Defence · Bastnäsite ((Ce,La,Nd)CO₃F)

Rare earths

China produces 94% of the world's sintered magnets. Neodymium-iron-boron magnets for electric motors, drones, missile fins and guidance actuators, and aircraft systems.

94%: of sintered magnets is in China
90%: of EU imports of permanent magnets of metal from outside the EU came from China in August 2026
6: sites watched from orbit on OreOrbit
10 Nov: next deadline: China's pause on its October 2025 export controls is due to end

Where it is made

Share of world output held by the leading country at each stage. Sources: 2024, IEA, 2024, USGS, IEA, Oct 2025.

What Europe imports

In August 2026, the EU imported €119.1 m of permanent magnets of metal from outside the EU, 90% of it from China.

China everywhere else outside the EU. Monthly value of EU imports, Permanent magnets of metal. Source: Eurostat Comext.

Why it matters for Europe

Europe mines almost no rare earths. Estonia is the exception on the processing side: separation in Sillamäe and Europe's largest magnet plant in Narva.

Key figures

69% of world rare-earth mine output came from China in 2024 (270,000 of about 390,000 t) USGS MCS 2025
44 Mt of the world's 90+ million tonnes of reserves are in China USGS MCS 2025

Sites on the atlas

Bayan OboMine, China
Mountain PassMine, United States
Mount WeldMine, Australia
Lynas Advanced Materials PlantProcessing plant, Malaysia
Sillamäe separation plantProcessing plant, Estonia
Narva magnet plantMagnet factory, Estonia

Coming up

10 Nov 2026China's pause on its October 2025 export controls is due to end Pillsbury / RAWMATERIALS.net
1 Jan 2027US defence sourcing rule for tungsten and magnets tightens Crowell & Moring
10 Jan 2027China's extended trade arrangements with the US run out RAWMATERIALS.net

Options for Europe

EU strategic projects: CAREMAG (France, processing), Puławy (Poland, processing), ReeMAP (Sweden, mine to oxide), MagFactory (France, recycling), LIFE INSPIREE (Italy, recycling)
Recycling meets 3–4% of EU demand today, against the EU's 25% goal for 2030.