Mica: Movement

Why China is both a top exporter and top importer

What this tab covers How it flows between countries: the largest bilateral trade routes drawn on a world map, 2024 UN Comtrade export and import values with the top exporters and importers by share, plus shipping routes, chokepoints and trade restrictions.

Mica (HS 2525) exports were worth about $210 million in 2024. India supplied 31.2% of value, China 18.2% and Madagascar 14.8%. China was also the largest importer by far, at 48.1%, followed by Japan (13.6%) and the United States (5.8%). The pattern suggests China acts as a processing hub, buying raw flake from India and Madagascar. The United States depends entirely on imports for sheet mica, and China supplied 73% of it in 2021-24. Raw mica enters the US duty-free; fabricated mica plates pay 2.7%.

Where it is exported from and imported to, 2024

Chart: World map of the largest trade flows

Exporter (size = share of world exports) Importer (share of world imports) Shipping chokepoint UN Comtrade 2024. Bubbles: shares of reported world exports and imports for the main traded form. Country-to-country route lines are not available for this commodity yet. Hover a circle for values.

Mica · HS 2525

World exports 2024 $210.2 m sum of 40 reporting countries World imports 2024 $263.2 m sum of 40 reporting countries Top exporters, share of value India 31.2% China 18.2% Madagascar 14.8% United States 4.2% France 4.2% Germany 4.1% Top importers, share of value China 48.1% Japan 13.6% United States 5.8% Germany 5.4% Italy 3.4% South Korea 2.8% UN Comtrade, reporter declarations to the world, US$. Exports and imports are reported separately, so totals differ. Re-exporting hubs (Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland, UAE) can appear large.