Iron Ore Production by Country
Iron ore production by country measures how much iron ore each country mines, expressed in tonnes. The figures refer to mine production of usable iron ore, on a gross weight basis, in line with the underlying sources. The statistics combine an Our World in Data series for 2020-2023, built from the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries and the BGS World Mineral Statistics, with 2024 and 2025 estimates taken directly from the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026. The table below lists 17 countries, every one with individual 2025 figures from the source, producing a combined 2,545,700,000 tonnes in 2025; together with the "Other countries" value of 64,000,000 tonnes, this totals 2,609,700,000 tonnes, slightly above the reported World total of 2,600,000,000 tonnes in the source.
Countries With the Largest Iron Ore Production in 2025
Australia produced the most iron ore in 2025 with 980,000,000 tonnes. Brazil ranked second with 420,000,000, followed by India (310,000,000), China (290,000,000), Iran (93,000,000), and Russia (86,000,000). Canada (69,000,000), South Africa (66,000,000), Ukraine (52,000,000), and the United States (38,000,000) complete the top ten.
Iron Ore Production by Country
|
#
|
Country
|
Latest Data (tonnes)
|
Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Australia
AU
|
980,000,000 | 2025 |
| 2 |
Brazil
BR
|
420,000,000 | 2025 |
| 3 |
India
IN
|
310,000,000 | 2025 |
| 4 |
China
CN
|
290,000,000 | 2025 |
| 5 |
Iran
IR
|
93,000,000 | 2025 |
| 6 |
Russia
RU
|
86,000,000 | 2025 |
| 7 |
Canada
CA
|
69,000,000 | 2025 |
| 8 |
South Africa
ZA
|
66,000,000 | 2025 |
| 9 |
Ukraine
UA
|
52,000,000 | 2025 |
| 10 |
United States
US
|
38,000,000 | 2025 |
| 11 |
Kazakhstan
KZ
|
35,000,000 | 2025 |
| 12 |
Sweden
SE
|
26,000,000 | 2025 |
| 13 |
Peru
PE
|
21,000,000 | 2025 |
| 14 |
Chile
CL
|
19,000,000 | 2025 |
| 15 |
Türkiye
TR
|
18,000,000 | 2025 |
| 16 |
Mauritania
MR
|
15,000,000 | 2025 |
| 17 |
Mexico
MX
|
7,700,000 | 2025 |
Australia alone accounted for about 38 percent of the World total in 2025, and Australia and Brazil together for about 54 percent; the top three countries accounted for about 66 percent. Australia's output was about 2.3 times that of Brazil. Four countries produced at least 100 million tonnes in 2025.
Iron Ore Production Around the World
In Oceania, Australia (980,000,000) is the dominant producer. In South America, Brazil (420,000,000) leads, ahead of Peru (21,000,000) and Chile (19,000,000). In Asia, India (310,000,000) leads, ahead of China (290,000,000), Iran (93,000,000, in the Middle East), and Kazakhstan (35,000,000).
In Europe, Russia (86,000,000) leads, ahead of Ukraine (52,000,000), Sweden (26,000,000), and Türkiye (18,000,000). In Africa, South Africa (66,000,000) leads, ahead of Mauritania (15,000,000). In North America, Canada (69,000,000) is the largest producer, ahead of the United States (38,000,000) and Mexico (7,700,000).
Largest Changes in Iron Ore Production, 2024-2025
India recorded the largest increase, rising from 282,000,000 tonnes in 2024 to 310,000,000 in 2025 (up 28,000,000, about 10 percent). Iran rose from 90,000,000 to 93,000,000 (up 3,000,000), South Africa from 64,000,000 to 66,000,000 (up 2,000,000), Peru by 1,200,000, and Chile, Sweden, and Türkiye each by 1,000,000.
Brazil recorded the largest decline, falling from 428,000,000 to 420,000,000 tonnes (down 8,000,000, about 1.9 percent). The United States fell from 45,100,000 to 38,000,000 (down 7,100,000, about 16 percent), Russia by 5,000,000, China by 3,000,000, Ukraine by 2,700,000, and Australia, Kazakhstan, and Canada by 2,000,000, 2,000,000, and 1,000,000 respectively.
The World total remained at the rounded figure of 2,600,000,000 tonnes in both years. The individually reported countries increased by a combined 7,000,000 tonnes, while the source's "Other countries" category increased by 3,300,000 tonnes; these changes are not reflected in the rounded World total.
The 2024 figures in this release are revised from earlier values, most notably Australia (revised up from 930,000,000 to 982,000,000 tonnes), Canada (up from 54,000,000 to 70,000,000), Ukraine (up from 42,000,000 to 54,700,000), China (up from 270,000,000 to 293,000,000), and the United States (down from 48,000,000 to 45,100,000).
Iron Ore Production by Country
| # |
Country
|
2020
|
2021
|
2022
|
2023
|
2024
|
2025
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
912,000,000 | 912,000,000 | 944,000,000 | 953,000,000 | 982,000,000 | 980,000,000 |
| 2 |
|
388,000,000 | 431,000,000 | 435,000,000 | 445,000,000 | 428,000,000 | 420,000,000 |
| 3 |
|
360,000,000 | 394,000,000 | 272,000,000 | 278,000,000 | 293,000,000 | 290,000,000 |
| 4 |
|
204,000,000 | 273,000,000 | 251,000,000 | 278,000,000 | 282,000,000 | 310,000,000 |
| 5 |
|
100,000,000 | 96,000,000 | 84,200,000 | 90,900,000 | 91,000,000 | 86,000,000 |
| 6 |
|
78,800,000 | 83,800,000 | 34,100,000 | 41,700,000 | 54,700,000 | 52,000,000 |
| 7 |
|
62,900,000 | 64,100,000 | 53,600,000 | 28,900,000 | 37,000,000 | 35,000,000 |
| 8 |
|
60,100,000 | 57,500,000 | 69,000,000 | 59,400,000 | 70,000,000 | 69,000,000 |
| 9 |
|
55,600,000 | 73,100,000 | 63,700,000 | 63,200,000 | 64,000,000 | 66,000,000 |
| 10 |
|
49,500,000 | 72,900,000 | 78,300,000 | 85,400,000 | 90,000,000 | 93,000,000 |
| 11 |
|
38,100,000 | 47,500,000 | 39,000,000 | 44,700,000 | 45,100,000 | 38,000,000 |
| 12 |
|
35,800,000 | 40,200,000 | 38,900,000 | 28,900,000 | 25,000,000 | 26,000,000 |
| 13 |
|
15,600,000 | 17,700,000 | 17,700,000 | 18,100,000 | 18,000,000 | 19,000,000 |
| 14 |
|
15,400,000 | 16,100,000 | 17,700,000 | 16,800,000 | 17,000,000 | 18,000,000 |
| 15 |
|
14,900,000 | 10,800,000 | 10,800,000 | 8,500,000 | 7,800,000 | 7,700,000 |
| 16 |
|
13,300,000 | 18,100,000 | 19,300,000 | 20,900,000 | 19,800,000 | 21,000,000 |
| 17 |
|
- | 12,800,000 | 12,700,000 | 14,100,000 | 14,300,000 | 15,000,000 |
Methodology
The 2020-2023 figures come from Our World in Data, which compiles national iron ore 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. The 2024 and 2025 figures are estimates from the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, where all 17 countries in the table are reported individually. Values refer to mine production of usable iron ore (gross weight), in tonnes; the source also reports an "iron content" measure, which is not used here. 2025 figures are preliminary estimates from the source. The source reports production in thousand-ton units for 2024-2025; values here are expressed in tonnes. The sum of individually reported country estimates does not equal the reported World total because the source applies rounding and other adjustments at the country and World levels. In the table, a zero reflects no production, while an empty cell means that no value was reported.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which country produces the most iron ore in 2025?
Australia produced the most iron ore in 2025 with 980,000,000 tonnes, followed by Brazil (420,000,000) and India (310,000,000).
How many countries are included in the dataset?
The table lists 17 countries, all with individual 2025 figures from the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026; no country in this table relies on older data for the recent years.
What does this indicator measure?
It measures mine production of usable iron ore, in tonnes, on a gross weight basis; the source's separate "iron content" measure is not used here.
Which country produces the least iron ore among those with 2025 data?
Mexico recorded the smallest 2025 output at 7,700,000 tonnes.
Why is the World total equal to both years?
The source reports a World total of 2,600,000 thousand tonnes, equivalent to 2,600,000,000 tonnes, in both 2024 and 2025.
Why were the 2024 figures revised?
The USGS revises its prior-year estimates in each new release; this release revises Australia up (930,000,000 to 982,000,000 tonnes), Canada up (54,000,000 to 70,000,000), Ukraine up (42,000,000 to 54,700,000), and the United States down (48,000,000 to 45,100,000).
What is the difference between usable ore and iron content?
Usable ore is the gross weight of marketed iron ore, while iron content is the metal weight contained in that ore; the two are different measures and are reported separately in the source.
Data Disclaimer: Projected data (future years) are estimates based on mathematical models. Actual values may differ. Learn about our methodology →
Sources
-
https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/minerals
-
Updated: 25.08.2026https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/iron-ore-statistics-and-information
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