Yttrium: Criticality

Why Europe files yttrium with the heavy rare earths

What this tab covers How exposed economies are to a supply disruption: the EU, US and India listings, the concentration score, and a quantified exposure for the US, EU, India, China, Japan, Latin America, the Middle East and Australia. Where the EU scored it, a chart of supply risk against economic importance, with import reliance, recycling input and substitutes.

Exposure by region

Region	Exposure	Share of world output	Share of world imports	Share of world exports	Net trade (US$)	On own critical list	Position
US	n/a	–	–	–	–	Yes	Has no commercial yttrium separation, imported about 300 t in 2025e (70% from China in 2021-24), and saw Chinese shipments stop after April 2025 (USGS 2026; Reuters).
EU	n/a	–	–	–	–	No	Lists yttrium (within HREE) as critical, relies on China for 100% of processing and recycles about 1% (EU CRM 2023).
India	n/a	–	–	–	–	No	Produces small amounts of rare earths through IREL (2,900 t REO in 2025e) but no separate yttrium figure is published; yttrium is not separately on India's 2023 list (USGS 2026; IBM 2022).
China	n/a	–	–	–	–	No	Produced most of world yttrium and exported about 1,600 t Y2O3 equivalent in 2025, mainly to Japan, Korea, the US and Germany, under export controls since April 2025 (USGS 2026).
Japan	n/a	–	–	–	–	No	Is the leading destination of Chinese yttrium exports and a major user for ceramics and coatings (USGS 2026).
Latin America	n/a	–	–	–	–	no list	Brazil holds 11 Mt REO of reserves and a Brazilian ionic-clay mine began producing heavy rare-earth concentrates, but no yttrium figure is published (USGS 2026).
Middle East	n/a	–	–	–	–	no list	No yttrium production is reported (USGS 2026).
Australia	n/a	–	–	–	–	No	Mined 29,000 t REO in 2025e with 6.3 Mt of reserves and supplied about 10% of world yttrium extraction in the EU CRM 2023 assessment.

Exposure rating: High when the region is a net importer whose import share is at least three times its share of world output (or, for farm goods, it produces under 70% of what it consumes); Medium for other net importers (or 70-95% self-sufficiency), raised to High when world supply is highly concentrated in another country; Low for net exporters or self-sufficient regions. Net importer status uses tonnage where reported, otherwise value. Output: n/a. Trade: UN Comtrade (EU = sum of member states, including intra-EU trade). Critical lists: US 2025, EU 2024/1252, India 2023, China 2016 strategic minerals, Japan METI, Australia 2024.

Yttrium is critical for the EU, which groups it with heavy rare earths at supply risk 3.5, and it is on the US 2025 list. India's 2023 list omits it. The EU imports all its needs. The weak point is Chinese separation and export licensing, as the 2025 controls showed. Substitutes are poor. USGS says yttrium is generally not substitutable in electronics, lasers and phosphors. Calcium or magnesium oxide can stabilise zirconia, but with lower toughness.

EU 2023 Critical US 2025 list Yes India 2023 list No

EU 2023 assessment

Chart: EU 2023 criticality: supply risk against economic importance

Each dot is a material assessed by the EU in 2023. The shaded corner is the critical zone (supply risk ≥ 1.0, economic importance ≥ 2.8). Yttrium: supply risk 3.5, economic importance 2.9. EU import reliance, extraction 100% EU import reliance, processing 100% EU recycling input rate 1% US net import reliance, 2025 100% share of apparent consumption

Substitutes

Generally not substitutable in electronics, lasers and phosphors; calcium or magnesium oxide in zirconia, with lower toughness