Global zinc reserves 2024, by country

As of 2024, Australia had estimated zinc reserves of 64 million metric tons, making it the country with the largest zinc reserves worldwide. China had the second-largest zinc reserves at that time, yet at 46 million metric tons, it was about two-thirds of Australia's reserves. 

Global zinc key facts

Total global reserves of zinc were estimated to be some 230 million metric tons as of 2024. Because of the heavy consumption of zinc, it is one of the most widely produced metals. While Australia has the largest zinc reserves worldwide, other countries with significant reserves include China, Russia, and Peru. Meanwhile, the United States has zinc reserves that are estimated at about 9.2 million metric tons. In terms of output, China is the global top producer of zinc from mines. In 2024, Chinese zinc mine production came to some four million metric tons. That was about one-third of the total global mine production, which was approximately 12 million metric tons. Among the largest zinc mining companies there is Glencore, while one of the top zinc smelting companies is Nyrstar.

What is zinc used for?

Zinc – also known as spelter in a commercial context – is a chemical element and part of the transition metals group. Zinc has been used by humans since ancient times. Still, it has a wide range of applications nowadays. It is used as an anti-corrosion agent to protect mostly iron and steel from rust, with more than half of all zinc consumption destined to this purpose. Zinc is also important for the manufacturing of batteries, such as alkaline batteries, zinc-carbon batteries, and zinc-air batteries. Furthermore, zinc is a crucial component for alloys, especially for brass and bronze, while from a health-related point of view, zinc is of great importance for the human organism as zinc deficiency can cause many health problems.