Ruthenium Production by Country

Ruthenium production by country measures the quantity of ruthenium mined as a platinum-group metal, expressed in kilograms of contained ruthenium. The figures follow the definitions used in the underlying sources. The statistics are based on USGS Minerals Yearbook Early Release Tables T5 World Mine Production (MYB 2022: 2018-2022 and MYB 2023: 2019-2023 merged; 2018 from the 2022 file, 2019-2023 from the 2023 file revised). The table below lists 4 countries with reported mine production in this dataset. 2023 figures are available for 3 countries: South Africa at 28,478 kilograms, Zimbabwe at 1,036 and Russia at 880; Canada has no reported value for 2023. The World total for ruthenium in the source is 30,400 kilograms in 2023 where listed.

Ruthenium is a hard, brittle platinum-group metal recovered primarily as a byproduct of platinum and nickel mining, used mainly in electrical contacts and hardeners. The values here reflect mine production of ruthenium content where it is listed individually in the source; other platinum-group metals are reported separately alongside it and are not aggregated here.

Ruthenium Production by Country

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#	Country	Latest Data (kilograms)	Year
1	South Africa ZA	28,478	2023
2	Zimbabwe ZW	1036	2023
3	Russia RU	880	2023
4	Canada CA	550	2019

South Africa alone accounted for about 94 percent of the reported World total for ruthenium in 2023 in this dataset where a value is listed, and South Africa and Zimbabwe together for about 97 percent; the top three with reported values accounted for essentially the entire dataset total in 2023. South Africa's reported output was about 27.5 times that of Zimbabwe, the second-largest producer with a reported value in this dataset, and about 32 times that of Russia. Only South Africa produced more than 10,000 kilograms in this dataset in 2023.

Countries With the Largest Ruthenium Production in 2023

South Africa produced the most ruthenium in this dataset in 2023 with 28,478 kilograms. Zimbabwe ranked second with 1,036, followed by Russia (880). Canada has no reported value for 2023 in this dataset.

Ruthenium Production Around the World

In Africa, South Africa (28,478) leads by a wide margin, ahead of Zimbabwe (1,036). In Europe, Russia (880) is the only listed producer with a reported 2023 value in this dataset. In the Americas, Canada has no reported value for 2023 (550 in 2019, 700 in 2018). No producer in Asia or Oceania is listed individually for ruthenium in this dataset.

Sector Comparison Within the PGM Group

From the same MYB T5 dataset, rhodium production in 2023 is listed at 18,549 kilograms for South Africa, 1,672 for Zimbabwe, 1,600 for Russia and 330 for Canada, compared with 28,478, 1,036, 880 and no reported value for ruthenium. Platinum and palladium totals from the same source are more than six times larger than ruthenium, with South Africa, Russia and Canada also appearing as the listed producers. The comparison is limited to the two indicators taken directly from the same MYB tables.

Global Structure in This Dataset

The reported figures are extremely concentrated: South Africa holds more than nine tenths of the reported World total for ruthenium where values are listed in this period. The structure was stable between 2018 and 2023, with South Africa remaining the largest producer in every year shown. Zimbabwe and Russia have alternated for second place, while Canada has no reported value after 2019 in this dataset.

Largest Changes in Ruthenium Production, 2022-2023

Russia recorded the largest increase among the listed countries with reported values, rising from 600 kilograms in 2022 to 880 in 2023 (up 280, about 47 percent). South Africa rose from 27,894 to 28,478 (up 584, about 2 percent).

Zimbabwe recorded the only decline, falling from 1,447 to 1,036 kilograms (down 411, about 28 percent). Canada had no reported value in either year. The World total for ruthenium moved from 29,900 to 30,400 kilograms (up 500, about 2 percent) where listed.

South Africa's increase, though modest in percentage terms, accounted for the largest absolute gain and offset Zimbabwe's decline. Canada's reported mine production fell from 700 kilograms in 2018 to 550 in 2019, after which no value was reported in this dataset.

Earlier volatility was higher: Russia fell from 700 to 400 kilograms between 2018 and 2020 (down 300) before rebounding to 900 in 2021 and easing to 600 in 2022, showing year-to-year swings rather than a steady trend. Zimbabwe rose from 792 to 1,447 kilograms between 2019 and 2022 before falling back in 2023.

Total and Ratio Analysis for 2018-2023

The World total for ruthenium where listed moved between 26,500 and 33,300 kilograms in this period. It fell from 30,600 in 2018 to 26,500 in 2020, rebounded to 33,300 in 2021, and eased to 29,900 in 2022 before rising to 30,400 in 2023. South Africa accounted for the bulk of each year's change; the sharp rebound in 2021 was driven mainly by South Africa (up 6,099 kilograms) and Russia's brief rise to 900 kilograms.

Ruthenium Production by Country

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#	Country	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
1	South Africa	27,999	28,386	25,053	31,152	27,894	28,478
2	Zimbabwe	1155	792	1026	1249	1447	1036
3	Canada	700	550	-	-	-	-
4	Russia	700	600	400	900	600	880

Methodology

The statistics are based on USGS Minerals Yearbook Early Release Tables T5 World Mine Production (MYB 2022 and MYB 2023 merged). The earlier year 2018 is taken from the 2022 file, and 2019-2023 from the 2023 file where it is revised. Values refer to mine production of ruthenium content where it is reported individually, in kilograms as in the source, and the source reports the World total for ruthenium as 30,400 kilograms for 2023 where listed. The source reports production in kilograms (r, revised; e, estimated where flagged); values here are used verbatim, rounded to the nearest kilogram where needed. The source reports -- where no value is available, which is shown as an empty cell. A 0 where shown reflects no production. The sum of individually listed countries may differ slightly from the World total where shown, because the source includes estimates and rounding. This is mine production of ruthenium and does not include refinery production, secondary production or reserves, which are reported elsewhere in the source.