The New World Leader in Extractive Industries: China Outpaces the Rest as the Largest Domestic Materials Extractor in 2023

In 2023, China emerged as the world’s largest extractor of domestic materials, with a total extraction of 34.2 billion tonnes. This amount was more than four times that of India and the United States, which came in second and third place, respectively. The UNEP’s Global Material Flows Database reports that China extracted biomass, fossil fuels, metal ores, and non-metallic minerals.

When examining the types of materials extracted, it’s clear that China’s mix is mostly composed of non-metallic materials, making up 70% of the total. This category includes sand, gravel, and clay used for construction and industrial purposes. On the other hand, Australia’s primary source is metal ores, accounting for around 53% of the country’s total extraction. This includes iron, aluminum, copper, and other non-ferrous metals.

Globally, a total of 104.1 billion tonnes of biomass, fossil fuels, metal ores, and non-metallic minerals were extracted in 2023. Asia and the Pacific region accounted for the largest share with 56.9 billion tonnes extracted followed by Latin America with 11.2 billion tonnes and North America with 10.6 billion tonnes. Europe had a share of 9.2 billion tonnes while Africa had a share of 8.2 billion tonnes; West Asia had a share of 5.3 billion tonnes while Eastern Europe and Central Asia had a share of 2