500,000+
100,000–500,000
10,000–99,999
1,000–9,999
0–999
This is a list of countries by iron ore production based on U.S. Geological Survey data. [lower-alpha 1]
This is a list of countries by iron ore production based on U.S. Geological Survey data. [lower-alpha 1]
| Rank | Country | Usable iron ore production (1000 tonnes) | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| World | 2,500,000 | 2019 | |
| 1 |  Australia | 930,000 | 2019 |
| 2 |  Brazil | 480,000 | 2019 |
| 3 |  China | 350,000 | 2019 |
| 4 |  India | 210,000 | 2019 |
| 5 |  Russia | 99,000 | 2019 |
| 6 |  South Africa | 77,000 | 2019 |
| 7 |  Ukraine | 62,000 | 2019 |
| 8 |  Canada | 54,000 | 2019 |
| 9 |  United States | 48,000 | 2019 |
| 10 |  Kazakhstan | 43,000 | 2019 |
| 11 |  Iran | 38,000 | 2019 |
| 12 |  Sweden | 37,000 | 2019 |
| 13 |  Mexico | 23,000 | 2019 |
| 14 |  Peru | 15,000 | 2019 |
| 15 |  Chile | 14,000 | 2019 |
| 16 |  Mauritania | 13,300 | 2017 |
| 17 |  Venezuela | 12,000 | 2017 |
| 18 |  Vietnam | 9,570 | 2017 |
| 19 |  Mongolia | 7,695 | 2017 |
| 20 |  Turkey | 6,700 | 2017 |
| 21 |  North Korea | 5,250 | 2017 |
| 22 |  Sierra Leone | 4,720 | 2017 |
| 23 |  Malaysia | 3,920 | 2017 |
| 24 |  New Zealand | 3,490 | 2017 |
| 25 |  Austria | 2,800 | 2017 |
| 26 |  Greece | 2,284 | 2017 |
| 27 |  Liberia | 1,930 | 2017 |
| 28 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1,622 | 2017 |
| 29 |  Colombia | 715 | 2017 |
| 30 |  Algeria | 600 | 2017 |
| 31 |  Pakistan | 547 | 2017 |
| 32 |  Egypt | 500 | 2017 |
| 33 |  South Korea | 310 | 2017 |
| 34 |  Tunisia | 200 | 2017 |
| 35 |  Laos | 110 | 2017 |
| 36 |  Togo | 60 | 2017 |
| 37 |  Bhutan | 28 | 2017 |
| 38 |  Morocco | 15 | 2017 |
This is a list of countries by pig iron production.
| Rank | Country | 1980 | 2013 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World | 506 | 1,168 | 1,180 | |
| 1 | China | 38 | 709 | 710 |
| 2 |  Japan | 87 | 84 | 84 |
| 3 | India | 85 | 50 | 54 |
| 4 | Russia | n/a | 50 | 51 |
| 5 | South Korea | 5.6 | 41 | 47 |
| 6 | Brazil | 13 | 26 | 30 |
| 7 |  Germany | 36 | 27 | 28 |
| 8 | United States | 62 | 30 | 26 |
| 9 | Ukraine | n/a | 29 | 25 |
| 10 |  United Kingdom | 6.2 | 9.4 | 9 |
| other countries | 246 | 91 | 101 | |
Bauxite is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminium content. It is the world's main source of aluminium and gallium. Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium minerals gibbsite (Al(OH)3), boehmite (Y-AlO(OH)) and diaspore (α-AlO(OH)), mixed with the two iron oxides goethite (FeO(OH)) and haematite (Fe2O3), the aluminium clay mineral kaolinite (Al2Si2O5(OH)4) and small amounts of anatase (TiO2) and ilmenite (FeTiO3 or FeO.TiO2). Bauxite appears dull in luster and is reddish-brown, white, or tan.
The economy of Canada is a highly developed mixed economy. It is the 8th-largest GDP by nominal and 15th-largest GDP by PPP in the world. As with other developed nations, the country's economy is dominated by the service industry which employs about three quarters of Canadians. It has the world's third-largest proven oil reserves and is the fourth-largest exporter of crude oil. It is also the fifth-largest exporter of natural gas.
The economy of Bolivia is the 95th-largest economy in the world in nominal terms and the 87th-largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity. Bolivia is classified by the World Bank to be a lower middle income country. With a Human Development Index of 0.703, it is ranked 114th. Driven largely by its natural resources, Bolivia has become a region leader in measures of economic growth, fiscal stability and foreign reserves, although it remains a historically poor country.
Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the form of magnetite (Fe
3O
4, 72.4% Fe), hematite (Fe
2O
3, 69.9% Fe), goethite (FeO(OH), 62.9% Fe), limonite (FeO(OH)·n(H2O), 55% Fe) or siderite (FeCO3, 48.2% Fe).
The economy of South America comprises approximately 434 million people living in twelve nations and three territories. It encompasses 6 percent of the world's population.
Ferroalloy refers to various alloys of iron with a high proportion of one or more other elements such as manganese (Mn), aluminium (Al), or silicon (Si). They are used in the production of steels and alloys. The alloys impart distinctive qualities to steel and cast iron or serve important functions during production and are, therefore, closely associated with the iron and steel industry, the leading consumer of ferroalloys. The leading producers of ferroalloys in 2014 were China, South Africa, India, Russia and Kazakhstan, which accounted for 84% of the world production. World production of ferroalloys was estimated as 52.8 million tonnes in 2015.
The mining industry in India is a major economic activity which contributes significantly to the economy of India. The gross domestic product (GDP) contribution of the mining industry varies from 2.2% to 2.5% only but going by the GDP of the total industrial sector, it contributes around 10% to 11%. Even mining done on small scale contributes 6% to the entire cost of mineral production. Indian mining industry provides job opportunities to around 700,000 individuals.
Mining in Australia has long been a significant primary sector industry and contributor to the Australian economy by providing export income, royalty payments and employment. Historically, mining booms have also encouraged population growth via immigration to Australia, particularly the gold rushes of the 1850s. Many different ores, gems and minerals have been mined in the past and a wide variety are still mined throughout the country.
Mining in Iran is still under development, yet the country is one of the most important mineral producers in the world, ranked among 15 major mineral-rich countries, holding some 68 types of minerals, 37 billion tonnes of proven reserves and more than 57 billion tonnes of potential reserves worth $770 billion in 2014. Mineral production contributes only 0.6 per cent to the country's GDP. Add other mining-related industries and this figure increases to just four per cent (2005). Many factors have contributed to this, namely lack of suitable infrastructure, legal barriers, exploration difficulties, and government control.
Mining in Brazil is centered on the extraction of iron, copper, gold, aluminum, manganese, tin, niobium, and nickel. About gemstones, Brazil is the world's largest producer of amethyst, topaz, agate and is a big producer of tourmaline, emerald, aquamarine, garnet and opal.
Mining in South Africa was once the main driving force behind the history and development of Africa's most advanced and richest economy. Large-scale and profitable mining started with the discovery of a diamond on the banks of the Orange River in 1867 by Erasmus Jacobs and the subsequent discovery and exploitation of the Kimberley pipes a few years later. Gold rushes to Pilgrim's Rest and Barberton were precursors to the biggest discovery of all, the Main Reef/Main Reef Leader on Gerhardus Oosthuizen's farm Langlaagte, Portion C, in 1886, the Witwatersrand Gold Rush and the subsequent rapid development of the gold field there, the biggest of them all.
Peak copper is the point in time at which the maximum global copper production rate is reached. Since copper is a finite resource, at some point in the future new production from mining will diminish, and at some earlier time production will reach a maximum. When this will occur is a matter of dispute. Unlike fossil fuels, copper is scrapped and reused, and it has been estimated that at least 80% of all copper ever mined is still available.
Mining in Afghanistan was controlled by the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, prior to the August 15th takeover by the Taliban. It is headquartered in Kabul with regional offices in other parts of the country. Afghanistan has over 1,400 mineral fields, containing barite, chromite, coal, copper, gold, iron ore, lead, natural gas, petroleum, precious and semi-precious stones, salt, sulfur, lithium, talc, and zinc, among many other minerals. Gemstones include high-quality emerald, lapis lazuli, red garnet and ruby. According to a joint study by The Pentagon and the United States Geological Survey, Afghanistan has an estimated US$1 trillion of untapped minerals.
The mineral industry of Russia is one of the world's leading mineral industries and accounts for a large percentage of the Commonwealth of Independent States' production of a range of mineral products, including metals, industrial minerals, and mineral fuels. In 2005, Russia ranked among the leading world producers or was a significant producer of a vast range of mineral commodities, including aluminum, arsenic, cement, copper, magnesium compounds and metals, nitrogen, palladium, silicon, nickel and vanadium.
Mining in the United Kingdom produces a wide variety of fossil fuels, metals, and industrial minerals due to its complex geology. In 2013, there were over 2,000 active mines, quarries, and offshore drilling sites on the continental land mass of the United Kingdom producing £34bn of minerals and employing 36,000 people.
Mining in the United States has been active since the beginning of colonial times, but became a major industry in the 19th century with a number of new mineral discoveries causing a series of mining rushes. In 2015, the value of coal, metals, and industrial minerals mined in the United States was US $109.6 billion. 158,000 workers were directly employed by the mining industry.
The regional geology of Serbia describes the geologic structure and history inside the borders of Serbia.
The following list creates a summary of the two major producers of different minerals.
In 2022, the United States was the world’s third-largest producer of raw steel, and the sixth-largest producer of pig iron. The industry produced 29 million metric tons of pig iron and 88 million tons of steel. Most iron and steel in the United States is now made from iron and steel scrap, rather than iron ore. The United States is also a major importer of iron and steel, as well as iron and steel products.