Bauxite Mine Production by Country: Top 30 (2025 Edition, 2023 Data)
Bauxite Mining in 2023: Leading Countries and Data Coverage
Guinea led bauxite mine production in the World Mining Data (WMD) 2025 edition's 2023 series, with 123,067,415 metric tonnes. Australia ranked second (99,058,376 tonnes), followed by China (65,516,300 tonnes). The ranking covers the 30 countries with positive WMD bauxite entries and measures crude ore extracted, not alumina or primary aluminium. Higher production ranks higher; display values are in million metric tonnes (Mt).
All 30 production figures are published in a ministry-issued source (official_value: 30), of which WMD marks 24 as reported and six as estimated. There are no calculated production values (0), official forecasts (0), modeled projections (0), or independent industry-observed replacement figures (0). The 2025 label identifies the publication, not a 2025 production estimate.
This compiled research dataset cites three publications. WMD 2025 supplies every ranking value; the British Geological Survey (BGS) and USGS provide independent comparisons and commodity context.
2023 reference-year production from WMD 2025.
30th among countries with positive WMD entries.
One numerical source, WMD 2025; 2023 data column.
24 reported and six estimated; all published in WMD.
390,902,596 metric tonnes in the 2023 column.
Guinea, Australia and China as a share of the WMD total.
Overview: What the Production Ranking Measures
Bauxite is the principal ore used to make alumina, which can then be processed into primary aluminium. Mine-production tonnage measures the upstream extraction of crude bauxite ore. It does not quantify ore grade, exports, alumina refining, aluminium smelting or reserves.
The 2023 figures come from a single WMD publication series. National collection methods and reporting periods may differ, so values are assigned to the 2023 reference-year column, not assumed to describe identical calendar-year intervals for every country.
Top 10 Bauxite-Producing Countries in 2023
The ten leading countries produced 376,240,646 metric tonnes, or 96.25% of WMD's 2023 bauxite total. One of the ten, Saudi Arabia, has an estimated value in WMD rather than a reported figure.
WMD 2025 · 2023 reference year · Million metric tonnes (Mt)
| Rank | Entity | Value | Region / method |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guinea | 123.067 Mt | Africa; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1e, reported (national statistics) |
| 2 | Australia | 99.058 Mt | Oceania; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1e, reported (national statistics) |
| 3 | China | 65.516 Mt | Asia; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1e, reported (national statistics) |
| 4 | Brazil | 32.032 Mt | Latin America & Caribbean; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1e, reported (national statistics) |
| 5 | India | 23.361 Mt | Asia; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1e, reported (national statistics) |
| 6 | Indonesia | 9.890 Mt | Asia; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1e, reported (national statistics) |
| 7 | Russia | 6.868 Mt | Transcontinental; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1n, reported (other sources) |
| 8 | Jamaica | 5.988 Mt | Latin America & Caribbean; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1e, reported (national statistics) |
| 9 | Saudi Arabia | 5.900 Mt | Asia; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 2n, estimated (other sources) |
| 10 | Kazakhstan | 4.560 Mt | Asia; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1e, reported (national statistics) |
Values are rounded for display; original tonne values determine ranks. This compiled research dataset uses WMD for all ranking numbers, with BGS and USGS cited for context.
Main Ranking: All 30 Countries with Positive WMD Production
Filter by region, reporting classification, publication status or country name. Global Top 10 / Top 20 always means countries with original world ranks 1–10 or 1–20; it does not mean the top ten within a filtered region. Select All 30 to see every region match.
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Top 30 · Crude bauxite ore · 2023 WMD figures (Mt)
| Rank | Entity | Value | Region / method |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guinea | 123.067 Mt | Africa; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1e, reported (national statistics) |
| 2 | Australia | 99.058 Mt | Oceania; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1e, reported (national statistics) |
| 3 | China | 65.516 Mt | Asia; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1e, reported (national statistics) |
| 4 | Brazil | 32.032 Mt | Latin America & Caribbean; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1e, reported (national statistics) |
| 5 | India | 23.361 Mt | Asia; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1e, reported (national statistics) |
| 6 | Indonesia | 9.890 Mt | Asia; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1e, reported (national statistics) |
| 7 | Russia | 6.868 Mt | Transcontinental; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1n, reported (other sources) |
| 8 | Jamaica | 5.988 Mt | Latin America & Caribbean; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1e, reported (national statistics) |
| 9 | Saudi Arabia | 5.900 Mt | Asia; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 2n, estimated (other sources) |
| 10 | Kazakhstan | 4.560 Mt | Asia; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1e, reported (national statistics) |
| 11 | Vietnam | 3.800 Mt | Asia; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 2n, estimated (other sources) |
| 12 | Türkiye | 2.935 Mt | Transcontinental; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1e, reported (national statistics) |
| 13 | Sierra Leone | 1.354 Mt | Africa; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1a, reported (questionnaire) |
| 14 | Greece | 0.975 Mt | Europe; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1a, reported (questionnaire) |
| 15 | Ghana | 0.960 Mt | Africa; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1e, reported (national statistics) |
| 16 | Venezuela | 0.900 Mt | Latin America & Caribbean; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 2n, estimated (other sources) |
| 17 | Iran | 0.871 Mt | Asia; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1a, reported (questionnaire) |
| 18 | Malaysia | 0.577 Mt | Asia; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1e, reported (national statistics) |
| 19 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0.548 Mt | Europe; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1e, reported (national statistics) |
| 20 | Montenegro | 0.527 Mt | Europe; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1e, reported (national statistics) |
| 21 | Guyana | 0.524 Mt | Latin America & Caribbean; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1e, reported (national statistics) |
| 22 | Laos | 0.275 Mt | Asia; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1e, reported (national statistics) |
| 23 | France | 0.120 Mt | Europe; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 2n, estimated (other sources) |
| 24 | Côte d'Ivoire | 0.105 Mt | Africa; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 2n, estimated (other sources) |
| 25 | Tanzania | 0.061353 Mt | Africa; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1e, reported (national statistics) |
| 26 | Pakistan | 0.060000 Mt | Asia; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 2e, estimated (national statistics) |
| 27 | United States | 0.048230 Mt | North America; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1e, reported (national statistics) |
| 28 | Croatia | 0.014660 Mt | Europe; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1a, reported (questionnaire) |
| 29 | Mozambique | 0.005481 Mt | Africa; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1e, reported (national statistics) |
| 30 | Colombia | 0.002779 Mt | Latin America & Caribbean; WMD 2025; 2023; official_value; 1e, reported (national statistics) |
Compiled research dataset: all 30 numeric entries and source-method codes come from WMD 2025. Values are displayed in Mt, with ranks based on original tonnes; BGS and USGS are comparison references only.
Chart: Top 20 Producers by Bauxite Tonnage
The bars use the ranking values on a linear scale relative to Guinea. Small bars may appear very narrow; the adjacent values give the exact comparison.
Methodology, Reporting Codes and Source Differences
This compiled research dataset uses WMD as its sole production-value source. BGS and USGS support independent comparisons; figures from different series are not averaged.
Source and selection
WMD 2025 (volume 40), bauxite crude ore table, p. 119 and producer ranking, pp. 162–163. Include every country with a positive value in its 2023 column: 30 entries. Dominican Republic and Solomon Islands have zero WMD entries and are excluded. A missing value is not treated as zero.
Production metric and rank
Crude bauxite mine production, in metric tonnes. Descending rank uses original, unrounded tonnes; display conversion is tonnes ÷ 1,000,000 = Mt. Values of small producers show extra decimal places to avoid rounding positive output to zero.
Reporting and publication status
WMD uses 1 = reported, 2 = estimated; e = national statistics, a = questionnaire, n = other sources such as company reports. All rows are official_value because they appear directly in a ministry-issued report, but six are WMD estimates, not directly observed national totals.
Official-record limitation
WMD is issued as a public service by Austria's Federal Ministry of Finance. Its Data Capture disclaimer explicitly states the information is not an official record and is not guaranteed to be accurate, complete or reliable. Here official_value describes publication provenance, not legal certification of national production.
Geography and reference year
Region names are editorial filters, not WMD output regions. Russia and Türkiye are grouped as transcontinental; Kazakhstan is included in Asia. The year is the WMD 2023 data column. Reporting periods and conventions may differ across countries.
Missing values and conflicts
No missing production is guessed. BGS and USGS are used for independent comparison, not to fill rows or average conflicting national figures. Revisions, ore coverage, moisture and reporting practices can differ; individual discrepancies are not assigned a cause without supporting evidence.
WMD and BGS: Examples of Differences in the 2023 Series
British Geological Survey's World Mineral Production 2019–2023 supplies different figures for some countries. The paired figures below are shown in WMD 2025 / BGS 2025 order and are not mixed in the ranking.
World total
390.903 / 416.300 MtWMD 2025 / BGS 2025. Both report a 2023 reference year.
Indonesia
9.890 / 29.000 MtWMD 2025 / BGS 2025. BGS flags its 29.000 Mt entry as an estimate.
Australia
99.058 / 103.741 MtWMD 2025 / BGS 2025. Both refer to their respective 2023 series.
Dominican Republic
0 / 92,000 tWMD 2025 / BGS 2025. BGS identifies the 92,000 t figure as estimated.
BGS states that its bauxite table includes refractory bauxite, and its notes identify some non-calendar reporting periods or moisture qualifications. These qualifications do not establish a single cause for each difference.
Share Calculation and Limitations
Share (%) = sum of selected countries' WMD 2023 production (tonnes) ÷ 390,902,596 × 100. The denominator is WMD's 2023 total. Guinea (123,067,415 t), Australia (99,058,376 t) and China (65,516,300 t) sum to 287,642,091 t, or 73.58%. The top ten sum to 376,240,646 t, or 96.25%. Shares are rounded to two decimal places, use no growth assumptions, and are not forecasts.
The source reports ore tonnage, not alumina content, reserves, mining revenue, export value, alumina refining or primary aluminium output. This is a historical WMD ranking rather than a statement of 2025 or 2026 production.
Insights from the 2023 Bauxite Production Ranking
Key Insight
Guinea, Australia and China contributed 287.642 Mt together, or 73.58% of the WMD 2023 bauxite total.
Notable Pattern
The top five produced 87.75% of the WMD total; fifth-ranked India recorded 23.361 Mt, versus 9.890 Mt for sixth-ranked Indonesia.
Regional Concentration
Asia accounts for ten positive-producing countries under this page's regional classification. Africa has six, including the highest-volume producer, Guinea.
Outlier
Colombia has the smallest positive WMD entry, at 2,779 tonnes, compared with Guinea's 123,067,415 tonnes.
What the Country Ranking Does—and Does Not—Show
A major bauxite producer is not necessarily a major aluminium smelter: alumina refining and smelting are separate activities that may take place elsewhere. Ore tonnage does not indicate metal content or economic value.
Comparisons should retain the same source edition and commodity definition. The large WMD–BGS difference for Indonesia demonstrates how the choice of international dataset can affect country comparisons; it does not by itself prove that either source is incorrect.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who led bauxite mine production in 2023?
Guinea ranked first with 123,067,415 metric tonnes in World Mining Data 2025's 2023 reference-year bauxite series.
Are these 2025 bauxite production figures?
No. 2025 is the edition year of World Mining Data; the country values come from its 2023 column, not a 2025 forecast.
Why are there exactly 30 countries?
WMD has 30 country entries with positive 2023 bauxite production. It lists zero for Dominican Republic and Solomon Islands. Other publications, including BGS, can use different estimates and country coverage.
Are these official published values?
They are directly printed in a publication issued by Austria's Federal Ministry of Finance; 24 are tagged reported and six estimated. WMD also says its compilation is not an official statistical record. Publication status does not guarantee national verification of every number.
Why does BGS show a different world total?
BGS reports 416.300 Mt for its 2023 reference-year bauxite series, compared with WMD's 390.903 Mt. The two series have different country entries or estimates, and their source notes identify reporting and commodity-definition qualifications. This ranking uses WMD consistently.
What do WMD codes 1e, 1a and 2n mean?
1 = reported and 2 = estimated. The letter identifies source type: e = national statistics, a = questionnaire, n = other sources such as company reports. Every row includes its code.
Does Mt mean million metric tonnes?
Yes. One Mt equals 1,000,000 metric tonnes. For small entries the table shows more decimals so positive values are not displayed as zero.
Does this measure aluminium production or bauxite reserves?
No. It measures crude bauxite ore mine output, not alumina, primary aluminium, exports or geological reserves.
Sources
This compiled research dataset uses WMD 2025 for country rankings, BGS for statistical comparison and USGS for commodity context.
World Mining Data 2025 · Federal Ministry of Finance, Austria
Primary numerical source: 2023 bauxite table, producer rankings, figure codes and Data Capture disclaimer.
https://www.world-mining-data.info/wmd/downloads/PDF/WMD%202025.pdf
British Geological Survey · World Mineral Production 2019–2023
Independent country comparisons, 2023 world total, estimated entries and reporting qualifications. No numbers from this source replace WMD ranking rows.
https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/539285/1/WMP_2019-2023_COMPLETE.pdf
U.S. Geological Survey · Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025
Independent general context on bauxite and alumina production. Not used for ranking values or mixed-source totals.
https://www.usgs.gov/publications/mineral-commodity-summaries-2025
