Mining of rare earth metals | China – yearly data, chart and table

The rare earth metals (or rare earth elements, REEs) production of China in 2022 amounted to 210 000 tons, which is 16.67% more than in 2021, when it was  180 000 tons. This is the first year of growth after a decline. According to the British Geological Survey statistics, since 1992, the annual volume of  rare earth metals production has increased in 9.86 times. The minimum was recorded in 1992, with a value of 21 300 tons.
The maximum mining volume of  rare earth metals in China was in 2022, when it reached 210 000 tons. Rare earth metals refer to a group of 17 chemically similar metallic elements that are essential in modern technology - from smartphones and electric vehicles to wind turbines and military systems. They are divided into two main groups:
1. Light Rare Earth Elements (LREEs):Lanthanum (La), Cerium (Ce), Praseodymium (Pr), Neodymium (Nd), Promethium (Pm) (radioactive, very rare), Samarium (Sm).
2. Heavy Rare Earth Elements (HREEs): Europium (Eu), Gadolinium (Gd), Terbium (Tb), Dysprosium (Dy), Holmium (Ho), Erbium (Er), Thulium (Tm), Ytterbium (Yb), Lutetium (Lu), Yttrium (Y) (not a lanthanide, but chemically similar and always included).