# Mercury: Stocks

Enough for centuries, so why mine any more?

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/mercury/stocks/

What this tab covers How much is left and how much is held. For minerals and energy: reserves, current output, years of supply and recycling for the top five countries. For farm commodities: production, ending stocks and stocks-to-use for the top five producers (USDA, October 2026). It also covers inventories and stockpiles.

#### Top five countries: reserves, output and years of supply

| Country | Reserves not estimated (USGS: quantitative reserves not available) | Current output t Hg (mine production, 2025e) | Years of supply | Recycling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **China** | – | 200 | – | n/a |
| **Kyrgyzstan** | – | 5 | – | n/a |
| **Tajikistan** | – | 4 | – | n/a |
| **Morocco** | – | 2 | – | n/a |
| **Norway** | – | 1 | – | n/a |

 USGS MCS 2026, Mercury (world mine production table). Years of supply = reserves ÷ current output; reserves grow as prices and technology change, so this is not a countdown.

#### Recycling

USGS gives no reserves; China, Kyrgyzstan and Peru have the largest, and world resources are about 600,000 t, enough for centuries at current use (USGS 2026). Production estimates differ widely: USGS shows a world total of 210 t for 2025, but its 2022 edition put China at 2,000 t in 2021, and World Mining Data shows 1,202 t for 2024 (China 700 t, Tajikistan 300 t, Mexico 150 t). Mexico and Peru output is not quantified by USGS. Recycling is growing as lamps are replaced; Japan recovered 65 t in 2016, and eight US facilities produce most US secondary mercury (USGS 2026; JMCWM 2023). No EU end-of-life rate is given in the EU CRM 2023 study, and no India figure exists.

USGS does not quantify reserves. World resources are about 600,000 t, mostly in China, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Peru, Russia, Slovenia, Spain and Ukraine. At current use, USGS calls this enough for centuries. The bigger stock is above ground. Closing mercury-cell chloralkali plants may release large volumes. The US and EU ban exports, so surplus must be stored. In 2024 the US Department of Energy contracted a facility to store up to 7,000 t of elemental mercury. US manufacturers and producers stored about 182 t in 2021.

Eight US facilities reclaim mercury from lamps, switches, dental amalgam and devices, and LED adoption is increasing recycled volumes.

## 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)
- [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)
- [Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/mercury/criticality/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)