# Rare earths: Stocks

Not actually rare: nearly two centuries of reserves

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/rare_earths/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 kt REO | Current output kt REO (mine, 2025e) | Years of supply | Recycling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **China** | 44,000 | 270 | 163 | n/a |
| **United States** | 1,900 | 51 | 37 | n/a |
| **Australia** | 6,300 | 29 | 217 | n/a |
| **Burma (Myanmar)** | – | 22 | – | n/a |
| **Thailand** | – | 4.8 | – | n/a |

 USGS MCS 2026, Rare Earths (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

World end-of-life recycling is negligible: Pitron puts some rare earths at 0-3%, and the EU end-of-life recycling input rate is 1% for light rare earths (EU CRM 2023). USGS reports only limited US recovery from magnets, batteries and lamps (2025), with a US Department of War loan of $80 million to a recycler in Indiana and a $5.1 million award to one in Texas in 2025. No India, China or Japan rate was found. Outside the top five, Brazil holds 11,000 kt of reserves (output 2 kt) and India's reserves are not reported by USGS.

USGS puts world reserves above 75 million t REO, led by China (44 million t) and Brazil (11 million t). Against 2025 mine output of 390,000 t, that is roughly 190 years, so geology is not the constraint. Recycling is minimal. The EU end-of-life recycling input rate is 1%, and USGS reports only limited recovery from magnets, batteries and lamps. Governments hold strategic stocks. The US stockpile's fiscal 2025 plan included 300 t of NdPr oxide and 450 t of NdFeB magnet block. In 2010 the US stockpile had sold off its rare earths (Scheyder, pdf p. 113).

#### Reserves
 World reserves 75,000,000 metric tons REO (world total stated as >75,000,000) Reserve life 192 years at 2025 production China 59% Brazil 15% Australia 8% Russia 5% Vietnam 5% 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: 1% of demand met from post-consumer scrap (EU CRM study 2023).

Limited quantities of rare earths were recovered from batteries, permanent magnets and fluorescent lamps.

## Other sections

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