Iodine: Production
How Chile came to supply two-thirds of the world
What this tab covers Who produces it and how much: world output over recent years, the top producing countries with their shares, USGS world figures for 2024 and 2025, and the largest producing companies globally and in India.World output was about 33,000 t in 2024 and 34,000 t in 2025, excluding withheld US production. Chile produced 23,000 t in 2025, about two-thirds of the non-US total, and Japan 9,000 t. Turkmenistan, Iran and Azerbaijan add small volumes, while China and Uzbekistan produce but do not report. Tilton and Guzmán list iodine among the most concentrated mineral industries, with SQM a leading producer of both iodine and lithium. Capacity is growing: an Oklahoma producer opened an eighth plant, and a Chilean producer planned 4,000 t a year more.
USGS estimate
World, 2024 33,000 metric tons, elemental iodine (excludes withheld US production) World, 2025e 34,000 metric tons, elemental iodine (excludes withheld US production)Largest producers by company, global
- SQM: 14.5 kt sold (iodine and derivatives) (2025)
- Japanese brine producers (Chiba): 9,000 t (Japan national output) (2025)
Largest producers by company, India
India has no iodine production listed by USGS (2026) and is the second-largest importer (13.1% of world import value in 2024, Comtrade), buying crude iodine for pharmaceuticals, contrast media and iodised salt. Iodine is not on India's 2023 critical list.