World Rankings
Australia’s EDR of gold, iron ore, lead, nickel, rutile, uranium, zinc and zircon were the world’s largest in 2021 (Table 5). Another 14 commodities ranked in the top five for world economic resources: bauxite, black coal, brown coal, cobalt, copper, ilmenite, lithium, magnesite, manganese ore, silver, tin, tungsten and vanadium (Table 5). Australia’s ranking for economic resources of silver dropped from first in the world in 2020 to second in 2021 as Peruvian silver resources were significantly upgraded. Bauxite dropped from second to third as Vietnam increased its resources base, and diamond dropped significantly, from fifth to a minor share of world economic resources owing to the depletion of the Argyle diamond mine.
In 2021, Australia was the top global producer for bauxite, iron ore, rutile and zircon (all bulk commodities), as well as lithium which is important for battery storage technologies. Australia was the second largest producer of gold and lead; the third largest producer of black coal, cobalt, manganese ore and zinc; the fourth largest producer of antimony, rare earths and uranium; and the fifth largest producer of magnesite, nickel, silver and tantalum (Table 5). During 2021, Australia was a top five producer of 18 minerals and metals, of which nine are listed in Australia’s 2022 Critical Minerals List, with the Australian mining industry continuing to be a reliable and responsible source of resource commodities.
Table 5. World ranking for Australia's mineral resources (EDR) and production as at December 2021.
| Commodity | World Ranking for Resources | Share of World Resources | World Ranking for Production | Share of World Production |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antimony | 6 | 7% | 4 | 3% |
| Bauxite | 3 | 12% | 1 | 27% |
| Black Coal – Recoverable | 4 | 10% | 3 | 8% |
| Brown Coal – Recoverable | 2 | 23% | 8 | 4% |
| Chromium | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| Cobalt | 2 | 20% | 3 | 3% |
| Copper | 2 | 11% | 8 | 4% |
| Diamond | minor | minor | 0 | 0% |
| Fluorine | 9 | minor | 0 | 0% |
| Gold | 1 | 22% | 2 | 10% |
| Graphite | 8 | 2% | 0 | 0% |
| Ilmenite | 2 | 23% | 8 | 4% |
| Iron Ore | 1 | 31% | 1 | 36% |
| Lead | 1 | 40% | 2 | 11% |
| Lithium | 2 | 29% | 1 | 53% |
| Magnesite | 4 | 4% | 5 | 3% |
| Manganese Ore | 4 | 9% | 3 | 11% |
| Molybdenum | 6 | 2% | 0 | 0% |
| Nickel | 1 | 23% | 5 | 6% |
| Niobium | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown |
| Phosphate | 8 | 2% | 13 | 1% |
| PGE | minor | minor | minor | minor |
| Potash | 12 | 1% | minor | minor |
| Rare Earths | 6 | 3% | 4 | 8% |
| Rutile | 1 | 63% | 1 | 26% |
| Scandium | unknown | unknown | 0 | 0% |
| Silver | 2 | 18% | 5 | 6% |
| Tantalum | unknown | unknown | 5 | 5% |
| Thorium | 0 | 0% | n.a. | n.a. |
| Tin | 4 | 12% | 8 | 3% |
| Tungsten | 2 | 15% | minor | minor |
| Uranium | 1 | 32% | 4 | 8% |
| Vanadium | 2 | 31% | 0 | 0% |
| Zinc | 1 | 27% | 3 | 10% |
| Zircon | 1 | 72% | 1 | 30% |
Abbreviations
PGE = platinum group elements (platinum, palladium, osmium, iridium, ruthenium, rhodium).
Notes
World rankings determined by comparing Australia’s EDR and production to economic resources and production reported for other countries (see sources below). Undocumented resources and production are not used in the comparisons.
Minor = <1% of global economic resources and/or production, therefore Australia’s ranking unable to be determined.
Unknown = Global economic resources are too opaque for comparisions (e.g., there are large, undocumented tantalum resources in the Congo) or Australian production is likely to have occurred during the year but quantities are not publically available.
Sources
United States Geological Survey (Mineral Commodity Summaries 2022), OECD Nuclear Energy Agency/International Atomic Energy Agency (personal communication 2022), World Nuclear Organisation (Uranium Production, Figures, 2012-2021, July 2022 update). Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, Germany (Energy Study 2021) and Geoscience Australia.