Phosphate rock: Stocks
Morocco's two-thirds share and the leverage it brings
Morocco's two-thirds share and the leverage it brings 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 Mt marketable phosphate rock | Current output Mt marketable phosphate rock (mine, 2025e) | Years of supply | Recycling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 3,400 | 110 | 31 | n/a |
| Morocco | 50,000 | 36 | 1389 | n/a |
| Russia | 2,400 | 14 | 171 | n/a |
| United States | 1,000 | 20 | 50 | n/a |
| Jordan | 820 | 12 | 68 | n/a |
Recycling
Phosphate rock is not recycled (USGS: none; EU CRM 2023 end-of-life recycling input rate 0%). Phosphorus is partly returned to fields through manure, sewage sludge and struvite recovered from wastewater, but no national rates were found. India has 31 Mt of reserves against 1.5 Mt output (about 21 years). World resources exceed 300 billion t and USGS sees no imminent shortage.
USGS puts world reserves at 73 billion tons of rock, about 290 years of 2025 output, and resources at more than 300 billion tons. Morocco alone holds 50 billion tons, about two-thirds of reserves, which gives it long-run leverage. China holds 3.4 billion and Egypt 2.8 billion. USGS states there are no imminent shortages. Phosphorus is not recycled from rock-based products, and the EU end-of-life recycling input rate is 0%. US producer stocks were 8.4 Mt at end-2025. There is no government stockpile.
Reserves
World reserves 73,000,000 thousand metric tons, phosphate rock Reserve life 292 years at 2025 production Morocco 68% China 5% Egypt 4% Tunisia 3% Russia 3% Largest reserve holders, share of world reserves (USGS MCS 2026). Reserves are what is economic to extract today, not what exists.Recycling
End-of-life recycling input rate in the EU: 0% of demand met from post-consumer scrap (EU CRM study 2023).USGS reports no recycling of phosphate rock.