Uranium: Criticality

The real choke point lies in enrichment

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	High	0.4%	84.0%	0.0%	−$280.6 m	Yes	The largest nuclear generator (823 TWh in 2024, Energy Institute) mined only 260 tU in 2024 (WNA), imports nearly all its fuel, banned Russian enriched uranium imports from 2024, and added uranium to its critical minerals list in 2025 (USGS).
EU	Low	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	−$60k	No	Generated 650 TWh of nuclear power in 2024 (Energy Institute), mines almost no uranium, and relies on imports, with Orano and Urenco providing conversion and enrichment; uranium is not on the EU 2023 CRM list.
India	High	0.8%	16.0%	0.0%	−$53.5 m	No	Mines an estimated 500 tU a year (WNA 2024) against 55 TWh of nuclear output (Energy Institute 2024), so it imports most of its fuel, taking 16% of world uranium ore and concentrate imports by value in 2023 (UN Comtrade).
China	Low	2.6%	0.0%	0.0%	−$6,381	Yes	Produced 451 TWh of nuclear power in 2024 (Energy Institute) and runs the fastest-growing fleet but mines only about 1,600 tU at home (WNA), so CNNC and CGN secure supply through mines in Namibia and Kazakhstan.
Japan	Low	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	+$134k	Yes	Generated 85 TWh in 2024 as reactors restarted after Fukushima (Energy Institute) and has no uranium mines, relying entirely on imports.
Latin America	Low	0.1%	0.0%	0.0%	+$0	no list	Small producer and user: Brazil, Argentina and Mexico generated 16, 10 and 12 TWh in 2024 (Energy Institute) with minor domestic uranium supply.
Middle East	Low	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	−$874	no list	The UAE's Barakah plant produced 41 TWh in 2024 and Iran 7 TWh (Energy Institute); the region has no significant uranium mining in WNA data.
Australia	Low	7.7%	0.0%	0.0%	+$0	No	Holds about 28% of world identified uranium resources (Red Book 2024) but mined only 4,598 tU in 2024 (WNA), mostly at Olympic Dam, and has no nuclear power.

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: World Mining Data, 2024. Trade: UN Comtrade 2023 (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.

The US placed uranium on its 2025 critical minerals list; India's 2023 list and the EU's 2023 list do not include it. The main risk lies in processing rather than mining: conversion and enrichment capacity is concentrated, and Russia is a major supplier. Mining is moderately concentrated (HHI 2,319) and partly located in fragile states such as Niger. Current reactors have no substitute fuel, though India is studying thorium fuel cycles. Scheyder recounts the US uranium rush after 1945 and the harm uranium mining did to the Navajo Nation.

EU 2023 Not assessed US 2025 list Yes India 2023 list No Production HHI 2,319 moderately concentrated