Gypsum: Criticality

Spread across 78 countries, so supply risk stays low

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	Medium	9.6%	12.3%	4.8%	−$143.5 m	No	Mined 20 Mt and used 17 Mt of synthetic gypsum in 2025, with net import reliance of 15% (USGS).
EU	Low	12.5%	21.3%	36.8%	+$123.4 m	No	Not critical (supply risk 0.6); Spain (11 Mt), Germany (4.7 Mt) and France (2.4 Mt) mine and export gypsum (USGS; EU CRM 2023).
India	High	1.8%	12.0%	0.3%	−$198.4 m	No	Mines about 4.3 Mt but needs far more for cement, so it imports heavily, mostly from Oman, and took 12.0% of world import value in 2024 (USGS; Comtrade; Global Gypsum).
China	Medium	27.6%	3.8%	1.3%	−$46.9 m	No	Mined about 12 Mt in 2025 with 1.8 billion t of reserves, plus large synthetic supply (USGS).
Japan	High	0.0%	5.9%	0.0%	−$98.4 m	No	Mined 4.3 Mt in 2025 and imports more (5.9% of world import value, 2024) (USGS; Comtrade).
Latin America	Low	7.3%	1.9%	3.7%	+$15.7 m	no list	Brazil (5.8 Mt) and Mexico (5.4 Mt) are large miners; Mexico supplies the US west coast (USGS).
Middle East	Low	18.3%	1.5%	13.3%	+$150.2 m	no list	Iran (16 Mt), Oman (14 Mt) and Saudi Arabia (3.8 Mt) are major producers, and Oman is the top exporter (USGS; Comtrade).
Australia	Low	2.2%	0.0%	0.8%	+$10.4 m	No	Mined about 4.2 Mt in 2025 (USGS).

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 2024 (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.

Gypsum is not critical on the US 2025, India 2023 or EU lists. The EU scores supply risk at 0.6 and economic importance at 2.7, with no import reliance. Supply is spread across 78 countries and reserves are large. Substitutes exist for most uses: cement and lime for plaster, and brick, wood, glass, metal or plastic panels for wallboard. The exception is portland cement, where USGS says gypsum has no practical substitute. The emerging issue is synthetic supply falling as coal plants retire.

EU 2023 Not critical US 2025 list No India 2023 list No Production HHI 1,113 unconcentrated

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). Gypsum: supply risk 0.6, economic importance 2.7. EU import reliance, extraction 0% EU recycling input rate 1% US net import reliance, 2025 15% share of apparent consumption

Substitutes

Cement and lime for plaster; brick, glass, metal or plastic panels and wood for wallboard; no practical substitute in portland cement