Zinc reserves and production country comparison
Global zinc reserves amounted to a total of 210 million metric tons in 2022. As of that year, zinc reserves were the largest in Australia and China, though the world’s two largest producers of zinc were China and Peru, respectively, in 2022. As the country with the largest zinc reserves, and the world's third-largest zinc mining country, Australia was the largest zinc exporter in 2021 based on value, with exports amounting to 1.9 billion U.S. dollars.Demand and end uses of zinc
The global demand for zinc has increased slightly since 2012. Zinc is used for different industrial processes and materials, but more than half of the global mined zinc is used to galvanize steel. The metal can be used as an anti-corrosion agent, in chemicals, and as semi-manufactures. Zinc is often used as part of an alloy, especially in combination with copper as brass. The feasibility for using recycled or secondary zinc is increasing and depends highly on the collection rate of products containing zinc at the end of their life cycle.Zinc is also an essential mineral for humans to consume, and zinc deficiency impacts many people living in the developing world. Dietary supplements for zinc can be taken for deficiencies. A lack of this mineral is associated with many diseases but over-consumption may also cause other human health conditions, such as copper deficiency.
