// Global Analysis Archive
A Malaysian engineering study highlighted by the source indicates that magnet-grade rare earth separation—especially Nd/Pr—requires extensive processing stages, reinforcing why scale incumbents dominate. US and allied efforts to build alternative “mine-to-magnet” capacity are accelerating, but near-term output and heavy rare earth independence remain constrained.
The source argues that China’s rare earth dominance persists primarily because it controls processing, refining, and magnet production—segments defined by difficult-to-replicate expertise and scale. Western diversification efforts are advancing, but without a step-change in non-China processing technology and capacity, concentration risk is likely to remain through the late 2020s.
Global rare earth mine production reached an estimated 350,000t REO in 2023, with China accounting for over 69% of output and nearly 90% of processing, according to the source. Diversification efforts led by the US and supported by Australia and others are advancing, but downstream capacity gaps and governance risks in some alternative supply regions remain material.
GlobalData estimates global rare earth mine production reached 350,000t REO equivalent in 2023, with China accounting for over 69% of mining and nearly 90% of processing. The US and Australia are expanding capacity, but midstream bottlenecks, cost competitiveness, and ESG/traceability concerns in some supply sources remain key constraints.
A Malaysian engineering study highlighted by the source indicates that magnet-grade rare earth separation—especially Nd/Pr—requires extensive processing stages, reinforcing why scale incumbents dominate. US and allied efforts to build alternative “mine-to-magnet” capacity are accelerating, but near-term output and heavy rare earth independence remain constrained.
The source argues that China’s rare earth dominance persists primarily because it controls processing, refining, and magnet production—segments defined by difficult-to-replicate expertise and scale. Western diversification efforts are advancing, but without a step-change in non-China processing technology and capacity, concentration risk is likely to remain through the late 2020s.
Global rare earth mine production reached an estimated 350,000t REO in 2023, with China accounting for over 69% of output and nearly 90% of processing, according to the source. Diversification efforts led by the US and supported by Australia and others are advancing, but downstream capacity gaps and governance risks in some alternative supply regions remain material.
GlobalData estimates global rare earth mine production reached 350,000t REO equivalent in 2023, with China accounting for over 69% of mining and nearly 90% of processing. The US and Australia are expanding capacity, but midstream bottlenecks, cost competitiveness, and ESG/traceability concerns in some supply sources remain key constraints.
| ID | Title | Category | Date | Views | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RPT-1045 | Rare Earth Midstream Power: Why China’s Processing Edge Remains the Decisive Chokepoint | Rare Earths | 2026-02-12 | 0 | ACCESS » |
| RPT-1279 | China’s Rare Earth Edge: Processing Know-How and Magnet Supply Chains Remain the Decisive Moat | Rare Earths | 2024-08-27 | 0 | ACCESS » |
| RPT-363 | Rare Earth Supply Chains: China’s Processing Grip Keeps Diversification Challenging | Rare Earths | 2023-11-24 | 0 | ACCESS » |
| RPT-280 | Rare Earths in 2023: China’s Processing Grip Drives a New Diversification Race | Rare Earths | 2023-07-13 | 1 | ACCESS » |