How to Read the USGS Rare Earths Mineral Commodity Summary — Production, China's Share, Reserves and Revisions

As of 13 November 2026, 00:34 KST (retrieved by this page at that time); latest listed on the agency page at retrieval: the two-page rare earths data sheet of Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, reached from the USGS Rare Earths Statistics and Information page, where 2026 is the newest year listed. Its footer reads February 2026; the publication page gives First posted February 6, 2026 and Revised May 27, 2026 (version 1.3), and the version history records changes to this sheet's world table on p. 153. Figures for 2025 are USGS estimates. Primary source: https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-rare-earths.pdf^[1][3][5][6]

Comparison basis: quantities are metric tons of rare-earth-oxide (REO) equivalent, as the sheet states, and prices are dollars per kilogram. Changes subtract the displayed cells and percentages are this page's calculation from the same cells, rounded to one decimal; USGS rounds its world totals, and compounds and metals production is rounded to two significant digits. The reserve totals are printed as lower bounds (>), so the two editions' figures are shown side by side rather than subtracted.^[1][2]

In three lines

1. USGS estimates world rare-earth mine production at 390,000 metric tons of REO equivalent in 2025 (estimate), against 380,000 in 2024; China's estimate is 270,000 in both years.
2. U.S. mineral concentrate output is estimated at 51,000 tons, and estimated imports of compounds rose to 21,000 tons from 8,120.
3. The NdPr oxide price averaged an estimated $69 per kilogram, against $55 in 2024.^[1]

Oxide equivalent. The sheet reports tons of REO equivalent; footnote 1 says: "Data include lanthanides and yttrium but exclude most scandium." It points to separate Rare Earths (Heavy), Scandium and Yttrium chapters. "The estimated leading domestic end use of rare earths was catalysts, whereas the estimated leading global use was magnets."^[1]

Two U.S. production rows. Mineral concentrates (bastnaesite from Mountain Pass, CA, excluding monazite concentrates) are 51,000 tons, valued at $240 million; compounds and metals are a separate row of 8,900 tons (the two stages should not be added as a U.S. production total), for which footnote 3 says: "Data are rounded to two significant digits." Net import reliance is 67% for compounds and metals, while for mineral concentrates the United States is marked E, a net exporter.^[1]

Estimated production for several countries. Footnote 12 marks the figures for Burma, Madagascar, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam as estimated from reported import data for China (source: Trade Data Monitor Inc.). Prices are free on board, from Argus Media group.^[1]

Export controls. The sheet reports that China tightened export controls in April 2025 and expanded them in October, and adds: "In November, China suspended the October export controls for 1 year." It says the April controls remained in effect.^[1]

Imports up 169% in the text, 158.6% or 165.6% in the cells. The sheet says: "U.S. imports of rare-earth compounds and metals increased by 169% in 2025; however, the estimated value of these imports decreased to $165 million from $168 million in 2024, reflecting a shift toward lower-value imported products." Its table shows compounds rising from 8,120 to 21,000 tons (+158.6%); adding the two metals rows gives 8,454 and 22,450 (+165.6%), by this page's calculation. Neither reproduces 169%, and the 2025 cells are rounded estimates; the basis of the 169% is not established.^[1]

The value of 2024 imports. MCS 2026 says the value fell to $165 million from $168 million in 2024, while MCS 2025 said: "The estimated value of rare-earth compounds and metals imported by the United States in 2024 was $170 million, an 11% decrease from $186 million in 2023." The two editions give $168 million and $170 million for the same year; the sheets do not explain the difference.^[1][2]

2024 world production: 390,000 or 380,000. MCS 2025 put 2024 at 390,000; MCS 2026 prints 380,000 and says: "Significant revisions were made to the 2024 production for Australia, Brazil, Burma, Madagascar, Nigeria, and Vietnam based on Government and industry reports." Australia moved from 13,000 to 29,000 and Nigeria from 13,000 to 1,500. Vietnam, named in that sentence as significantly revised, shows 300 for 2024 in both editions, while Thailand, not named, moved from 13,000 to 2,100 and Malaysia from 130 to 140; USGS gives no reason for those.^[1][2]

Reserves: >90,000,000, >85,000,000, >75,000,000. MCS 2025 printed a world reserve total of >90,000,000 tons. The MCS 2026 version history records that on p. 153 Brazil's reserves were changed from 21,000,000 to 11,000,000 tons and the total from >85,000,000 to >75,000,000 in version 1.3 (May 27, 2026). It also records: "On p. 153, in the world mine production and reserves table, footnote 14 was removed from China's 2024 mine production and added to India's reserves." India's reserves, 6,900,000 in MCS 2025, now read NA, with that footnote: "A 2015 report from OSCOM indicated that monazite reserves from their operations were 256,000 tons; rare-earth reserves were not reported." Comparing the two sheets directly: Brazil 21,000,000 (MCS 2025) and 11,000,000 (MCS 2026), India 6,900,000 (MCS 2025) and NA (MCS 2026). The version history links the step from >85,000,000 to >75,000,000 to the Brazil change; the editions do not provide a complete reconciliation of the world lower bounds, so the step from >90,000,000 is not established. All three totals are lower bounds.^[1][2][6]

U.S. compounds and metals in 2024. MCS 2025 printed 1,300 tons for 2024 with a footnote giving total domestic production of 7,600 tons; MCS 2026 prints 4,300. Apparent consumption for 2024 moved from 6,600 to 9,010 and net import reliance from 80 to 53. The sheets do not reconcile these figures, so the reason is not established.^[1][2]

Rows against totals. The 2025 country rows add to 389,310 and the 2024 rows to 384,000, both consistent with the printed rounded totals of 390,000 and 380,000 when rounded to the nearest 10,000 tons (this page's calculation).^[1]

Production. By this page's ranking of the 2025 estimates, China leads with 270,000 tons, about 69.2% of the rounded world total (this page's calculation), followed by the United States (51,000), Australia (29,000) and Burma (22,000). USGS gives no error ranges, and Burma's figure is itself estimated from Chinese import data, so close values should not be read as firm orders.^[1]

Reserves. China shows 44,000,000 tons, Brazil 11,000,000 after the May 2026 revision, Australia 6,300,000 (footnote 13 adds: "For Australia, Joint Ore Reserves Committee-compliant or equivalent reserves were 3.3 million tons."), Russia 3,800,000, Vietnam 3,500,000 and the United States 1,900,000. Reserves for Burma, India, Madagascar, Nigeria and Thailand are NA, so a full ranking is not possible.^[1]

Dates kept apart. Data: 2021 to 2025, with 2025 estimated. Sheet footer (cover date): February 2026, unchanged although the version history records later changes to p. 153; the previous edition's footer reads January 2025. Publication: first posted February 6, 2026; reposted as version 1.1 on March 5, 2026 and as version 1.3 on May 27, 2026.^[1][2][5][6]

Next release. The Mineral Commodity Summaries page says the report is published on an annual basis; no date for the 2027 edition is given, so the next release date is not established.^[4][5]