Natural graphite
World mine production and reserves, 2024–2025
Share of world mine production, 2025 · world total 1.8 million metric tons
- China 78%
- Madagascar 4.4%
- Tanzania 4.2%
- Brazil 3.6%
- Mozambique 3.3%
- Russia 1.4%
- India 0.9%
- Canada 0.4%
- All other countries 3.9%
China accounted for 78% of world mine production of natural graphite in 2025 (1.4 million metric tons of 1.8 million metric tons). World output rose 16% from 2024 to 2025, the second-fastest growth among the 72 commodities with world totals for both years. The United States relied on net imports for all of its natural graphite consumption in 2025. Among the main producers, Mozambique changed most: +54% on 2024.
Producer log
19 countries listed separately
| Country | Mine production 2024 | Mine production 2025 | Share of world 2025 | Change on 2024 | Reserves | Share of world reserves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 1,270,000 | 1,400,000 | 78% | +10% | 100,000,000 | 32% |
| Madagascar | 85,000 | 80,000 | 4.4% | −5.9% | 27,000,000 | 8.7% |
| Tanzania | 27,000 | 75,000 | 4.2% | +178% | 18,000,000 | 5.8% |
| Brazil | 58,000 | 65,000 | 3.6% | +12% | 74,000,000 | 24% |
| Mozambique | 39,000 | 60,000 | 3.3% | +54% | 25,000,000 | 8.1% |
| Russia | 20,000 | 25,000 | 1.4% | +25% | 14,000,000 | 4.5% |
| India | 17,600 | 17,000 | 0.9% | −3.4% | 8,600,000 | 2.8% |
| Canada | 11,700 | 8,000 | 0.4% | −32% | 5,900,000 | 1.9% |
| North Korea | 8,100 | 8,000 | 0.4% | −1.2% | 2,000,000 | 0.6% |
| Norway | 5,340 | 6,600 | 0.4% | +24% | 600,000 | 0.2% |
| Sri Lanka | 3,000 | 3,200 | 0.2% | +6.7% | 1,500,000 | 0.5% |
| Turkey | 2,600 | 2,200 | 0.1% | −15% | 6,900,000 | 2.2% |
| Ukraine | 900 | 800 | under 0.1% | −11% | in “other” | |
| Mexico | 706 | 740 | under 0.1% | +4.8% | 3,100,000 | 1% |
| South Korea | 1,000 | 500 | under 0.1% | −50% | 1,800,000 | 0.6% |
| Vietnam | 500 | 500 | under 0.1% | 0% | 9,700,000 | 3.1% |
| Austria | 100 | 200 | under 0.1% | +100% | in “other” | |
| Germany | 140 | 140 | under 0.1% | 0% | in “other” | |
| United States | 0 | 0 | in “other” | |||
| World total | 1,550,000 | 1,800,000 | 100% | +16% | 310,000,000 | 100% |
Output versus reserves
same commodity, two measures
Mine production, 2025
- China 78%
- Madagascar 4.4%
- Tanzania 4.2%
- Brazil 3.6%
- Mozambique 3.3%
- All other countries 6.7%
Reserves (world 310 million metric tons)
- China 32%
- Brazil 24%
- Madagascar 8.7%
- Mozambique 8.1%
- Tanzania 5.8%
- All other countries 21%
Reserves are the part of identified deposits that USGS considers economic to extract now; they change as prices, technology and surveys change. At the 2025 rate, the world reserve figure equals about 172 years of output.
United States
supply, trade and import sources
Net import reliance in 2025, as a percentage of apparent consumption.
Import sources, 2021–24
- China 46%
- Canada 13%
- Mozambique 13%
- Mexico 12%
- Other countries 16%
Uses named for it in the 2025 critical minerals list: batteries, fuel cells, and lubricants.
| Item | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production, mine | — | — | — | — | — |
| Imports for consumption | 53,000 | 89,200 | 73,500 | 73,900 | 79,000 |
| Exports | 8,660 | 9,500 | 7,780 | 8,740 | 8,400 |
| Consumption, apparent | 44,300 | 79,700 | 65,700 | 65,200 | 71,000 |
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Natural graphite chapter (PDF page 100). How to read these figures.