Helium Production by Country

Helium production by country measures how much helium each country produces, expressed in tonnes. The figures refer to helium production, expressed in tonnes, in line with the underlying sources. The statistics are based on Our World in Data, which compiles them from the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries, the USGS Historical Statistics for Mineral and Material Commodities, and the BGS World Mineral Statistics. The data covers nine countries with recorded helium production in the period. 2023 figures are available for eight of them, while China's latest figure is from 2021.

Countries With the Largest Helium Production in 2023

The United States produced the most helium in 2023 with 14,101.5 tonnes. Qatar ranked second with 11,781, followed by Algeria (1,785), Russia (1,428), and Canada (714).

Helium Production by Country

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#	Country	Latest Data (tonnes)	Year
1	United States US	14,101.5	2023
2	Qatar QA	11,781	2023
3	Algeria DZ	1785	2023
4	Russia RU	1428	2023
5	Canada CA	714	2023
6	Poland PL	535.5	2023
7	Australia AU	178.5	2023
8	China CN	178.5	2021
9	South Africa ZA	89.25	2023

Among the 8 countries with available 2023 data, the United States accounted for about 46 percent of their combined production, and the United States and Qatar together for about 85 percent. Only these two countries produced more than 10,000 tonnes in 2023.

Helium Production Around the World

In North America, the United States (14,101.5 tonnes) leads, ahead of Canada (714). In the Middle East, Qatar (11,781) is the largest producer.

In Africa, Algeria (1,785 tonnes) leads, ahead of South Africa (89.25). In Europe, Russia (1,428) is the largest producer, ahead of Poland (535.5).

In the Asia-Pacific region, Australia (178.5 tonnes) and China (178.5, its 2021 figure) complete the list.

Largest Changes in Helium Production, 2020–2023

Qatar recorded the largest increase between 2020 and 2023, rising from 9,103.5 to 11,781 tonnes (up 2,677.5). Russia (892.5 to 1,428) and Canada (178.5 to 714) each added 535.5 tonnes, and Poland added 357, from 178.5 to 535.5.

The United States recorded the largest decline, falling from 14,815.5 to 14,101.5 tonnes (down 714). Algeria fell from 2,499 to 1,785 (down 714), and Australia from 714 to 178.5 (down 535.5).

Helium Production by Country

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#	Country	2020	2021	2022	2023
1	United States	14,815.5	13,566	13,744.5	14,101.5
2	Qatar	9,103.5	10,888.5	10,531.5	11,781
3	Algeria	2,499	2,499	1428	1785
4	Russia	892.5	892.5	892.5	1428
5	Australia	714	714	535.5	178.5
6	Canada	178.5	178.5	535.5	714
7	Poland	178.5	178.5	535.5	535.5
8	China	178.5	178.5	-	-
9	South Africa	-	178.5	-	89.25

Methodology

The statistics are based on Our World in Data, which compiles national helium production figures from the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries, the USGS Historical Statistics for Mineral and Material Commodities, and the BGS World Mineral Statistics, with major processing by Our World in Data; USGS data is prioritized, with BGS data used to supplement it. Values refer to helium production, expressed in tonnes, in line with the definitions used in the underlying sources. The main comparison uses 2023 data, the latest year available, for the 8 countries with 2023 figures, while China uses its latest available data, from 2021. Countries with no helium production in any year of the period are excluded from the table. In the table, a zero reflects no production, while an empty cell means that no value was reported. According to Our World in Data, the sum of all countries may exceed the World total in certain years, by up to 10 percent, due to discrepancies between the underlying data sources.