# Germanium: Criticality

Three supply warning signs flashing together

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/germanium/criticality/

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 | 1.3% | – | – | – | Yes | Has no primary refinery output, relies on imports for more than 50% of use, and saw metal imports fall 67% in 2025 after China's ban, while dioxide imports from Canada rose 55% (USGS 2026). |
| **EU** | n/a | 0.0% | – | – | – | Yes | Lists germanium as critical and strategic, relies on imports for 42% of supply, refines some in Belgium and Germany, and recycles only 2% from end-of-life products (EU CRM 2023). |
| **India** | n/a | 0.0% | – | – | – | Yes | Has no reported production and imports all its germanium for fibre and defence optics; germanium is on India's 2023 critical list. |
| **China** | n/a | 93.3% | – | – | – | No | Produced about 140 t in 2024, about 93% of world output (World Mining Data), and uses export licences and a US ban as leverage (USGS 2026). |
| **Japan** | n/a | 1.3% | – | – | – | Yes | Produces about 2 t a year (World Mining Data) and took 18% of China's 2025 metal exports, mainly for electronics and PET catalysts (USGS 2026). |
| **Latin America** | n/a | 0.0% | – | – | – | no list | No germanium production is reported for the region (World Mining Data; USGS 2026). |
| **Middle East** | n/a | 0.0% | – | – | – | no list | No germanium production is reported (World Mining Data; USGS 2026). |
| **Australia** | n/a | 0.0% | – | – | – | Yes | No germanium production is reported, despite large zinc mining (World Mining Data; 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: World Mining Data, 2024. 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.

Germanium is critical and strategic for the EU, with supply risk 1.8 and economic importance 3.6, and is on the US 2025 and India 2023 lists. It shows three warning signs together: by-product supply, concentrated production and minimal end-of-life recycling (Nassar et al., pdf p. 1). It is hard to replace in defence infrared optics and space solar cells. Substitutes include silicon or gallium arsenide in some electronics and chalcogenide glass in infrared lenses. The first transistor, built in 1947, used germanium (Conway, pdf p. 82).
 EU 2023 Critical also a strategic raw material US 2025 list Yes India 2023 list Yes Production HHI 8,726 highly concentrated

#### EU 2023 assessment

Chart: EU 2023 criticality: supply risk against economic importance
 Each dot is a material assessed by the EU in 2023. The shaded corner is the critical zone (supply risk ≥ 1.0, economic importance ≥ 2.8). Germanium: supply risk 1.8, economic importance 3.6. EU import reliance, processing 42% EU recycling input rate 2%

#### Substitutes

Silicon or gallium arsenide in some electronics; chalcogenide glass in infrared optics; antimony and titanium as polymerisation catalysts

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/germanium/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/germanium/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/germanium/correlation/index.md)
- [Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/germanium/extraction/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/germanium/production/index.md)
- [Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/germanium/stocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/germanium/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/germanium/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/germanium/movement/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/germanium/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/germanium/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/germanium/links/index.md)