In 2023, China emerged as the global leader in domestic material extraction, according to data from the UNEP’s Global Material Flows Database. The country extracted a total of 34.2 billion tonnes of materials, including biomass, fossil fuels, metal ores, and non-metallic minerals. This amount was more than four times that of the next two largest extractors, India and the United States.
A significant development occurred when India surpassed the US to become the second-largest extractor of materials in the same year. When looking at domestic extraction per capita, a different ranking emerges. Australia topped the list with 102 tonnes of materials extracted per capita in 2023, followed by Canada with 67 tonnes per capita and then China with 24 tonnes per capita.
The composition of China’s extraction mix was largely composed of non-metallic materials, accounting for 70% of the total such as sand, gravel and clay used for construction and industrial purposes. In contrast, Australia’s major industry was metal ores, making up around 53% of its total extraction including iron aluminum copper and other non-ferrous metals.
Globally a total of 104.1 billion tonnes of biomass fossil fuels metal ores and non-metallic minerals were extracted in 2023 up from 96.5 billion in 2020. The Asia-Pacific region led in material extraction with
