# Iron ore: Production

How three giant miners dominate the seaborne trade

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/iron_ore/production/

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.

Measured by iron content, Australia produced 37% of world output in 2024, Brazil 18%, China 12% and India 11%. The HHI of 2,007 indicates moderate concentration, but the seaborne market is tighter. Rio Tinto, BHP and Vale controlled 58.3% of seaborne trade in the mid-2010s (Radetzki & Wårell). World iron content rose about 8% between 2020 and 2024, to 1.59 billion tonnes. Grades differ widely: China's ore averaged only 30% iron in 2012, against 62% in Australia (Smil). USGS puts usable ore output at 2.6 billion tonnes in 2025.

#### Iron (Fe) · WMD
 2020 1.47 bn 2021 1.54 bn 2022 1.51 bn 2023 1.56 bn 2024 1.59 bn World production, tonnes (World Mining Data 2026).

#### Top producers 2024
 Australia 37.3% Brazil 17.6% China 12.1% India 10.9% Russia 3.4% Iran 2.9% Canada 2.6% South Africa 2.5% Concentration: HHI 2,007, moderately concentrated.

#### USGS estimate
 World, 2024 1,600,000 thousand metric tons, iron content (usable ore: 2,600,000 in both years) World, 2025e 1,600,000 thousand metric tons, iron content (usable ore: 2,600,000 in both years)

#### Largest producers by company, global

- **Vale**: 336 Mt iron ore (plus 31.4 Mt pellets) (2025)
- **Rio Tinto**: 326 Mt Pilbara shipments (100% basis); production 327.3 Mt (2025)
- **BHP**: 290 Mt WAIO production (100% basis; BHP share 256.6 Mt) (FY2025 (to June 2025))
- **Fortescue**: 198 Mt shipments (FY2025 (to June 2025))

#### Largest producers by company, India

- **NMDC**: 53.16 Mt production (sales 50.24 Mt) (FY2026)
- **Jindal Steel & Power**: 9 Mt/yr pellet plant capacity, Barbil (2022)

## Other sections

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