Sulfur Production by Country
Sulfur production by country measures how much sulfur each country produces, expressed in tonnes. The figures refer to sulfur production of all types (including recovered sulfur), 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 22 countries included in the underlying data during the period. USGS reports 2025 estimates for 17 countries, which produced a combined 78,170,000 tonnes in 2025; together with the "Other countries" value of 5,700,000 tonnes, this totals 83,870,000 tonnes, below the reported World total of 84,000,000 tonnes in the source. South Africa (2020), Finland (2022), Germany (2022), Brazil (2020), and Greece (2020) retain the last available values from the earlier series, while the remaining countries carry their latest values from 2024 or earlier.
Largest Sulfur-Producing Countries in 2025
China produced the most sulfur in 2025 with 19,000,000 tonnes. The United States ranked second with 8,100,000, followed by Russia (7,500,000), Saudi Arabia (7,200,000), the United Arab Emirates (6,300,000), Canada (5,000,000), Kazakhstan (4,800,000), India (3,700,000), Qatar (3,100,000), and South Korea (3,100,000).
Sulfur Production by Country
|
#
|
Country
|
Latest Data (tonnes)
|
Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
China
CN
|
19,000,000 | 2025 |
| 2 |
United States
US
|
8,100,000 | 2025 |
| 3 |
Russia
RU
|
7,500,000 | 2025 |
| 4 |
Saudi Arabia
SA
|
7,200,000 | 2025 |
| 5 |
United Arab Emirates
AE
|
6,300,000 | 2025 |
| 6 |
Canada
CA
|
5,000,000 | 2025 |
| 7 |
Kazakhstan
KZ
|
4,800,000 | 2025 |
| 8 |
India
IN
|
3,700,000 | 2025 |
| 9 |
Qatar
QA
|
3,100,000 | 2025 |
| 10 |
South Korea
KR
|
3,100,000 | 2025 |
| 11 |
Japan
JP
|
2,700,000 | 2025 |
| 12 |
Iran
IR
|
2,100,000 | 2025 |
| 13 |
Chile
CL
|
1,400,000 | 2025 |
| 14 |
Kuwait
KW
|
1,300,000 | 2025 |
| 15 |
Poland
PL
|
1,100,000 | 2025 |
| 16 |
Australia
AU
|
900,000 | 2025 |
| 17 |
South Africa
ZA
|
900,000 | 2020 |
| 18 |
Turkmenistan
TM
|
870,000 | 2025 |
| 19 |
Finland
FI
|
640,000 | 2022 |
| 20 |
Germany
DE
|
610,000 | 2022 |
| 21 |
Brazil
BR
|
500,000 | 2020 |
| 22 |
Greece
GR
|
500,000 | 2020 |
China alone accounted for about 23 percent of the World total in 2025, and China and the United States together for about 32 percent; the top three countries accounted for about 41 percent. China's output was about 2.3 times that of the United States. Six countries produced at least 5 million tonnes in 2025.
Sulfur Production Around the World
In Asia, China (19,000,000) leads, followed by Kazakhstan (4,800,000), India (3,700,000), South Korea (3,100,000), Japan (2,700,000), and Turkmenistan (870,000). In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia (7,200,000) leads, ahead of the United Arab Emirates (6,300,000), Qatar (3,100,000), Iran (2,100,000), and Kuwait (1,300,000).
In Europe, Russia (7,500,000) is the largest producer, ahead of Poland (1,100,000); Finland (640,000, 2022) and Germany (610,000, 2022) retain older values. In North America, the United States (8,100,000) leads, ahead of Canada (5,000,000). In South America, Chile (1,400,000) is the only listed producer; Brazil (500,000, 2020) retains an older value. In Oceania, Australia (900,000) is the only listed producer.
Largest Changes in Sulfur Production, 2024-2025
Russia, Iran, Qatar, and Poland each recorded an increase of 100,000 tonnes. Poland rose from 1,000,000 to 1,100,000 (up 100,000, about 10 percent), Iran from 2,000,000 to 2,100,000 (up 5 percent), Qatar from 3,000,000 to 3,100,000, and Russia from 7,400,000 to 7,500,000. Kazakhstan rose by 60,000.
The United States recorded the largest decline, falling from 8,320,000 to 8,100,000 tonnes (down 220,000, about 2.6 percent). Chile fell from 1,500,000 to 1,400,000 (down 100,000, about 6.7 percent), Canada by 60,000, Japan by 50,000, and Turkmenistan by 10,000. China (19,000,000), Saudi Arabia (7,200,000), the United Arab Emirates (6,300,000), India (3,700,000), South Korea (3,100,000), Kuwait (1,300,000), and Australia (900,000) held their levels.
The World total rose from 83,900,000 to 84,000,000 tonnes (up 100,000, less than 1 percent), while the listed countries increased by 20,000 tonnes in net terms; the World total is reported separately from the country figures in the source.
The 2024 figures in this release are revised from earlier values, most notably Kazakhstan (revised down from 5,100,000 to 4,740,000 tonnes), Japan (down from 3,100,000 to 2,750,000), the United Arab Emirates (up from 6,000,000 to 6,300,000), Chile (up from 1,300,000 to 1,500,000), Qatar (down from 3,100,000 to 3,000,000), and Poland (down from 1,100,000 to 1,000,000).
Sulfur Production by Country
| # |
Country
|
2020
|
2021
|
2022
|
2023
|
2024
|
2025
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
17,300,000 | 18,800,000 | 18,800,000 | 19,400,000 | 19,000,000 | 19,000,000 |
| 2 |
|
7,890,000 | 8,070,000 | 8,640,000 | 8,650,000 | 8,320,000 | 8,100,000 |
| 3 |
|
7,530,000 | 7,530,000 | 7,530,000 | 7,530,000 | 7,400,000 | 7,500,000 |
| 4 |
|
6,500,000 | 7,000,000 | 7,500,000 | 7,500,000 | 7,200,000 | 7,200,000 |
| 5 |
|
6,000,000 | 5,200,000 | 5,400,000 | 6,000,000 | 6,300,000 | 6,300,000 |
| 6 |
|
4,900,000 | 4,880,000 | 4,900,000 | 4,980,000 | 5,060,000 | 5,000,000 |
| 7 |
|
4,480,000 | 4,600,000 | 4,300,000 | 5,090,000 | 4,740,000 | 4,800,000 |
| 8 |
|
3,460,000 | 3,540,000 | 3,540,000 | 3,680,000 | 3,700,000 | 3,700,000 |
| 9 |
|
3,080,000 | 3,080,000 | 3,080,000 | 3,080,000 | 3,100,000 | 3,100,000 |
| 10 |
|
3,040,000 | 3,150,000 | 3,140,000 | 3,070,000 | 2,750,000 | 2,700,000 |
| 11 |
|
2,200,000 | 2,200,000 | 1,600,000 | 2,000,000 | 2,000,000 | 2,100,000 |
| 12 |
|
2,000,000 | 1,700,000 | 2,100,000 | 3,100,000 | 3,000,000 | 3,100,000 |
| 13 |
|
1,300,000 | 1,500,000 | 1,400,000 | 1,300,000 | 1,500,000 | 1,400,000 |
| 14 |
|
992,000 | 995,000 | 1,050,000 | 1,040,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,100,000 |
| 15 |
|
900,000 | 900,000 | 900,000 | 900,000 | 900,000 | 900,000 |
| 16 |
|
900,000 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 17 |
|
717,000 | 712,000 | 640,000 | - | - | - |
| 18 |
|
700,000 | 700,000 | 860,000 | 870,000 | 880,000 | 870,000 |
| 19 |
|
633,000 | 592,000 | 610,000 | - | - | - |
| 20 |
|
620,000 | 620,000 | 600,000 | 1,300,000 | 1,300,000 | 1,300,000 |
| 21 |
|
500,000 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 22 |
|
500,000 | - | - | - | - | - |
Methodology
The earlier figures come from Our World in Data, which compiles national sulfur 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 earlier series covers 2020-2024. The 2024 and 2025 figures are estimates from the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 where available; countries not reported individually keep their latest available Our World in Data values, mostly from 2024 or earlier. Values refer to sulfur production 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 sulfur in 2025?
China produced the most sulfur in 2025 with 19,000,000 tonnes, followed by the United States (8,100,000) and Russia (7,500,000).
How many countries are included in the dataset?
The table covers 22 countries included in the underlying data during the period. USGS reports 2025 estimates for 17 of them; South Africa (2020), Finland (2022), Germany (2022), Brazil (2020), and Greece (2020) retain earlier values.
What does this indicator measure?
It measures sulfur production of all types (including recovered sulfur), in tonnes, as defined by the underlying sources; it is not limited to mined sulfur.
Which country produces the least sulfur among those with 2025 data?
Turkmenistan recorded the smallest 2025 output at 870,000 tonnes. Among countries with older data, Brazil and Greece each recorded 500,000 tonnes in their latest available year, 2020.
Why were the 2024 figures revised?
The USGS revises its prior-year estimates in each new release; this release revises Kazakhstan down (5,100,000 to 4,740,000 tonnes), Japan down (3,100,000 to 2,750,000), the United Arab Emirates up (6,000,000 to 6,300,000), and Chile up (1,300,000 to 1,500,000).
What is the difference between mined and recovered sulfur?
Sulfur production covers all types: sulfur mined in its elemental form and sulfur recovered as a byproduct of natural gas and petroleum processing; the underlying source reports the combined total.
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/sulfur-statistics-and-information
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