Rare Earth Mine Production: 1950-2025
75 years of global supply - from US dominance to China's monopoly to the new Western recovery
The Story in Four Acts
No single chart captures more rare earth history than this one. Starting from the 1950s when total global production was measured in the low thousands of tonnes, through to today's 390,000 MT world total - the arc of this industry mirrors the arc of modern geopolitics.
REE Mine Production, 1950-2025
USGS DS140 + MCS 2026Metric tons rare-earth oxide (REO) equivalent - US share shown in blue
Sources: USGS Data Series 140 (1950-2020), USGS MCS 2021-2026
World totals use USGS official aggregates (excl. unverified Burma output)
Who Produced What? (2018-2025)
Zooming into the past eight years reveals a more complex picture than the long-run chart suggests. China's headline dominance masks the volatile role of informal [Burma] mining, Australia's supply swings, and the accelerating US recovery.
REE Production by Country, 2018-2025
USGS MCS 2020-2026Metric tons rare-earth oxide (REO) equivalent - click country name to hide/show
China accounted for 63-69% of global output every year in this period.
US output tripled 2018-2025 as Mountain Pass scaled up production.
Informal Burma mining swung from 12 kt (2022) to 43 kt (2023) depending on export controls.
Sources: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2020-2026 (World Mine Production tables)
"Other countries" = world total minus the four highlighted producers
1966-2001: The Mountain Pass Era
The Mountain Pass mine in California (operated by MP Materials' predecessor Unocal, then Molycorp) made the United States the world's dominant rare earth producer for three decades. At its peak, the US accounted for more than 60% of global supply. The mine processed primarily bastnaesite ore, rich in light rare earths including cerium, lanthanum, neodymium, and praseodymium.
2001-2011: China Takes Over
Mountain Pass curtailed operations in 2002 due to environmental compliance costs and competition from Chinese producers, whose costs were dramatically lower. China grew its share of world production from around 60% in the mid-1990s to over 95% by 2010. Global supply became almost entirely dependent on a single country - a strategic vulnerability that would trigger a geopolitical crisis in 2010-2011.
2011: The Price Crisis
When China imposed export quotas in 2010, REE prices exploded. The unit value jumped from $6,000/t in 2009 to $58,100/t in 2011 - nearly a 10x increase in two years. The shock forced every major industrial economy to rethink its rare earth supply strategy. This single event is the origin of every Western critical minerals policy in existence today.
2018-2025: Western Recovery
Mountain Pass was acquired out of Molycorp's bankruptcy and reopened underMP Materialsin 2018. US production has climbed steadily to 51,000 MT in 2025 - the highest since the early 1990s. Australia, Brazil, and others are adding capacity. World production now exceeds 390,000 MT (excluding informal Burma output), with the Western share recovering toward 25%.
From ~5,000 MT in 1950 to 390,000 MT in 2025
Unit value surged from $6k/t (2009) to $58k/t (2011)
Recovering from zero (2001-2011) toward 1990s levels
Data Sources & Methodology
- 1950-2020: USGS Data Series 140 - Historical Statistics for Mineral and Material Commodities in the United States (rare earths, last updated 2023). Covers US production, imports, exports, apparent consumption, and world production totals in metric tons REO equivalent.
- 2021-2025: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2022-2026. US production represents mineral concentrate output. World totals sourced from MCS published aggregates.
- World totals use USGS official aggregates which exclude informal/unverified Burma (Myanmar) production. Burma is reported separately in the MCS due to data reliability concerns. Including Burma would add approximately 220,000-230,000 MT to recent world totals.
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