mountains of Southern China and Northern Myanmar, both of which have been heavily exploited for their rare earths.

A report from Global Witness that investigates the effects of rare earths mining in these regions shows that mining in Myanmar has escalated in recent years after China began closing its own mines and outsourcing to the neighboring country. As of mid-2022, 2,700 illegal collection pools from in-situ leaching in the mountains had been identified, and they covered an area the size of Singapore. Those who lived in the region reported difficulty accessing safe drinking water and said local wildlife and fish were dying out.

Additionally, the in-situ leaching process can damage the rocks that are being extracted. Global Witness found that over 100 landslides have already taken place in China's Ganzhou region as a result of this extraction, and the damage to Myanmar's mountains is substantial as well.

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Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.