List of countries by uranium production

Last updated

This contains lists of countries by uranium production. The first two lists are compiled by the World Nuclear Association, and measures uranium production by tonnes mined. The last list is compiled by TradeTech, a consulting company which specializes in the nuclear fuel market.

Contents

World Nuclear Association (2021)

RankCountry/RegionUranium production (2021) (tonnes U) [1] Percentage of World Production (2021)
World48,332100.00%
1 Flag of Kazakhstan.svg Kazakhstan 21,81945.14%
2 Flag of Namibia.svg Namibia 5,75311.90%
3 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada 4,6939.1%
4 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia 4,1928.67%
5 Flag of Uzbekistan.svg Uzbekistan 3,500 (est.)7.24%
6 Flag of Russia.svg Russia 2,6355.45%
7 Flag of Niger.svg Niger 2,2484.65%
8 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China 1,885 (est.)3.90%
9 Flag of India.svg India 615 (est.)1.27%
10 Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukraine 4550.94%
11 Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa 385 (est.)0.80%
12 Flag of Iran.svg Iran 71 (est.)0.15%
13 Flag of Pakistan.svg Pakistan 45 (est.)0.09%
14 Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil 290.06%
15 Flag of the United States.svg United States 80.02%
16 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic 0< 0.01%
17 Flag of Romania.svg Romania 0< 0.01%
18 Flag of France.svg France 0< 0.01%
19Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 0< 0.01%
20 Flag of Malawi.svg Malawi 0< 0.01%

World Nuclear Association (2018)

RankCountry/RegionUranium production (2018) (tonnes U) [2] Percentage of World Production (2018)
 World53,498100.00%
1 Flag of Kazakhstan.svg Kazakhstan 21,70540.57%
2 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada 7,00113.09%
3 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia 6,51712.18%
4 Flag of Namibia.svg Namibia 5,52510.33%
5 Flag of Niger.svg Niger 2,9115.44%
6 Flag of Russia.svg Russia 2,9045.43%
7 Flag of Uzbekistan.svg Uzbekistan 2,404 [3] 4.49%
8 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China 1,885 [3] 3.52%
9 Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukraine 1,180 [3] 2.21%
10 Flag of the United States.svg United States 5821.09%
11 Flag of India.svg India 308 [3] 0.79% [4]
12 Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa 3460.65%
13 Flag of Iran.svg Iran 71 [3] 0.13%
14 Flag of Pakistan.svg Pakistan 45 [3] 0.08%
15 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic 0< 0.01%
16 Flag of Romania.svg Romania 0 [3] < 0.01%
17 Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil 0 [3] < 0.01%
18 Flag of France.svg France 0< 0.01%
19Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 0< 0.01%
20 Flag of Malawi.svg Malawi 0< 0.01%

TradeTech (2011)

RankCountry/RegionUranium Production (2011)

(thousands pounds U3O8) [5]

Percentage of World Production (2011)
World139,075100.00%
1 Flag of Kazakhstan.svg Kazakhstan 50,56836.36%
2 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada 23,77517.10%
3 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia 15,55511.18%
4 Flag of Niger.svg Niger 11,3128.13%
5 Flag of Namibia.svg Namibia 8,4706.09%
6 Flag of Russia.svg Russia 7,7815.59%
7 Flag of Uzbekistan.svg Uzbekistan 6,4994.67%
8 Flag of the United States.svg United States 3,9962.87%
9 Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukraine 2,3141.66%
10 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China 2,3011.65%
11 Flag of Malawi.svg Malawi 2,1991.58%
12 Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa 1,5131.09%
13 Flag of India.svg India 1,0400.75%
14 Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil 6890.50%
15 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic 5950.43%
16 Flag of Romania.svg Romania 2000.14%
17 Flag of Pakistan.svg Pakistan 1170.08%
18Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 520.04%
19 Flag of France.svg France 160.01%


See also

Related Research Articles

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Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced by nuclear fission of uranium and plutonium in nuclear power plants. Nuclear decay processes are used in niche applications such as radioisotope thermoelectric generators in some space probes such as Voyager 2. Generating electricity from fusion power remains the focus of international research.

As of 2023, Finland has five operating nuclear reactors in two power plants, all located on the shores of the Baltic Sea. Nuclear power provided about 34% of the country's electricity generation in 2020. The first research nuclear reactor in Finland was commissioned in 1962 and the first commercial reactor started operation in 1977. The fifth reactor started operation in April 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uranium market</span> Commodity market

The uranium market, like all commodity markets, has a history of volatility, moving with the standard forces of supply and demand as well as geopolitical pressures. It has also evolved particularities of its own in response to the unique nature and use of uranium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uranium mining</span> Process of extraction of uranium ore from the ground

Uranium mining is the process of extraction of uranium ore from the ground. Over 50 thousand tons of uranium were produced in 2019. Kazakhstan, Canada, and Australia were the top three uranium producers, respectively, and together account for 68% of world production. Other countries producing more than 1,000 tons per year included Namibia, Niger, Russia, Uzbekistan, the United States, and China. Nearly all of the world's mined uranium is used to power nuclear power plants. Historically uranium was also used in applications such as uranium glass or ferrouranium but those applications have declined due to the radioactivity of uranium and are nowadays mostly supplied with a plentiful cheap supply of depleted uranium which is also used in uranium ammunition. In addition to being cheaper, depleted uranium is also less radioactive due to a lower content of short-lived 234
U
and 235
U
than natural uranium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mining in Australia</span> Primary sector industry

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Nuclear Association</span> International non-profit organization

World Nuclear Association is the international organization that promotes nuclear power and supports the companies that comprise the global nuclear industry. Its members come from all parts of the nuclear fuel cycle, including uranium mining, uranium conversion, uranium enrichment, nuclear fuel fabrication, plant manufacture, transport, and the disposal of used nuclear fuel, as well as electricity generation itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uranium mining in Kakadu National Park</span>

Kakadu National Park, located in the Northern Territory of Australia, possesses within its boundaries a number of large uranium deposits. The uranium is legally owned by the Australian Government, and is sold internationally, having a large effect on the Australian economy. The mining has been controversial, due to the widespread publicity regarding the potential danger of nuclear power and uranium mining, as well as because of objections by some Indigenous groups. This controversy is significant because it involves a number of important political issues in Australia: Native Title, the environment, and Federal-State-Territory relations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uranium mining in the United States</span> Uranium mining industry in U.S.

Uranium mining in the United States produced 224,331 pounds (101.8 tonnes) of U3O8 in 2023, 15% of the 2018 production of 1,447,945 pounds (656.8 tonnes) of U3O8. The 2023 production represents 0.4% of the uranium fuel requirements of the US's nuclear power reactors for the year. Production came from five in-situ leaching plants, four in Wyoming (Nichols Ranch ISR Project, Lance Project, Lost Creek Project, and Smith Ranch-Highland Operation) and one in Nebraska (Crowe Butte Operation); and from the White Mesa conventional mill in Utah.

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The Australian Uranium Association was an Australian industry trade group which represented companies involved in uranium exploration, mining and export. It operated from September 2006 until 2013, after which its responsibilities were absorbed by the Minerals Council of Australia.

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Uranium One is an international group of companies, part of the management circuit of the TENEX Group of Rosatom State Corporation. Since 2013, it is a wholly owned subsidiary of Moscow-based Uranium One Group, a part of the Russian state-owned nuclear corporation Rosatom.

Uranium production is an important part of the African economy, with Niger, Namibia and South Africa creating up to 18% of the world's annual production. Many African countries produce uranium or have untapped uranium ore deposits.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uranium mining in Australia</span> Mining in Australia

Radioactive ores were first extracted in South Australia at Radium Hill in 1906 and Mount Painter in 1911. 2,000 tons of ore were treated to recover radium for medical use. Several hundred kilograms of uranium were also produced for use in ceramic glazes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uranium mining in Canada</span>

Canada is the world's second-largest producer of uranium, behind Kazakhstan. In 2009, 20% of the world's primary uranium production came from mines in Canada. 14.5% of the world production came from one mine, McArthur River. Currently, the only producing area in Canada is northern Saskatchewan, although other areas have had active mines in the past.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kvanefjeld</span> Mine in Kujalleq, Greenland

Kvanefjeld, in Greenland, is the site of a mineral deposit, which is claimed to be the world's second-largest deposit of rare-earth oxides, and the sixth-largest deposit of uranium. There are also substantial sodium fluoride deposits, and Kvanefjeld is thought to be one of the largest multi-element deposits of its kind in the world.

The Single Electricity Market encompassing the entire island of Ireland does not, and has never, produced any electricity from nuclear power stations. The production of electricity for the Irish national grid (Eirgrid), by nuclear fission, is prohibited in the Republic of Ireland by the Electricity Regulation Act, 1999 . The enforcement of this law is only possible within the borders of Ireland, and it does not prohibit consumption. Since 2001 in Northern Ireland and 2012 in the Republic, the grid has become increasingly interconnected with the neighbouring electric grid of Britain, and therefore Ireland is now partly powered by overseas nuclear fission stations.

The world's largest producer of uranium is Kazakhstan, which in 2019 produced 43% of the world's mining output. Canada was the next largest producer with a 13% share, followed by Australia with 12%. Uranium has been mined in every continent except Antarctica.

References

  1. "World Uranium Mining - World Nuclear Association". www.world-nuclear.org. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
  2. "World Uranium Mining". World Nuclear Association. Archived from the original on 2018-12-26. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 estimate
  4. "World Uranium Mining - World Nuclear Association".
  5. "World Uranium Production & Requirements". TradeTech. Retrieved 2020-04-08.