The United States lists 60 critical minerals. We went through the country tables in the US Geological Survey's 2026 report and asked one question for each mineral: is a Latin American country among the world's three largest producers?
Estimated 2025 production. USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026. Reviewed November 10, 2026.
Critical minerals on the US 2025 list for which a Latin American country ranks among the world's top three producers.
Chile, Peru, Mexico or Brazil ranks first in niobium, silver, arsenic, copper and rhenium.
Brazil mines 92.9% of the world's niobium. Mexico leads in silver, Peru in arsenic, and Chile in both copper and rhenium.
Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina together mine 52.3% of world silver. Mexico alone accounts for 24.2%, and Peru ranks second.
Chile leads with 23.0% of world mine output and Peru ranks third with 11.7%. Copper joined the US list in 2025.
The 2025 list added ten minerals to the 2022 list. A Latin American country ranks in the top three for five of them: copper, lead, rhenium, silicon and silver.
Chile, Argentina and Brazil produce 31.4% of world lithium. Chile ranks third, behind Australia and China.
In the eight minerals where Latin America is in the top three but not first, China leads seven. Australia leads the eighth, lithium.
Latin American share of estimated 2025 world production, with the region's best-placed country.
| Mineral | LatAm share of world output | Best LatAm rank | Latin American producers | World leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niobium | 92.9% | 1st, Brazil | Brazil | Brazil |
| Silver | 52.3% | 1st, Mexico | Mexico, Peru (2nd), Bolivia, Chile, Argentina | Mexico |
| Arsenic | 49.2% | 1st, Peru | Peru | Peru |
| Copper (mine) | 37.8% | 1st, Chile | Chile, Peru (3rd), Mexico | Chile |
| Rhenium | 37.0% | 1st, Chile | Chile | Chile |
| Lithium | 31.4% | 3rd, Chile | Chile, Argentina, Brazil | Australia |
| Tin | 26.2% | 3rd, Peru | Peru, Brazil, Bolivia | China |
| Zinc | 21.4% | 2nd, Peru | Peru, Mexico, Bolivia | China |
| Fluorspar | 16.0% | 2nd, Mexico (tied) | Mexico, Brazil | China |
| Lead | 13.1% | 3rd, Peru | Peru, Mexico, Bolivia | China |
| Vanadium | 4.8% | 3rd, Brazil | Brazil | China |
| Silicon metal | 3.9% | 2nd, Brazil | Brazil | China |
| Magnesium metal | 1.8% | 3rd, Brazil (tied) | Brazil | China |
| Mineral | LatAm share of world output | Latin American producers |
|---|---|---|
| Tantalum | 7.7% | Brazil, Bolivia |
| Antimony | 5.1% | Bolivia, Mexico, Guatemala |
| Phosphate rock | 4.1% | Brazil, Peru, Mexico |
| Manganese | 4.0% | Brazil |
| Graphite (natural) | 3.7% | Brazil, Mexico |
| Barite | 3.4% | Mexico |
| Tungsten | 2.0% | Bolivia |
| Nickel | 1.8% | Brazil |
| Cobalt | 0.6% | Cuba |
| Rare earths | 0.5% | Brazil |
The rules decide whether that output grows or stalls. Our Critical Minerals Regulatory Outlook compares five Latin American jurisdictions for lithium, copper and nickel, ranked by bankability and regulatory risk.
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