Critical minerals: what they are and who lists them
Critical minerals are the raw materials governments judge essential and at risk of supply disruption. Here are the 12 current lists we track across 8 jurisdictions, which minerals are on them, and where each one is mined.
What are critical minerals?
Critical minerals are raw materials a government judges essential to its economy or security and at risk of supply disruption. Each government sets its own list, usually by scoring economic importance against supply risk: how concentrated production is, how stable the producing countries are, and whether substitutes or recycling exist.
Lists change. The 2025 USGS list added boron, copper, lead, metallurgical coal, phosphate, potash, rhenium, silicon, silver and uranium to the 2022 edition. The EU split its list into strategic and critical raw materials in 2024. Each page below gives the edition and a link to the government source.
Critical mineral lists by country
| Jurisdiction | List | Year | Minerals |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | USGS List of Critical Minerals | 2025 | 60 |
| United States | DOE Critical Materials List (critical materials for energy) | 2023 | 18 |
| European Union | Critical Raw Materials Act (Reg. (EU) 2024/1252) Annex II - critical raw materials | 2024 | 34 |
| European Union | Critical Raw Materials Act (Reg. (EU) 2024/1252) Annex I - strategic raw materials | 2024 | 17 |
| United Kingdom | UK Criticality Assessment 2024 (BGS/CMIC) critical minerals list | 2024 | 34 |
| Canada | Canada Critical Minerals List | 2024 | 34 |
| Australia | Australia Critical Minerals List | 2024 | 31 |
| Australia | Australia Strategic Materials List | 2024 | 5 |
| India | Critical Minerals for India (Ministry of Mines) | 2023 | 30 |
| South Korea | Korea critical minerals (33) - the 23 not designated strategic | 2023 | 23 |
| South Korea | Korea strategic critical minerals (10) | 2023 | 10 |
| China | China National Mineral Resources Plan (2016-2020): 24 strategic minerals | 2016 | 19 |
The minerals on the most lists
Counting each jurisdiction once, across its current critical and strategic lists.
| Mineral | Lists | Listed by |
|---|---|---|
| Antimony | 8 of 8 | United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, South Korea, China |
| Cobalt | 8 of 8 | United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, South Korea, China |
| Graphite (natural) | 8 of 8 | United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, South Korea, China |
| Lithium | 8 of 8 | United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, South Korea, China |
| Nickel | 8 of 8 | United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, South Korea, China |
| Rare earths | 8 of 8 | United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, South Korea, China |
| Tungsten | 8 of 8 | United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, South Korea, China |
| Aluminium and bauxite | 7 of 8 | United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, South Korea, China |
| Bismuth | 7 of 8 | United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, South Korea |
| Copper | 7 of 8 | United States, European Union, Canada, Australia, India, South Korea, China |
| Gallium | 7 of 8 | United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, South Korea |
| Niobium | 7 of 8 | United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, South Korea |
| Platinum group metals | 7 of 8 | United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, South Korea |
| Silicon | 7 of 8 | United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, South Korea |
| Tantalum | 7 of 8 | United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, South Korea |
| Tin | 7 of 8 | United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, South Korea, China |
| Titanium minerals | 7 of 8 | United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, South Korea |
| Vanadium | 7 of 8 | United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, South Korea |
| Germanium | 6 of 8 | United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India |
| Indium | 6 of 8 | United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, South Korea |
Critical minerals and rare earths
Rare earth elements are a fixed chemical group: the 15 lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium. Critical minerals are a policy category that changes with each list and edition. All rare earths are usually treated as critical, but most critical minerals are not rare earths.
Questions
What are critical minerals?
Critical minerals are raw materials a government judges essential to its economy or security and at risk of supply disruption. Each government sets its own list, usually by scoring economic importance against supply risk: how concentrated production is, how stable the producing countries are, and whether substitutes or recycling exist.
How many critical minerals are there?
It depends on the list. The 2025 USGS list for the United States has 60 entries; the other lists we track range from 5 to 60. 18 minerals appear on at least 7 of the 8 jurisdictions' lists.
Are rare earths critical minerals?
Yes. Rare earths are on every list we track. They are a group of 17 elements, mostly used in permanent magnets for motors and wind turbines. Rare earths are one family within the wider set of critical minerals, which also includes lithium, cobalt, graphite, gallium, tungsten and others.
What is the difference between critical minerals and rare earth elements?
Rare earth elements are a fixed chemical group: the 15 lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium. Critical minerals are a policy category that changes with each list and edition. All rare earths are usually treated as critical, but most critical minerals are not rare earths.
Which country produces the most critical minerals?
China. It is the largest mine producer of 19 of the 34 minerals we track, by the latest USGS figures, and leads refining for even more of them.
List membership as published by each government; we link the source on each list's page. Production figures: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries.