# Uranium: Across the Earth

Resources everywhere, but three countries mine most

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/uranium/geography/

What this tab covers How the resource varies with latitude, climate, terrain and geology: the richest and poorest regions and the leading countries.

Uranium resources are spread across many continents, but mining is concentrated: Kazakhstan, Canada and Namibia produce three-quarters of the world's uranium, and the ten largest mines supply 62%.

Rich deposits form where geology concentrated uranium, such as sandstone basins suited to in-situ leaching (Kazakhstan), unconformity deposits of exceptional grade (Saskatchewan) and large low-grade ore bodies (Australia, Namibia). Thorium occurs mainly in monazite beach and heavy-mineral sands.

#### Rich and poor regions

| Region | Resource | Level |
|---|---|---|
| **Australia** | 1,701,600 tU, 29% of world resources (up to USD 130/kgU)^[3](https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/uranium-resources/supply-of-uranium) | high |
| **Kazakhstan** | 827,500 tU (14%); 23,270 tU mined in 2024, mostly by in-situ leaching^[3](https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/uranium-resources/supply-of-uranium) | high |
| **Canada (Athabasca Basin)** | 551,700 tU (9%), mostly high-grade unconformity deposits^[3](https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/uranium-resources/supply-of-uranium) | high |
| **Southern Africa (Namibia, South Africa)** | 392,800 tU and 320,900 tU; Husab and Rossing open pits^[3](https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/uranium-resources/supply-of-uranium) | medium |
| **India (thorium)** | 850,000 t thorium, the largest identified resource^[7](https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2025/mcs2025-thorium.pdf) | high |

#### Top countries by uranium mine production 2024 ^[6](https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/mining-of-uranium/world-uranium-mining-production)

| Country | tonnes U |
|---|---|
| **Kazakhstan** | 23,270 |
| **Canada** | 14,309 |
| **Namibia** | 7,333 |
| **Australia** | 4,598 |
| **Uzbekistan (est.)** | 4,000 |
| **Russia** | 2,738 |
| **China (est.)** | 1,600 |
| **Niger** | 962 |
| **World** | 60,213 |

Resources and production diverge: Australia holds the largest resources but mines only about 8% of world output, while Kazakhstan produced about 39% in 2024. In Canada, McArthur River and Cigar Lake together mined 24% of world output. In-situ leaching, which dissolves uranium underground and pumps it up through wells, accounted for 55% of world production.

Thorium occurs mainly in monazite in heavy-mineral sands, and is recovered, if at all, as a by-product of rare-earth production rather than for its own sake.

#### Sources

1. [Supply of Uranium](https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/uranium-resources/supply-of-uranium) World Nuclear Association, 2025
2. [World Uranium Mining Production](https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/mining-of-uranium/world-uranium-mining-production) World Nuclear Association, 2025
3. [Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025: Thorium](https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2025/mcs2025-thorium.pdf) US Geological Survey, 2025

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/uranium/index.md)
- [Energy overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/uranium/energy/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/uranium/correlation/index.md)
- [How energy resides](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/uranium/resides/index.md)
- [Abundance](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/uranium/abundance/index.md)
- [Fluctuation in time](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/uranium/time/index.md)
- [Impact on nature](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/uranium/nature/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/uranium/overview/index.md)
- [Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/uranium/extraction/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/uranium/production/index.md)
- [Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/uranium/stocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/uranium/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/uranium/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/uranium/movement/index.md)
- [Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/uranium/criticality/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/uranium/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/uranium/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/uranium/links/index.md)