Australia's Identified Mineral Resources 2025 Australia’s Identified Mineral Resources

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Australia’s Identified Mineral Resources

The National Classification System for Identified Mineral Resources has been used by the Australian Government since 1975 for classifying mineral resources for regional and national assessments. It provides a long-term view on what is likely to be available for mining.

The National Classification System uses two general criteria for classifying Australia’s national inventory of mineral resources:

  1. the geological certainty of the existence of the mineral resource, and
  2. the economic feasibility of its extraction over the long term.

The National Classification System (See Appendix 2) uses reports on mineral resources published by companies using the JORC Code (or equivalent foreign codes) and, to a lesser extent, confidential information, to compile national totals for the resource classification categories set out in Table 3. Both the National Classification System and the JORC Code are based on the McKelvey resource classification system used by the USGS. Thus, Australia’s national system is compatible with the JORC Code and remains comparable to the USGS system, as published in the annual USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries.

Economic Demonstrated Resources (EDR) is the category used for the national totals of economic resources and provides a basis for meaningful comparisons of Australia’s economic resources with those of other nations. Section 7 provides a snapshot of key facts and figures for the 36 mineral commodities covered in AIMR 2025, including EDR, Ore Reserves, production, rises and falls and world rankings.

Estimating the total amount of each mineral commodity likely to be available for mining over the long term (EDR) is not a precise science. The long-term perspectives presented herein take account of the following:

  • Ore Reserves reported in accordance with the JORC Code (or equivalent foreign codes) will all be mined, but they only provide a short-term view on what is likely to be available for mining.
  • Most current Measured and Indicated Resources reported in accordance with the JORC Code are also likely to be mined.
  • Some current Inferred Resources will be transferred to Measured and Indicated Resources and Ore Reserves.
  • New discoveries will add to the resource inventory.

In addition, some resources that, all being equal, would normally be considered EDR are not accessible because of environmental, legal or military land-use restrictions. Thus Table 3 also lists Accessible Economic Demonstrated Resources (AEDR). Of the 36 mineral commodities assessed in this publication, only black coal, brown coal, gold, mineral sands, platinum group elements and uranium have EDR that is considered inaccessible.

Over time, all of Australia’s current EDR of gold, silver, tin, zinc or any number of other commodities will be mined. At first glance, this statement might seem somewhat paradoxical because not every deposit that contributes to the national EDR will have all of that individual EDR brought into production. Indeed, some deposits currently contributing to EDR will never produce any metal. However, the National Classification System is not designed to be used for individual mine assessments. Instead, it is a way of estimating regional and national totals. So, from an aggregated point of view, it is a reasonable proposition that, eventually, all of the current EDR (and more) will be mined. Twenty years ago, gold for example, had an EDR of 5,225 t; since 2005, Australian mines have produced more than this amount of gold (5,520 t).

Australia is yet to run out of EDR because, to use JORC Code terminology, as individual Ore Reserves are depleted, Measured and Indicated Resources are reassessed into Proved and Probable categories, Inferred Resources are worked on to bring them to Measured and Indicated status and new drilling at existing mines as well as new greenfield discoveries add to the resource inventory. In addition, extractive technologies improve over time and if a commodity becomes rare then the laws of supply and demand result in previously subeconomic deposits becoming profitable. Thus EDR fundamentally differs from Ore Reserves under the JORC Code because it is not meant to provide a picture of what is currently commercial to mine but rather an outlook on what is likely to be available for mining over the long term, i.e., of opportunity for supply at regional and national scales.

Trends in EDR

Australia’s EDR of the following mineral commodities increased significantly (up 5% or more) during 2024: antimony, bauxite, fluorine, graphite, high-purity alumina, magnesite, manganese ore, molybdenum, niobium, platinum group elements, rare earths, scandium and tin. (Table 4). Conversely, contained phosphate, potash, silver and tantalum saw significant decreases (down 5% or more) in EDR during 2024. All other mineral EDR stayed within 5% of the previous year’s estimates (Table 4).

Australia’s EDR of a range of mineral commodities have undergone significant and sometimes dramatic changes since Geoscience Australia, and predecessor organisations, began keeping systematic records nearly 50 years ago. These changes can be attributed to one, or a combination, of the following factors:

  • Increases in resources resulting from discoveries of new deposits and delineation of extensions at known deposits.
  • Depletion of resources because of mine production.
  • Advances in mining and metallurgical technologies, e.g. carbon-based processing technologies for gold have enabled economic extraction from low-grade deposits that were previously uneconomic.
  • Adoption of the JORC Code for resource classification and reporting by the Australian minerals industry and the subsequent impacts on re-estimation of Ore Reserves and Mineral Resources to comply with the requirements of the JORC Code. The impacts of the JORC Code on EDR occurred at differing times for each of the major commodities.
  • Significant changes in the prices of mineral commodities driven largely by global trade dynamics, such as escalating and cooling demand from China over the last two decades, growing demand for battery minerals and, more recently, trade tariffs and geopolitical tensions.

Geographical distribution of EDR

Most bauxite EDR are attributable to Queensland and Western Australia (Figure 2) where the giant deposits in Cape York and the Darling Range, respectively, dominate. Similarly, Australia’s enormous iron ore EDR are geographically concentrated in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Western Australia also hosts most of the nation’s lithium and nickel EDR (Figure 2). Manganese ore EDR are concentrated in Western Australia and the Northern Territory, and vanadium EDR are located in Queensland’s black shale deposits and in Western Australia (Figure 2).

On the other side of the country, almost all black coal EDR are located in Queensland and New South Wales (Figure 2). Substantial graphite EDR are located in Queensland and South Australia, with the remainder in Western Australia (Figure 2). Cobalt EDR occurs in most Australian jurisdictions as it is associated with both the Western Australian nickel deposits and with many copper deposits. Copper, along with gold, lead, mineral sands, molybdenum, rare earths, silver, tungsten, uranium and zinc are dispersed across the country (Figure 2).

For further data about the distribution of EDR at mines and deposits in Australia, along with export earnings and other economic data, please see Appendix 3. For further information about the geographical distribution of commodities in Australia, please refer to Appendix 4 for maps showing operating mines and critical minerals.

Due to the limited audience of this diagram and its complexity, no alternative description has been provided. Please email clientservices@ga.gov.au

Figure 2. Distribution of EDR of major commodities by Australian jurisdiction as of December 2024. Where applicable, the number of mines in each jurisdiction is in brackets after the percentage of EDR. Abbreviations: NSW = New South Wales; NT = Northern Territory; QLD = Queensland; SA = South Australia; TAS = Tasmania; VIC = Victoria; WA = Western Australia.

Table 3

Table 3. Australia's Identified Mineral Resources as at December 2024.

CommodityUnitAustraliaWorld
Demonstrated Resources Inferred Resources2 Accessible EDR3 Mine Production4 Economic Resources5 Mine Production6
Economic (EDR)1Subeconomic
ParamarginalSubmarginal
Antimony kt Sb 125.6 8.0 0 88.6 125.6 1.3(7) >2,000 103
Bauxite Mt 3,969 61 1,429 2,715 3,969 100.5 29,500 450
Black Coal
In situ Mt 86,640 2,466 4,638 98,554 85,754 546(8) n.a. n.a.
Recoverable Mt 72,985 1,902 3,362 77,076 72,337 424(8) 796,717(9) 7,904(9)
Brown Coal
In situ Mt 81,234 45,696 239,225 122,509 79,472 n.a. n.a. n.a.
Recoverable Mt 74,039 42,082 215,303 105,228 72,453 39.0(10) 320,533(11) 1,120(11)
Chromium kt Cr 748 3,898 0 2,315 748 0 >1,200,000(12) 47,000(12)
Cobalt kt Co 1,697 182 5 1,241 1,697 4.8(13) 11,000 290
Copper Mt Cu 108.02 1.10 0.24 53.89 108.02 0.75 980 22.6
Diamond Mc 2.81 0 0 18.56 2.81 0 1,700(14) 41
Fluorine kt F 3,682 613 6 1,562 3,682 0 155,000 4,600(15)
Gold t Au 12,955 142 50 7,082 12,938 284 65,000 3,300
Graphite Mt 22.6 <1 0 41.6 22.6 0 302 1.6
High Purity Alumina Ore(16) Mt 35.9 0 0 40.2 35.9 0 n.a. n.a.
Iron(17)
Hematite ore Mt 33,596 480 28 53,415 33,596 n.a. n.a. n.a.
Magnetite ore Mt 26,014 4,200 953 35,569 26,014 n.a. n.a. n.a.
Iron ore Mt 58,522 4,717 1,189 90,588 58,522 954 200,000 2,500
Contained iron Mt Fe 26,544 1,419 372 41,326 26,544 592 88,000 1,600
Lead Mt Pb 34.61 1.31 0.14 23.87 34.61 0.47 96 4.4
Lithium kt Li 8,799 0 <1 1,758 8,799 108(18) 31,000 250
Magnesite Mt MgCO3 354 73 35 537 354 0.4(19) 7,800 22(20)
Manganese Ore Mt 675 <1 190 408 675 2.7(21) 1,300(22) 18.2(22)
Mineral Sands
Ilmenite Mt 308.3 16.3 10.9 243.1 272.2 0.51(23) >588 14.3
Rutile Mt 42.2 0.1 3.1 38.3 36.8 0.22(23) >56 0.5
Zircon Mt 89.7 0.3 5.0 62.7 82.1 0.35(23) 110 1.8
Molybdenum kt Mo 894 333 <1 1,185 894 1.9(24) 15,000 260
Nickel Mt Ni 24.7 2.2 <1 18.3 24.7 0.10 >130 3.6
Niobium kt Nb 269 15 0 1,978 269 n.a.(25) >17,000 110
PGE t metal 527.6 60.0 2.7 577.6 527.6 0.575(26) >81,000 360(27)
Phosphate
Phosphate rock(28) Mt 799 502 0 1,890 799 3.1(29) 74,000 240
Contained P2O5 Mt P2O5 94 128 0 346 94 n.a. n.a. n.a.
Potash
In situ Mt K2O 12.7 329.4 0 969.7 12.7 0 >10,000 n.a.
Recoverable Mt K2O 12.7 37.1 0 145.3 12.7 0 >4,800 48
Rare Earths(30) Mt oxide 7.36 4.71 34.88 30.84 7.36 0.031(31) >90 0.41
Scandium kt Sc 43.24 0 0 44.97 43.24 0 n.a. n.a.
Silver kt Ag 85.37 1.63 0.48 46.45 85.37 1.05 640 25.2
Tantalum kt Ta 103.3 1.2 0.2 35.1 103.3 0.2(32) n.a. 2.1
Thorium kt Th 0 0 796 658 0 0 n.a. n.a.
Tin kt Sn 702 61 32 334 702 11.3 >4,200 300
Tungsten kt W 568 26 5 193 568 >1(33) >4,600 81
Uranium kt U 1,283 52 27 597 1,280 4.656(34) 3,869(35) 49.5(35)
Vanadium kt V 10,173 344 2,526 20,337 10,173 0 20,000 100
Zinc Mt Zn 61.76 0.43 0.67 48.96 61.76 1.10 230 12

Abbreviations

t = tonne; kt = kilotonnes (1,000 t); Mt = million tonnes (1,000,000 t); Mc = million carats (1,000,000 carats); n.a. = not available; PGE = platinum group elements (platinum, palladium, osmium, iridium, ruthenium, rhodium).
Where an element symbol follows the unit it refers to contained metal content.

Notes

  1. Economic Demonstrated Resources (EDR) predominantly comprise Ore Reserves and most Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources that have been reported in accordance with the Joint Ore Reserves Committee (JORC) Code to the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). In addition, some reserves and resources have been reported using other reporting codes to foreign stock exchanges and Geoscience Australia may hold confidential data for some commodities.
  2. Total Inferred Resources in economic, subeconomic and undifferentiated categories.
  3. Accessible Economic Demonstrated Resources (AEDR) is the portion of total EDR that is accessible for mining. AEDR does not include resources that are inaccessible for mining because of environmental restrictions, government policies or military lands.
  4. Mining production from Office of the Chief Economist, Department of Industry, Science and Resources (Resources and Energy Quarterly, September 2025), unless otherwise stated. Production data often have a higher level of certainty than reserve and resource estimates and, thus, may be presented with more significant figures.
  5. World economic resources from the United States Geological Survey (Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025) and adjusted with Geoscience Australia data, unless otherwise stated.
  6. World mine production from the United States Geological Survey (Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025) and adjusted with Geoscience Australia data, unless otherwise stated.
  7. Australian antimony production from company reports (Mandalay Resources Ltd).
  8. Australian black coal resources and production are presented as in situ resources with raw mine production, and recoverable resources with saleable mine production.
  9. World economic resources and world production of black coal (data for 2023) from the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, Germany (BGR Energy Data 2024 - German and Global Energy Suplies; Hanover) issued December 2024).
  10. Australian production of brown coal is sourced from the Victorian State Government, Earth Resources Regulation, Annual Statistical Report FY 2023-24.
  11. World economic resources and world production of brown coal (data for 2023) from the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, Germany (BGR Energy Data 2024 - German and Global Energy Suplies; Hanover) issued December 2024).
  12. World economic resources and mine production are presented as chromite ore.
  13. Cobalt production data from Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, Western Australian Government (2024 Major Commodities Resource Data File).
  14. World resource figures are for industrial diamonds only, no data provided for resources of gem diamonds.
  15. World mine production of fluorine excludes the USA.
  16. Australia's high purity alumina ore is primarily kaolin, but other ore types also occur.
  17. Hematite ore and magnetite ore do not add up exactly to total iron ore Resources due to a small number of data discrepancies.
  18. Production of lithium spodumene is sourced from the Office of the Chief Economist, Department of Industry, Science and Resources (Resources and Energy Quarterly, September 2025), production of lithium estimated assuming 6% Li2O in spodumene concentrates.
  19. Australian magnesite production from South Australia Department for Energy and Mining (Report Book 2025/00013), the Queensland Department of Resources (Annual Mineral Summary 2021-22 to 2023-24) and assumed minor production from New South Wales
  20. World mine production excludes the USA.
  21. Australian manganese ore production from Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, Western Australian Government (2024 Major Commodities Resource Data File) and company reports (South 32 Ltd). Geoscience Australia estimates 1.1 Mt contained manganese metal produced from 2.7 Mt ore.
  22. World economic resources and mine production of manganese are published by the United States Geological Survey as manganese content, not manganese ore.
  23. Australian mineral sands production data based on estimates from New South Wales Government, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (pers. comm.); Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, Western Australian Government (2024 Major Commodities Resource Data File); South Australia Department for Energy and Mining (Report Book 2025/00013); and Northern Territory Department of Industry Tourism and Trade (2024 Northern Territory Mining Production).
  24. Molybdenum production is a Geoscience Australia estimate based on company correspondence.
  25. There are no mines producing niobium as a primary product in Australia but it is likely produced in concentrate or as a by-product at some lithium/tantalum operations, but these data have not been reported.
  26. Australian platinum and palladium production data from Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, Western Australian Government (2024 Major Commodities Resource Data File).
  27. World mine production is platinum and palladium only.
  28. Phosphate rock is reported as being economic at grades ranging from 15.5% to 30.9% P2O5.
  29. Phosphate rock production based on 488,488 t from Christmas Island (company correspondence); 573,564 t from Ardmore (Centrex Ltd, Quarterly Reports); 615 t recorded by the Department for Energy and Mining, South Australia (Report Book 2025/00013); and Geoscience Australia estimation of 2,040,000 t from Phosphate Hill based on ammonium phosphate production of 740,000 t (Dyno Nobel Ltd, Annual Report 2024).
  30. Rare earths comprise rare earth oxides (REO) and yttrium oxide (Y2O3).
  31. Rare earths production data from Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, Western Australian Government (2024 Major Commodities Resource Data File).
  32. Australian tantalum production data Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, Western Australian Government (2024 Major Commodities Resource Data File). Production represents a maximum as no correction has been made for actual tantalite concentration in reported concentrates.
  33. Tungsten production is a Geoscience Australia estimate based on company reports (EQ Resources Ltd and Group 6 Metals Ltd) and assumed minor production at Kara mine in Tasmania (Tasmania Mines Pty Ltd).
  34. Australian uranium production from company reports (BHP Ltd, Heathgate Resources Pty Ltd and Boss Energy Ltd).
  35. World economic resources and production as at 1 January 2023 from the Nuclear Energy Agency and the International Atomic energy Agency (Uranium 2024: Resources, Production and Demand). Uranium EDR based on Reasonably Assured Resources recoverable at costs of less than US$130/kgU.

Table 4

Table 4. Changes in Australia's Economic Demonstrated Resources (EDR), World Economic Resources and Australian and world production from 2023 to 2024.

CommodityUnit Australian EDR World Economic Resources Australian production World production1
20232024 Change (%) Change (%)20232024 Change (%) Change (%)
Antimony kt Sb 112.4 125.6 12%n.a. 1.9 1.3 -32% -3%
Bauxite Mt 3,714 3,969 7% -2% 103.8 100.5 -3% 3%
Black Coal (in situ)2 Mt 85,774 86,640 1%n.a. 547 546 0%n.a.
Black Coal (recoverable)3 Mt 72,487 72,985 1% 2% 428 424 -1% 5%
Brown Coal (in situ)2 Mt 81,234 81,234 0%n.a. 38.6 39.0 1%n.a.
Brown Coal (recoverable)3 Mt 74,039 74,039 0%0% n.a. n.a. n.a. -6%
Chromium kt Cr 748 748 0% >114% 0 0 0%4%
Cobalt kt Co 1,690 1,697 0%0% 5.3 4.8 -9% 22%
Copper Mt Cu 104.74 108.02 3% -2% 0.78 0.75 -4%0%
Diamond(3) Mc 2.81 2.81 0%0% 0 0 0%0%
Fluorine kt F 343 3,682 974% 14% 0 0 0%0%
Gold t Au 12,676 12,955 2% 10% 296 284 -4% 2%
Graphite Mt 10.8 22.6 109% 3% 0 0 0% 5%
High Purity Alumina Ore Mt Al2O3 19.1 35.9 88%n.a. 0 0 0%n.a.
Iron
Hematite Ore Mt 34,601 33,596 -3%n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.n.a.
Magnetite Ore Mt 24,948 26,014 4%n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.n.a.
Total Iron Ore Mt 58,622 58,522 0% 5% 953 954 0% -1%
Contained iron Mt Fe 26,955 26,544 -2% 1% 589 592 1% 3%
Lead Mt Pb 34.28 34.61 1% 4% 0.47 0.47 0%0%
Lithium kt Li 8,440 8,799 4% 3% 95 108 14% 23%
Magnesite(4) Mt MgCO3 336 354 5% 1% 0.4 0.4 -5% -1%
Manganese Ore Mt 576 675 17% -14% 4.1 2.7 -34% -7%
Mineral Sands
Ilmenite Mt 305.8 308.3 1%n.a. 0.63 0.51 -19%0%
Rutile Mt 41.2 42.2 2%n.a. 0.20 0.22 10% -24%
Zircon Mt 87.7 89.7 2% -4% 0.41 0.35 -15%0%
Molybdenum kt Mo 759 894 18%0% 1.2 1.9 59% 6%
Nickel Mt Ni 24.6 24.7 0%n.a. 0.15 0.10 -34% -3%
Niobium kt Nb 255 269 5%n.a. n.a n.a. 0%0%
PGE t metal 466.3 527.6 13% >14% 0.512 0.575 12% -7%
Phosphate
Phosphate rock Mt 803 799 0%0 3.3(5) 3.1 -6%3%
Contained phosphate Mt P2O5 131 94 -28%n.a. n.a n.a n.a.n.a.
Potash Mt K2O 49.4 12.7 -74%n.a. <0.1 0 -100% 11%
Rare Earths(6) Mt oxide 6.26 7.36 18%n.a. 0.029 0.031 7% 10%
Scandium kt Sc 34.41 43.24 26%n.a. n.a. n.a. 0%n.a.
Silver kt Ag 91.39 85.37 -7% 5% 1.03 1.05 1% -1%
Tantalum kt Ta 120.8 103.3 -14%n.a. 0.16 0.20 26% 3%
Thorium kt Th 0 0 0%n.a. 0 0 0%n.a.
Tin kt Sn 566 702 24%n.a. 9.9 11.3 14% -2%
Tungsten kt W 568 568 0% >5% 0.52 >1 >92% 2%
Uranium kt U 1,260 1,283 2%n.a. 4.686 4.656 -1%n.a.
Vanadium kt V 10,022 10,173 2%0% 0 0 0% -4%
Zinc Mt Zn 63.66 61.76 -3% 3% 1.10 1.10 0% -1%

Abbreviations

t = tonne; kt = kilotonnes (1,000 t); Mt = million tonnes (1,000,000 t); Mc = million carats (1,000,000 carats); n.a. = not available; PGE = platinum group elements (platinum, palladium, osmium, iridium, ruthenium, rhodium).
Where an element symbol follows the unit it refers to contained metal content.

Notes

  1. World production data in 2023 has been reestimated for some commodities since the previous edition of Australia's Identified Mineral Resources owing to new information.
  2. In situ coal EDR and raw coal production.
  3. Recoverable coal EDR and saleable production.
  4. Magnesite EDR in 2023 has been reassessed since the previous edition of Australia's Identified Mineral Resources.
  5. Australian phosphate production for 2023 has been reestimated from the previous edition of Australia's Identified Minerals Resources owing to new information.
  6. Rare earths comprise rare earth oxides (REO) and yttrium oxide (Y2O3).