Phosphate rock
Sedimentary rock that supplies the phosphorus in fertiliser; Morocco holds most of the world's reserves and China mines the most.
Fertilisers · No. 3
- EU critical 2023
- US critical 2025
- India critical 2023
- HHI 2,327 · moderately concentrated
One country, Morocco, sits on about two-thirds of the rock the world needs to grow its food.
Chart: Illustration: Phosphate rock
Where it comes from
Chart: Map of where it comes from
Most phosphate rock formed on ancient sea floors, in North Africa, the Middle East, China and the US. It is dug from big open pits and floated to raise its phosphorus grade.
Three things to know
- In 1974 Morocco's OCP raised its rock price from $14 to $63 a ton within six months.
- More than 95% of US-mined phosphate rock is turned into phosphoric acid for fertiliser and feed.
- World reserves of 73 billion tons equal roughly 290 years of 2025 output, so scarcity is about location.
The journey
- 1 Phosphorite oreAncient sea-floor rock or igneous apatite
- 2 Open pitMined, washed and floated to grade
- 3 Phosphoric acidRock digested in sulfuric acid
- 4 DAP and MAPAcid combined with ammonia into granules
- 5 Farms and feedFertiliser and animal feed supplements