# Potash: Stocks

Geology is not the problem: 250 billion tons await

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/potash/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 Mt K2O equivalent | Current output Mt K2O (mine, 2025e) | Years of supply | Recycling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Canada** | 1,100 | 15 | 73 | n/a |
| **Russia** | 2,000 | 10 | 200 | n/a |
| **China** | 200 | 6.3 | 32 | n/a |
| **Belarus** | 750 | 6 | 125 | n/a |
| **Germany** | 150 | 3 | 50 | n/a |

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

#### Recycling

Potash is not recycled: it is dissipated into soils and crops (USGS: recycling none; EU CRM 2023 end-of-life recycling input rate 0%). Some potassium returns to fields through manure and crop residues, and India recovers small amounts as potash derived from molasses at distilleries (no volume found). Laos (1,000 Mt reserves, 2.4 Mt output) is the fastest-growing producer. World reserves exceed 5,900 Mt K2O and resources about 250 billion t, so geology is not a constraint.

USGS counts reserves of more than 5.9 billion tons K2O. Against 2025 output of 49 Mt, that is over 120 years. Total resources are about 250 billion tons, so geology is not the constraint. Russia holds 2.0 billion tons of reserves, Canada 1.1 billion and Laos 1.0 billion. There is no recycling: potassium leaves the farm in crops and manure, and the EU end-of-life recycling input rate is 0%. The US holds no government stockpile. Inventories sit with producers, distributors and port warehouses, not exchanges.

#### Reserves
 World reserves 5,900,000 thousand metric tons, K2O equivalent (USGS gives >5,900,000) Reserve life 120 years at 2025 production Russia 34% Canada 19% Laos 17% Belarus 13% United States 4% 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 potash.

## Other sections

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