Lime Production by Country
Lime production by country shows how much lime is produced in each country, measured in tonnes. The figures refer to lime production (quicklime and hydrated lime from calcined limestone), 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 24 countries included in the underlying data during the period. USGS reports 2025 estimates for 22 countries, which produced a combined 405,600,000 tonnes in 2025; together with the "Other countries" value of 16,000,000 tonnes, this totals 421,600,000 tonnes, which is 1,600,000 tonnes above the reported World total of 420,000,000 tonnes in the source. Romania (1,100,000, 2022) and Slovenia (1,100,000, 2022) retain older values.
Largest Lime-Producing Countries in 2025
China produced the most lime in 2025 with 310,000,000 tonnes. India ranked second with 17,000,000, followed by the United States (15,000,000), Russia (12,000,000), Brazil (8,200,000), Japan (5,900,000), South Korea (5,000,000), Germany (4,800,000), Türkiye (4,000,000), and Iran (4,000,000).
Lime Production by Country
|
#
|
Country
|
Latest Data (tonnes)
|
Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
China
CN
|
310,000,000 | 2025 |
| 2 |
India
IN
|
17,000,000 | 2025 |
| 3 |
United States
US
|
15,000,000 | 2025 |
| 4 |
Russia
RU
|
12,000,000 | 2025 |
| 5 |
Brazil
BR
|
8,200,000 | 2025 |
| 6 |
Japan
JP
|
5,900,000 | 2025 |
| 7 |
South Korea
KR
|
5,000,000 | 2025 |
| 8 |
Germany
DE
|
4,800,000 | 2025 |
| 9 |
Türkiye
TR
|
4,000,000 | 2025 |
| 10 |
Iran
IR
|
4,000,000 | 2025 |
| 11 |
France
FR
|
3,500,000 | 2025 |
| 12 |
Italy
IT
|
2,500,000 | 2025 |
| 13 |
Australia
AU
|
1,900,000 | 2025 |
| 14 |
Spain
ES
|
1,700,000 | 2025 |
| 15 |
Canada
CA
|
1,600,000 | 2025 |
| 16 |
Malaysia
MY
|
1,400,000 | 2025 |
| 17 |
United Kingdom
GB
|
1,300,000 | 2025 |
| 18 |
Bulgaria
BG
|
1,300,000 | 2025 |
| 19 |
Poland
PL
|
1,300,000 | 2025 |
| 20 |
Belgium
BE
|
1,100,000 | 2025 |
| 21 |
Ukraine
UA
|
1,100,000 | 2025 |
| 22 |
Romania
RO
|
1,100,000 | 2022 |
| 23 |
Slovenia
SI
|
1,100,000 | 2022 |
| 24 |
South Africa
ZA
|
1,000,000 | 2025 |
China alone accounted for about 74 percent of the World total in 2025, and China and India together for about 78 percent; the top three countries accounted for about 81 percent. China's output was about 18 times that of India. Seven countries produced at least 5 million tonnes in 2025.
Lime Production Around the World
In Asia, China (310,000,000) leads by a wide margin, ahead of India (17,000,000), Japan (5,900,000), and South Korea (5,000,000); Malaysia (1,400,000) follows. In Europe, Russia (12,000,000) is the largest producer, ahead of Germany (4,800,000), Türkiye (4,000,000), France (3,500,000), Italy (2,500,000), Spain (1,700,000), the United Kingdom (1,300,000), Bulgaria (1,300,000), Poland (1,300,000), Ukraine (1,100,000), and Belgium (1,100,000); Romania (1,100,000, 2022) and Slovenia (1,100,000, 2022) retain older values.
In North America, the United States (15,000,000) leads, ahead of Canada (1,600,000). In South America, Brazil (8,200,000) is the only listed producer. In the Middle East, Iran (4,000,000) is the largest producer. In Africa, South Africa (1,000,000) is the only listed producer. In Oceania, Australia (1,900,000) is the only listed producer.
Largest Changes in Lime Production, 2024-2025
Russia recorded the largest increase in absolute terms, rising from 11,800,000 tonnes in 2024 to 12,000,000 in 2025 (up 200,000, about 1.7 percent). Canada rose from 1,550,000 to 1,600,000 (up 50,000, about 3 percent), Japan by 30,000, and Australia and Poland each by 10,000.
No listed country recorded a decline in this release. Apart from the increases noted above, the other reported countries remained at their 2024 levels.
The World total fell from 421,000,000 to 420,000,000 tonnes (down 1,000,000, less than 1 percent), while the source's "Other countries" value fell from 16,200,000 to 16,000,000 tonnes; 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: Russia was revised up from 11,000,000 to 11,800,000 tonnes, the United States down from 16,000,000 to 15,000,000, Germany down from 5,700,000 to 4,800,000, Canada down from 1,900,000 to 1,550,000, Australia down from 2,000,000 to 1,890,000, and Ukraine up from 1,000,000 to 1,100,000.
Lime Production by Country
| # |
Country
|
2020
|
2021
|
2022
|
2023
|
2024
|
2025
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
310,000,000 | 310,000,000 | 310,000,000 | 310,000,000 | 310,000,000 | 310,000,000 |
| 2 |
|
15,800,000 | 16,800,000 | 17,000,000 | 16,000,000 | 15,000,000 | 15,000,000 |
| 3 |
|
15,000,000 | 16,000,000 | 16,000,000 | 17,000,000 | 17,000,000 | 17,000,000 |
| 4 |
|
11,400,000 | 11,400,000 | 11,400,000 | 11,400,000 | 11,800,000 | 12,000,000 |
| 5 |
|
8,000,000 | 8,400,000 | 8,300,000 | 8,100,000 | 8,200,000 | 8,200,000 |
| 6 |
|
7,100,000 | 5,600,000 | 5,900,000 | 5,700,000 | 4,800,000 | 4,800,000 |
| 7 |
|
5,820,000 | 6,650,000 | 6,240,000 | 6,010,000 | 5,870,000 | 5,900,000 |
| 8 |
|
5,100,000 | 5,200,000 | 5,100,000 | 5,100,000 | 5,000,000 | 5,000,000 |
| 9 |
|
4,700,000 | 4,800,000 | 4,600,000 | 4,060,000 | 4,000,000 | 4,000,000 |
| 10 |
|
3,600,000 | 3,900,000 | 4,000,000 | 4,000,000 | 4,000,000 | 4,000,000 |
| 11 |
|
3,400,000 | 3,600,000 | 3,500,000 | 2,400,000 | 2,500,000 | 2,500,000 |
| 12 |
|
2,600,000 | 2,600,000 | 2,500,000 | 3,500,000 | 3,500,000 | 3,500,000 |
| 13 |
|
2,340,000 | 2,350,000 | 2,600,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,100,000 | 1,100,000 |
| 14 |
|
2,060,000 | 1,590,000 | 1,680,000 | 1,920,000 | 1,550,000 | 1,600,000 |
| 15 |
|
1,980,000 | 2,000,000 | 1,990,000 | 1,970,000 | 1,890,000 | 1,900,000 |
| 16 |
|
1,700,000 | 1,800,000 | 1,700,000 | 1,700,000 | 1,700,000 | 1,700,000 |
| 17 |
|
1,680,000 | 1,700,000 | 1,800,000 | 1,280,000 | 1,290,000 | 1,300,000 |
| 18 |
|
1,500,000 | 1,500,000 | 1,400,000 | 1,400,000 | 1,300,000 | 1,300,000 |
| 19 |
|
1,500,000 | 1,500,000 | 1,710,000 | 1,040,000 | 1,100,000 | 1,100,000 |
| 20 |
|
1,480,000 | 1,500,000 | 1,500,000 | 1,500,000 | 1,400,000 | 1,400,000 |
| 21 |
|
1,280,000 | 1,520,000 | 1,420,000 | 1,310,000 | 1,300,000 | 1,300,000 |
| 22 |
|
1,280,000 | 1,430,000 | 1,100,000 | - | - | - |
| 23 |
|
1,200,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,070,000 | 1,100,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 |
| 24 |
|
1,200,000 | 1,120,000 | 1,100,000 | - | - | - |
Methodology
The earlier figures come from Our World in Data, which compiles national lime 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; Romania and Slovenia keep their older values. Values refer to lime production (quicklime and hydrated lime), in tonnes, and 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 lime in 2025?
China produced the most lime in 2025 with 310,000,000 tonnes, followed by India (17,000,000) and the United States (15,000,000).
How many countries are included in the dataset?
The dataset includes 24 countries. USGS provides 2025 estimates for 22; Romania (1,100,000, 2022) and Slovenia (1,100,000, 2022) retain older values.
What does this indicator measure?
It measures lime production, in tonnes (quicklime and hydrated lime from calcined limestone), as defined by the underlying sources; limestone extraction on its own is a separate measure.
Which country produces the least lime among those with 2025 data?
South Africa recorded the smallest 2025 output at 1,000,000 tonnes. Among countries with older data, Romania and Slovenia each recorded 1,100,000 tonnes in 2022.
Why were the 2024 figures revised?
The USGS revises its prior-year estimates in each new release; this release revises the United States down (16,000,000 to 15,000,000 tonnes), Germany down (5,700,000 to 4,800,000), Canada down (1,900,000 to 1,550,000), and Russia up (11,000,000 to 11,800,000).
What is the difference between lime and limestone?
Limestone is the raw mineral (calcium carbonate); lime is the processed product obtained by calcining limestone (quicklime, hydrated lime). This indicator measures lime production.
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/lime-statistics-and-information
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