Caesium: Criticality

Why every study that checks cesium flags it

What this tab covers How exposed economies are to a supply disruption: the EU, US and India listings, the concentration score, and a quantified exposure for the US, EU, India, China, Japan, Latin America, the Middle East and Australia. Where the EU scored it, a chart of supply risk against economic importance, with import reliance, recycling input and substitutes.

Exposure by region

Region	Exposure	Share of world output	Share of world imports	Share of world exports	Net trade (US$)	On own critical list	Position
US	n/a	–	–	–	–	Yes	Mines no cesium, is 100% import reliant, uses no more than a few thousand kilograms of chemicals a year, and lists cesium as a critical mineral (USGS 2026; US list 2025).
EU	n/a	–	–	–	–	No	Has no mine production; Germany refines cesium compounds, and cesium is not among the materials assessed in EU CRM 2023 (USGS 2026).
India	n/a	–	–	–	–	No	Has no production or reserves and imports small amounts; cesium is not on India's 2023 critical list.
China	n/a	–	–	–	–	No	Controls most supply through Sinomine and imports Bikita tailings; it also has cesium-rich lepidolite, pollucite and geyserite deposits in Yichun, Jiangxi (USGS 2026).
Japan	n/a	–	–	–	–	Yes	No cesium production is reported (USGS 2026).
Latin America	n/a	–	–	–	–	no list	Low-grade cesium occurs in Chilean brines but none is recovered (USGS 2026).
Middle East	n/a	–	–	–	–	no list	No cesium production is reported (USGS 2026).
Australia	n/a	–	–	–	–	No	Sinclair finished mining pollucite in 2019; Australia remains one of four countries holding the world's under-200,000 t of reserves (USGS 2026).

Exposure rating: High when the region is a net importer whose import share is at least three times its share of world output (or, for farm goods, it produces under 70% of what it consumes); Medium for other net importers (or 70-95% self-sufficiency), raised to High when world supply is highly concentrated in another country; Low for net exporters or self-sufficient regions. Net importer status uses tonnage where reported, otherwise value. Output: n/a. Trade: UN Comtrade (EU = sum of member states, including intra-EU trade). Critical lists: US 2025, EU 2024/1252, India 2023, China 2016 strategic minerals, Japan METI, Australia 2024.

Cesium is on the US 2025 critical minerals list, and the United States is 100% import reliant. It is not on India's 2023 list, and the EU does not assess it. Every criticality study that has evaluated cesium, though only a few have, flagged it as critical, which may reflect US import reliance (Hayes & McCullough). The risk profile is classic: tiny volumes, specialised uses, few substitutes, and supply tied to other minerals (Graedel et al.). Rubidium can replace cesium in many uses but is no easier to obtain.

EU 2023 Not assessed US 2025 list Yes India 2023 list No US net import reliance, 2025 100% share of apparent consumption

Substitutes

Rubidium in many applications, though cesium is preferred where its stronger electropositivity matters