Iron is one of the most common metal and one of the widely used all around the world. Iron is considered to be one of the oldest metals and is known to man since 3500 BC. Iron, unlike other metals, is not rare and expensive, but, the grade of the iron ore matters the most.
Here is the list of world’s largest producer of iron.
10. Iran
Iran is the 10th largest producer of iron in the world. But, studies indicate that the mining industry in this country is considered to be underdeveloped. Iran is estimated to hold one of the largest iron ore reserve. One of the notable things about this countries iron ore industry is that the GDP of this country is least dependent on income from this sector. Chadormalu and Gol Gohar are two of the biggest iron ore mines in Iran that accounts for about 80% of the total iron production in this country.
Annual production in thousand tonnes –27,000
9. Canada
Canada is the 9th largest iron producer country in the world. Estimates indicate that the iron ore mined from this country grades between 30% to 44% iron. Canada is not only one of the main producers of iron ore in the world but also the oldest producer. Majority of the iron produced in this country is exported to countries that include Germany, US, UK, China, and South Korea.
Annual production in thousand tonnes –46,000
8. The United States of America
The United States of America is the 8th largest producer of iron in the world. Iron is considered to be the 3rd highest value mineral mined in the United States. There are over 9 mines in this country that accounts for the majority of production of iron. Among them, Northern Minnesota contributes the most. Estimates indicate that the United States of America is the 6th largest producer of pig iron in the world.
Annual production in thousand tonnes –46,000
7. Ukraine
Ukraine is the 7th largest producer of iron in the world. Iron industry is one of the major contributors to Ukraine’s economy. Iron production is estimated to account for 27% of total industrial production and employs over half a million people directly and indirectly. Ukraine is the world’s 4th largest exporter of iron in the world with most of the export going to China, Czech Republic, and Poland.
Annual production in thousand tonnes –67,000
6. South Africa
South Africa is the 6th largest producer of iron in the world. South Africa is the largest producer of iron in the African continent. This is one of the countries which still doesn’t have explored or exploited their iron ore reserves. Many studies have already indicated that if exploited and invested efficiently, South Africa would be the largest producer of iron in the world. The Shishen mine is one of the largest mines in South Africa.
Annual production in thousand tonnes –73,000
5. Russia
Russia is the 5th largest producer of iron in the world. The mining industries in this country are the largest in the world. However, the major iron deposits in this country are concentrated in the Kursk magnetic anomaly, while the small deposits are concentrated in the Ural Mountains. Estimates indicate that iron ore industry accounts for almost 11% of the economy and employs over 1 million people directly and indirectly. Russia has over 20,000 mineral deposits on their territory and only 1/3rd has been explored and mined so far.
Annual production in thousand tonnes –101,000
4. India
India is the 4th largest producer of iron in the world. One of the notable things about India’s iron industry is that the country does not have sufficient amount of high-grade iron, but, has low-grade iron in abundance. However, a small portion of good grade iron is found in Goa, Orissa, Karnataka, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh and 95% of total iron is mined from these states. India is the 5th largest exporter of iron in the world. Japan and Korea are two of the major importer of Indian iron ore.
Annual production in thousand tonnes –156,000
3. China
China is the 3rd largest producer of iron in the world. This country is not only one of the largest producers but also the largest consumer of iron in the world. The domestic demand for iron in this country is so huge that, apart from domestic production the country imports a large quantity of iron. This country for the past few years is trying to reduce the iron imports by increasing the production and there is a notable increase in the production ever since.
Annual production in thousand tonnes –375,000
2. Brazil
Brazil is the 2nd largest producer of iron in the world. Iron is considered to be the largest transport product of Brazil. This country possesses one of the largest iron reserves in the world. The Vila Nova is the largest mine in this country today with approximately 9 million tons iron reserve concentrated there alone. However, the quantity of iron produced would increase in the future as the government has taken steps to exploit more of its reserves.
Annual production in thousand tonnes –397,000
1. Australia
Australia is the largest producer of iron in the world. The iron industry of Australia contributes almost 47% to the country’s economy. Australia is also one of the largest exporters of iron in the world with the majority of the exports going to China, Japan, and South Korea. One of the notable things about Australia’s iron industry is that majority of the production came from the western part of the country where most of the mines were concentrated.
Annual production in thousand tonnes –817,000
All the data’s mentioned below each country was collected from several sources including the Wikipedia. The ranking was done only on the basis of the quantity of production per year. Hope this article helped you.
I’m Hina Khan, working as a writer at Worldblaze.in blog. I love dancing and listening punjabi music. Here I’m sharing all the interesting stuffs that will definitely entertain you.