
Countries with the largest bauxite reserves 2022
What is bauxite?
Bauxite is a sedimentary rock with a high content of aluminum. Generally, four metric tons of dried bauxite is required to produce two metric tons of alumina, which, in turn, provides one metric ton of primary aluminum metal. Bauxite can be used, for example, in cement, chemicals, face makeup, soda cans, dishwashers, siding for houses, and other aluminum products. Bauxite production amounted to 380 million metric tons worldwide in 2022, a slight decrease from the previous year which saw 384 million metric tons produced worldwide.
Global production and trade of bauxite
In 2022, Australia produced the largest amount of bauxite worldwide. In that year, the country produced 100 million metric tons of bauxite. Following Australia was China, which produced 90 million metric tons of the rock. In 2021, the total global import volume of bauxite was about 132 million metric tons, and the total exports of bauxite amounted to about 150 million metric tons that year.