Iron Production by Country
Iron production by country shows how much pig iron is produced in each country, measured in tonnes. The figures refer to pig iron production (blast furnace iron, before steelmaking), in line with the underlying sources. The statistics combine an Our World in Data series for the earlier years (2020-2024), 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 covers 16 countries included in the underlying data during the period. USGS reports 2025 estimates for 11 countries, which produced a combined 1,177,000,000 tonnes in 2025; together with the "Other countries" value of 61,000,000 tonnes, this totals 1,238,000,000 tonnes, which is 62,000,000 tonnes below the reported World total of 1,300,000,000 tonnes in the source. Taiwan (12,000,000, 2024), Ukraine (6,000,000, 2024), Canada (6,000,000, 2024), Italy (3,000,000, 2024), and Mexico (1,000,000, 2024) retain their 2024 values from the earlier series.
Largest Iron-Producing Countries in 2025
China produced the most pig iron in 2025 with 830,000,000 tonnes. India ranked second with 98,000,000, followed by Japan (59,000,000), Russia (47,000,000), South Korea (41,000,000), Brazil (28,000,000), Germany (25,000,000), the United States (21,000,000), Vietnam (14,000,000), Türkiye (10,000,000), and Iran (4,000,000).
Iron Production by Country
|
#
|
Country
|
Latest Data (tonnes)
|
Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
China
CN
|
830,000,000 | 2025 |
| 2 |
India
IN
|
98,000,000 | 2025 |
| 3 |
Japan
JP
|
59,000,000 | 2025 |
| 4 |
Russia
RU
|
47,000,000 | 2025 |
| 5 |
South Korea
KR
|
41,000,000 | 2025 |
| 6 |
Brazil
BR
|
28,000,000 | 2025 |
| 7 |
Germany
DE
|
25,000,000 | 2025 |
| 8 |
United States
US
|
21,000,000 | 2025 |
| 9 |
Vietnam
VN
|
14,000,000 | 2025 |
| 10 |
Taiwan
TW
|
12,000,000 | 2024 |
| 11 |
Türkiye
TR
|
10,000,000 | 2025 |
| 12 |
Ukraine
UA
|
6,000,000 | 2024 |
| 13 |
Canada
CA
|
6,000,000 | 2024 |
| 14 |
Iran
IR
|
4,000,000 | 2025 |
| 15 |
Italy
IT
|
3,000,000 | 2024 |
| 16 |
Mexico
MX
|
1,000,000 | 2024 |
China alone accounted for about 64 percent of the World total in 2025, and China and India together for about 71 percent; the top three countries accounted for about 76 percent. China's output was about 8.5 times that of India. Five countries produced at least 40 million tonnes in 2025.
Iron Production Around the World
In Asia, China (830,000,000) leads by a wide margin, ahead of India (98,000,000), Japan (59,000,000), South Korea (41,000,000), and Vietnam (14,000,000); Iran (4,000,000) is in the Middle East. In Europe, Russia (47,000,000) leads, ahead of Germany (25,000,000), Türkiye (10,000,000), and Ukraine (6,000,000, 2024); Italy (3,000,000, 2024) retains a 2024 value.
In the Americas, Brazil (28,000,000) leads, ahead of the United States (21,000,000), Canada (6,000,000, 2024), and Mexico (1,000,000, 2024). In Oceania, no producer is listed individually in this dataset.
Largest Changes in Iron Production, 2024-2025
India recorded the largest increase, rising from 90,000,000 tonnes in 2024 to 98,000,000 in 2025 (up 8,000,000, about 9 percent). Brazil rose from 27,000,000 to 28,000,000 (up 1,000,000, about 4 percent), Germany by 1,000,000 (about 4 percent), and the United States by 400,000 (about 2 percent). Türkiye (10,000,000), Vietnam (14,000,000), and Iran (4,000,000) held their levels.
The largest decline came from China, falling from 852,000,000 to 830,000,000 tonnes (down 22,000,000, about 2.6 percent). Russia fell from 51,000,000 to 47,000,000 (down 4,000,000, about 8 percent), South Korea by 3,000,000, and Japan by 2,000,000.
The World total rose from 1,280,000,000 to 1,300,000,000 tonnes (up 20,000,000, about 1.6 percent); the World total is reported separately from the country figures in the source.
Where the earlier series provided a 2024 value, the revisions are visible: China was revised up from 840,000,000 to 852,000,000 tonnes, the United States down from 22,000,000 to 20,600,000, India down from 93,000,000 to 90,000,000, Russia down from 54,000,000 to 51,000,000, and Türkiye up from 8,000,000 to 10,000,000.
Iron Production by Country
| # |
Country
|
2020
|
2021
|
2022
|
2023
|
2024
|
2025
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
888,000,000 | 869,000,000 | 866,000,000 | 871,000,000 | 852,000,000 | 830,000,000 |
| 2 |
|
68,000,000 | 78,000,000 | 80,000,000 | 86,000,000 | 90,000,000 | 98,000,000 |
| 3 |
|
62,000,000 | 70,000,000 | 64,000,000 | 63,000,000 | 61,000,000 | 59,000,000 |
| 4 |
|
52,000,000 | 54,000,000 | 52,000,000 | 55,000,000 | 51,000,000 | 47,000,000 |
| 5 |
|
45,000,000 | 46,000,000 | 42,000,000 | 45,000,000 | 44,000,000 | 41,000,000 |
| 6 |
|
25,000,000 | 28,000,000 | 27,000,000 | 26,000,000 | 27,000,000 | 28,000,000 |
| 7 |
|
22,000,000 | 26,000,000 | 24,000,000 | 24,000,000 | 24,000,000 | 25,000,000 |
| 8 |
|
20,000,000 | 21,000,000 | 6,000,000 | 6,000,000 | 6,000,000 | - |
| 9 |
|
18,000,000 | 22,000,000 | 20,000,000 | 23,000,000 | 20,600,000 | 21,000,000 |
| 10 |
|
13,000,000 | 15,000,000 | 13,000,000 | 12,000,000 | 12,000,000 | - |
| 11 |
|
10,000,000 | 15,000,000 | 12,000,000 | 13,000,000 | 14,000,000 | 14,000,000 |
| 12 |
|
10,000,000 | 10,000,000 | 9,000,000 | 9,000,000 | 10,000,000 | 10,000,000 |
| 13 |
|
- | - | 6,000,000 | 6,000,000 | 6,000,000 | - |
| 14 |
|
3,000,000 | 3,000,000 | 3,000,000 | 4,000,000 | 4,000,000 | 4,000,000 |
| 15 |
|
3,000,000 | 4,000,000 | 3,000,000 | 3,000,000 | 3,000,000 | - |
| 16 |
|
2,000,000 | 3,000,000 | 2,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | - |
Methodology
The earlier figures come from Our World in Data, which compiles national pig iron production figures from the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 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 earlier series covers 2020-2024. The 2024 and 2025 figures are estimates from the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 where available; Taiwan, Ukraine, Canada, Italy, and Mexico retain their 2024 values from the earlier series. Values refer to pig iron production (blast furnace iron), in tonnes, and 2025 figures are preliminary estimates from the source. The source reports production in million-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 pig iron in 2025?
China produced the most pig iron in 2025 with 830,000,000 tonnes, followed by India (98,000,000) and Japan (59,000,000).
How many countries are included in the dataset?
The dataset includes 16 countries. USGS provides 2025 estimates for 11; Taiwan (12,000,000, 2024), Ukraine (6,000,000, 2024), Canada (6,000,000, 2024), Italy (3,000,000, 2024), and Mexico (1,000,000, 2024) retain their 2024 values from the earlier series.
What does this indicator measure?
It measures pig iron production, in tonnes, based on blast furnace (hot metal) output before steelmaking, as defined by the underlying sources.
Which country produces the least pig iron among those with 2025 data?
Iran recorded the smallest 2025 output at 4,000,000 tonnes.
Why were the 2024 figures revised?
The USGS revises its prior-year estimates in each new release; this release revises China up (840,000,000 to 852,000,000 tonnes), the United States down (22,000,000 to 20,600,000), India down (93,000,000 to 90,000,000), and Russia down (54,000,000 to 51,000,000).
What is the difference between pig iron and steel?
Pig iron is the intermediate iron product produced in blast furnaces from iron ore and coke; steel is produced from pig iron and scrap in steelmaking furnaces. The two are separate measures in this dataset family.
Data Disclaimer: Projected data (future years) are estimates based on mathematical models. Actual values may differ. Learn about our methodology →
Sources
-
Updated: 25.08.2026https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/minerals
-
Updated: 25.08.2026https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/iron-and-steel-statistics-and-information
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