In 2024, Brazil was the world’s leading producer of niobium, accounting for 93% of global production; and the second-ranked producer of beryllium, 18%; iron ore, 17%; magnesium compounds, 9%; and silicon metal, 4%. Brazil was the third-ranked producer of vermiculite, 11%; talc and pyrophyllite, 9%; alumina, 8%; graphite and ferrosilicon, 4% each; magnesium metal, 2%; and the fourth-ranked producer of asbestos, 18%; tin, 9%; bauxite and tantalum, 8% each; and vanadium, 4%. Brazil was the fifth-ranked producer of lime, 2%; the sixth-ranked producer of lithium, 5%; manganese, 4%; pig iron, 2%; and the seventh-ranked producer of chromium, 3%; phosphate rock, 2%; and fluorspar, 1%. Brazil was the eighth-ranked producer of gypsum, 4%; and nickel, 2%; and the ninth-ranked producer of aluminum, cement, and raw steel, 2% each.
Brazil’s mineral production in 2024 was valued at \$50.3 billion, compared with \$49.7 billion in 2023. The main commodities that contributed to Brazil’s revenue from the mining sector were iron ore (\$29.8 billion, or 59.4% of mining revenue), gold (\$4.4 billion, 8.8%), copper (\$3.8 billion, 7.5%), dolomite (\$1.7 billion, 3.4%), granite (\$1.4 billion, 2.8%), and bauxite (\$1.1 billion, 2.1%). The legislative framework for the mineral sector in Brazil is provided by the Brazilian Mining Code, Decree-Law No. 227/67. The Agência Nacional de Mineração [National Mining Agency] (ANM), the Ministério de Minas e Energia [Ministry of Mines and Energy] (MME), and the Serviço Geológico do Brasil [Geological Survey of Brazil] (SGB) oversee the mineral industry. Most mineral commodities in Brazil were produced by a combination of artisanal or small-scale miners, domestic private companies, private companies in partnership with the Government, and Government-owned companies.
