Salt Production by Country
Salt production by country shows how much salt is produced in each country, measured in tonnes. The figures refer to production of salt of all types (rock salt, solar salt, and brine-derived salt), 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 25 countries included in the underlying data during the period. USGS reports 2025 estimates for 23 countries, which produced a combined 243,100,000 tonnes in 2025; together with the "Other countries" value of 28,000,000 tonnes, this totals 271,100,000 tonnes, which is 1,100,000 tonnes above the reported World total of 270,000,000 tonnes in the source. Djibouti (3,100,000, 2020) and Ukraine (1,800,000, 2021) retain the last available values from the earlier series.
Largest Salt-Producing Countries in 2025
China produced the most salt in 2025 with 56,000,000 tonnes. The United States ranked second with 40,000,000, followed by India (30,000,000), Germany (15,000,000), Canada (13,000,000), Australia (12,000,000), Chile (9,000,000), Türkiye (8,300,000), Mexico (7,000,000), and Russia (7,000,000).
Salt Production by Country
|
#
|
Country
|
Latest Data (tonnes)
|
Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
China
CN
|
56,000,000 | 2025 |
| 2 |
United States
US
|
40,000,000 | 2025 |
| 3 |
India
IN
|
30,000,000 | 2025 |
| 4 |
Germany
DE
|
15,000,000 | 2025 |
| 5 |
Canada
CA
|
13,000,000 | 2025 |
| 6 |
Australia
AU
|
12,000,000 | 2025 |
| 7 |
Chile
CL
|
9,000,000 | 2025 |
| 8 |
Türkiye
TR
|
8,300,000 | 2025 |
| 9 |
Mexico
MX
|
7,000,000 | 2025 |
| 10 |
Russia
RU
|
7,000,000 | 2025 |
| 11 |
Brazil
BR
|
6,600,000 | 2025 |
| 12 |
Netherlands
NL
|
5,400,000 | 2025 |
| 13 |
France
FR
|
4,500,000 | 2025 |
| 14 |
Iran
IR
|
4,200,000 | 2025 |
| 15 |
Poland
PL
|
4,100,000 | 2025 |
| 16 |
Spain
ES
|
4,000,000 | 2025 |
| 17 |
Pakistan
PK
|
3,100,000 | 2025 |
| 18 |
Djibouti
DJ
|
3,100,000 | 2020 |
| 19 |
Bulgaria
BG
|
2,700,000 | 2025 |
| 20 |
United Kingdom
GB
|
2,600,000 | 2025 |
| 21 |
Saudi Arabia
SA
|
2,400,000 | 2025 |
| 22 |
Egypt
EG
|
2,300,000 | 2025 |
| 23 |
Belarus
BY
|
2,000,000 | 2025 |
| 24 |
Italy
IT
|
1,900,000 | 2025 |
| 25 |
Ukraine
UA
|
1,800,000 | 2021 |
China alone accounted for about 21 percent of the World total in 2025, and China and the United States together for about 36 percent; the top three countries accounted for about 47 percent. China's output was about 1.4 times that of the United States. Three countries produced at least 30 million tonnes in 2025.
Salt Production Around the World
In Asia, China (56,000,000) leads by a wide margin, ahead of India (30,000,000) and Pakistan (3,100,000). In North America, the United States (40,000,000) leads, ahead of Canada (13,000,000) and Mexico (7,000,000). In South America, Chile (9,000,000) leads, ahead of Brazil (6,600,000).
In Europe, Germany (15,000,000) is the largest producer, ahead of Türkiye (8,300,000), Russia (7,000,000), the Netherlands (5,400,000), France (4,500,000), Poland (4,100,000), Spain (4,000,000), Bulgaria (2,700,000), the United Kingdom (2,600,000), Belarus (2,000,000), and Italy (1,900,000). In the Middle East, Iran (4,200,000) leads, ahead of Saudi Arabia (2,400,000). In Africa, Egypt (2,300,000) is the only listed producer. In Oceania, Australia (12,000,000) is the only listed producer; Djibouti (3,100,000, 2020) and Ukraine (1,800,000, 2021) retain older values.
Largest Changes in Salt Production, 2024-2025
Canada recorded the largest increase, rising from 10,600,000 tonnes in 2024 to 13,000,000 in 2025 (up 2,400,000, about 23 percent). Poland rose from 3,400,000 to 4,100,000 (up 700,000, about 21 percent), Bulgaria, Chile, and Russia each by 100,000.
India recorded the largest decline, falling from 34,000,000 to 30,000,000 tonnes (down 4,000,000, about 12 percent). Italy fell from 3,000,000 to 1,900,000 (down 1,100,000, about 37 percent), the United States by 400,000, the Netherlands by 400,000, and Türkiye by 100,000. Australia (12,000,000), China (56,000,000), Brazil (6,600,000), France (4,500,000), Spain (4,000,000), and the rest of the listed countries held their levels.
The World total fell from 275,000,000 to 270,000,000 tonnes (down 5,000,000, about 1.8 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: India was revised up from 28,000,000 to 34,000,000 tonnes, Italy up from 1,900,000 to 3,000,000, Iran up from 2,700,000 to 4,200,000, Germany down from 16,000,000 to 15,000,000, and Chile down from 11,000,000 to 8,900,000.
Salt Production by Country
| # |
Country
|
2020
|
2021
|
2022
|
2023
|
2024
|
2025
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
63,000,000 | 64,000,000 | 54,000,000 | 54,000,000 | 56,000,000 | 56,000,000 |
| 2 |
|
41,000,000 | 42,000,000 | 41,000,000 | 42,000,000 | 40,400,000 | 40,000,000 |
| 3 |
|
29,000,000 | 45,000,000 | 30,000,000 | 27,000,000 | 34,000,000 | 30,000,000 |
| 4 |
|
15,300,000 | 15,000,000 | 15,000,000 | 15,000,000 | 15,000,000 | 15,000,000 |
| 5 |
|
11,000,000 | 12,200,000 | 13,000,000 | 12,000,000 | 12,000,000 | 12,000,000 |
| 6 |
|
10,000,000 | 11,800,000 | 12,000,000 | 12,000,000 | 10,600,000 | 13,000,000 |
| 7 |
|
9,570,000 | 8,570,000 | 9,000,000 | 10,000,000 | 8,900,000 | 9,000,000 |
| 8 |
|
9,000,000 | 9,000,000 | 8,700,000 | 8,700,000 | 7,000,000 | 7,000,000 |
| 9 |
|
8,100,000 | 6,500,000 | 8,000,000 | 8,200,000 | 6,900,000 | 7,000,000 |
| 10 |
|
7,400,000 | 7,400,000 | 6,600,000 | 6,600,000 | 6,600,000 | 6,600,000 |
| 11 |
|
6,900,000 | 6,900,000 | 9,100,000 | 9,100,000 | 8,400,000 | 8,300,000 |
| 12 |
|
6,000,000 | 6,120,000 | 5,900,000 | 5,300,000 | 5,800,000 | 5,400,000 |
| 13 |
|
5,400,000 | 5,400,000 | 5,500,000 | 4,600,000 | 4,500,000 | 4,500,000 |
| 14 |
|
4,700,000 | 2,400,000 | 2,400,000 | 2,700,000 | 2,600,000 | 2,600,000 |
| 15 |
|
4,200,000 | 4,200,000 | 3,900,000 | 3,900,000 | 4,000,000 | 4,000,000 |
| 16 |
|
3,780,000 | 4,000,000 | 4,300,000 | 4,500,000 | 3,400,000 | 4,100,000 |
| 17 |
|
3,750,000 | 3,000,000 | 3,000,000 | 3,100,000 | 3,100,000 | 3,100,000 |
| 18 |
|
- | - | 3,300,000 | 3,000,000 | 2,600,000 | 2,700,000 |
| 19 |
|
3,100,000 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 20 |
|
2,640,000 | 2,330,000 | 2,400,000 | 2,500,000 | 2,400,000 | 2,400,000 |
| 21 |
|
2,600,000 | 2,700,000 | 2,700,000 | 2,700,000 | 4,200,000 | 4,200,000 |
| 22 |
|
- | - | 2,300,000 | 2,300,000 | 2,300,000 | 2,300,000 |
| 23 |
|
- | - | 2,000,000 | 2,000,000 | 2,000,000 | 2,000,000 |
| 24 |
|
2,000,000 | 1,800,000 | - | - | - | - |
| 25 |
|
1,540,000 | 1,900,000 | 1,900,000 | 1,800,000 | 3,000,000 | 1,900,000 |
Methodology
The earlier figures come from Our World in Data, which compiles national salt 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; Djibouti and Ukraine keep their last available values from the earlier series. Values refer to production of salt of all types, 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 salt in 2025?
China produced the most salt in 2025 with 56,000,000 tonnes, followed by the United States (40,000,000) and India (30,000,000).
How many countries are included in the dataset?
The dataset includes 25 countries. USGS provides 2025 estimates for 23; Djibouti (3,100,000, 2020) and Ukraine (1,800,000, 2021) retain the last available values from the earlier series.
What does this indicator measure?
It measures production of salt of all types, in tonnes (rock salt, solar salt, and brine-derived salt), as defined by the underlying sources.
Which country produces the least salt among those with 2025 data?
Italy recorded the smallest 2025 output at 1,900,000 tonnes. Among countries with older data, Ukraine recorded 1,800,000 tonnes in 2021.
Why were the 2024 figures revised?
The USGS revises its prior-year estimates in each new release; this release revises India up (28,000,000 to 34,000,000 tonnes), Italy up (1,900,000 to 3,000,000), Iran up (2,700,000 to 4,200,000), and Chile down (11,000,000 to 8,900,000).
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/salt-statistics-and-information
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