Zinc — Structural brief

Where zinc is produced

China is the largest producer of zinc, at 32.7 percent of the published world total in 2025^[1]. It is followed by Peru at 12.0 percent, Australia at 8.8 percent and India at 6.9 percent. The USGS puts world production at 13,000 thousand metric tons; the sum of the country figures is 12,540 thousand metric tons, the difference being rounding in the published total.^[1] Reserves are held principally by Australia (64,000 thousand metric tons), China (60,000 thousand metric tons), Russia (29,000 thousand metric tons)^[1]. The largest reserve holder is not the largest producer, which is the usual sign that the constraint is capital and permitting rather than geology.

How concentrated supply is

Measured by the Herfindahl-Hirschman index over production shares, zinc supply is moderately concentrated, with an index of 1,698. The top three producers hold 60.6 percent of output, and 3 producers together account for half of supply. An index below 1,500 is conventionally read as unconcentrated and above 2,500 as highly concentrated; the thresholds are the United States merger-review bands, used here as a published reference point rather than as a judgement about market conduct. The United States was 73 percent reliant on net imports for zinc in 2025, with the principal import sources over 2021–24 being Canada, Mexico, Peru, Republic of Korea.^[2] The principal sources of United States imports over 2021–24 were Canada (57 percent), Mexico (15 percent) and Peru (8 percent)^[3]. US imports under HS 790200 (Zinc waste & scrap) are highly concentrated across supplying countries, with a Herfindahl index of 4,396 and the top three partners supplying 97 percent of value.^[4]

Trade measures in force

The USGS compilation of export controls effective January 2026 records 2 measures bearing on zinc. Laos maintains an export ban covering Raw minerals, including copper, gold, iron, nickel, potassium, silver, and zinc (2024), as compiled by the USGS from official and reported sources effective January 2026.^[5] Vietnam maintains an export ban covering Raw materials of iron, lead-zinc, chromite, manganese, apatite, and rare earths and deeply processed titanium (2012), as compiled by the USGS from official and reported sources effective January 2026.^[5] A control listed here removes the tonnage concerned from the international market by law, whatever the production table implies about availability.

Recent United States official notices

Federal Register documents naming zinc, most recent first. 2025-11-07: Final 2025 List of Critical Minerals. Critical minerals are essential for national security, economic stability, and supply chain resilience because they underpin key industries, drive technological innovation, and support critical infrastructure vital for a modern American economy. The United States is heavily reliant on imports of certain mineral commodities from foreign sources, some of which are at risk of serious, sustained, and long-term supply chain disruptions.^[6]