# Mercury: Criticality

Why the worry is toxicity, not scarcity

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/mercury/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** | Low | 1.2% | 0.4% | 0.0% | −$83k | No | Has banned elemental mercury exports since 2013, recovers by-product mercury from Nevada gold mines and recycling, and is building storage for up to 7,000 t; mercury is not on its critical list (USGS 2026). |
| **EU** | High | 0.0% | 2.7% | 0.8% | −$176k | No | Banned mercury exports from 2011 and closed its mercury-cell chlor-alkali plants by end-2017, so surplus goes to storage; mercury is not assessed as a critical raw material (EU CRM 2023; JMCWM 2023). |
| **India** | High | 0.0% | 19.9% | 0.1% | −$4.26 m | No | Produces no mercury, was the largest importer in 2016 (349 t) and took 19.9% of world imports by value in 2024; it is not on India's 2023 critical list (IPEN 2017; Comtrade). |
| **China** | Low | 58.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% | +$0 | No | Is the largest producer, about 200 t in 2025 by USGS estimate, and the largest user through coal-based VCM catalysts (USGS 2026; JMCWM 2023). |
| **Japan** | Low | 0.0% | 0.1% | 2.6% | +$1.25 m | No | Recovered 65 t in 2016, mostly from smelter sludge, and limits exports to Convention-permitted uses (JMCWM 2023). |
| **Latin America** | High | 12.5% | 12.1% | 4.8% | −$249k | no list | Mexico mines and reclaims mercury and Peru exports it, while artisanal gold mining in Peru (327 t in 2017) and Colombia makes the region a net user, with a projected 223 t shortfall in 2030 (USGS 2026; JMCWM 2023). |
| **Middle East** | Low | 0.0% | 0.3% | 39.7% | +$19.6 m | no list | The UAE mines no mercury but supplied 39.7% of world exports by value in 2023 as a trading hub (Comtrade). |
| **Australia** | Low | 0.0% | 0.8% | 0.0% | −$178k | No | No primary mercury production is reported (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 2023 (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.

Mercury is critical on no major list. The EU does not assess it, and neither the US 2025 nor India's 2023 list includes it. The concern is the reverse of scarcity: toxicity. UNEP's 2018 assessment ranks small-scale gold mining as the largest man-made emission source, at 838 t, ahead of coal combustion at 474 t. Graedel and colleagues single out mercury for its environmental implications (pdf p. 1). Substitutes exist for most uses: membrane cells, LEDs, digital thermometers and ceramic fillings.
 EU 2023 Not assessed US 2025 list No India 2023 list No Production HHI 4,178 highly concentrated

#### Substitutes

Ceramic composites for amalgam; galinstan and digital thermometers; membrane and diaphragm chloralkali cells; indium-based LEDs for fluorescent lamps

## Other sections

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