Rare earth powerhouses: Top 10 nations holding the goldmine

The article highlights the global distribution of rare earth elements (REEs), a group of 17 critical metals essential for modern technologies such as smartphones, electric vehicles, wind turbines, and military equipment. Although not truly rare, these metals are unevenly distributed worldwide, making their control strategically important. China dominates the sector, holding nearly half of the world’s known rare earth reserves at 44 million metric tons and controlling most of the production and processing infrastructure, thereby maintaining a central role in the global supply chain. Following China, Brazil holds the second-largest reserves with 21 million metric tons but has yet to fully develop its production capabilities. India ranks third with 6.9 million metric tons and is actively investing in expanding its rare earth industry, particularly leveraging its significant beach and sand mineral deposits. Australia, Russia, and Vietnam also possess substantial reserves, with ongoing efforts to boost production. The United States, despite having 1.9 million metric tons of reserves primarily at the Mountain Pass mine, remains heavily