Manganese in 2025 was mined at an estimated 20 million metric tons worldwide, with South Africa producing 7.6 million of them, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026. The USGS also reports that the United States mined none and imported all of the manganese it used. This article summarizes the USGS manganese chapter, explains the main numbers and flags what the chapter does not say.
Who mines manganese?
The USGS lists estimated 2025 mine production, in thousand metric tons:
- South Africa: 7,600
- Gabon: 5,000
- Ghana: 2,000
- Australia: 1,600
- Brazil: 800
- India: 790
- China: 700
- Cote d’Ivoire: 350
- Other countries: 1,300
The world total is 20,000, up from 18,700 in 2024. By our own arithmetic, that is a rise of about 7%, and South Africa, Gabon, Ghana and Australia together produced about 81% of the 2025 total. Ghana’s output rose from 1,280 to 2,000, but the USGS revised the Ghana and Australia figures for 2024, so the comparison needs care.
How much is in the ground?
The USGS gives a world reserve figure of 1.8 billion tons, and says South Africa holds an estimated 70% of world manganese resources. Several country reserve lines were garbled in the copy we read, so we report only these two statements. U.S. resources are described as very low grade, with potentially high extraction costs.
What happened to the price?
The USGS gives an average China price for 44% manganese ore, in dollars per metric ton unit: 5.27 in 2021, 5.97 in 2022, 4.80 in 2023, 5.53 in 2024 and 4.50 in 2025, estimated. The row label was unclear in the copy we read, but the chapter also says the October 2025 year-to-date spot average for 44% ore from China was about 22% below the 2024 average. By our own arithmetic, the 2025 estimate is about 19% below 2024. Manganese prices fell while the prices of gold, silver and copper rose, as our other reports show.
What does the United States import?
Net import reliance was 100% of apparent consumption in every year from 2021 through 2025, estimated. Apparent consumption of manganese content was 640 thousand tons in 2025, down from 670, which is a fall of about 4% by our arithmetic. Imports in 2025 were about 350 thousand tons of ore, 350 of ferromanganese and 310 of silicomanganese. The chapter expects total imports to fall about 5%. Ore with at least 20% manganese has not been produced in the United States since 1970.
What is manganese used for?
The chapter says manganese consumption closely follows the steel industry, and it notes that no satisfactory substitute exists for its major uses. It gives no percentage for the steel share, so we give none either. Nonmetallurgical uses include animal feed, brick colorant, dry-cell batteries and fertilizers. The World Steel Association estimated that global finished steel consumption was unchanged in 2025 from 2024.
What events does the USGS note?
A mine in northern Australia suspended operations in 2024 after a tropical cyclone and resumed in May 2025. U.S. tariffs as of the end of 2025 were zero on ores and concentrates, 3.9% on silicomanganese, between 1.4% and 2.3% on ferromanganese and 14% on unwrought manganese metal. The national stockpile plan for fiscal year 2025 listed potential disposals of metallurgical-grade ore and high-carbon ferromanganese.
Where did the extra output come from?
World output rose by 1,300 thousand tons between 2024 and 2025. By our own arithmetic, Ghana added 720 of them, or about 55% of the increase, and Gabon added 360, or about 28%. Brazil added 95 and South Africa 110. Together, those four countries explain nearly all of the gain. The USGS revised the 2024 Ghana figure, so the size of the Ghana jump depends on that revision, and we caution readers against reading it as a precise measure.
How to read the numbers
Production rose while steel demand was flat, which would normally weigh on prices. That link is our observation and is not stated by the USGS. The chapter reports tonnage of manganese content for some figures and gross weight for others, so readers should not mix them. The mining shares describe the ore supply and not the steelmaking that uses it.
Why are the shares so concentrated in Africa?
South Africa, Gabon and Ghana together produced about 14.6 million tons, or roughly 73% of the world total by our arithmetic. This pattern puts the supply of a steel ingredient in a small number of locations. That is a general point and is not stated by the USGS.
How does manganese connect to other coverage?
Manganese is also used in batteries, so it links to our articles on graphite in 2025, cobalt in 2025, nickel in 2025 and lithium. The USGS summary of U.S. mineral production gives the wider picture.
What should readers watch for next?
Readers can watch steel demand, the Ghana and Gabon output trend and the stockpile plan for fiscal year 2026, which the USGS had not seen when it wrote the chapter. The chapter covers 2025 and does not forecast.
Related reading: Vanadium in 2025: USGS Shows China Makes 75 Percent as U.S. Relies on Recycling.
Related reading: Chromium in 2025: USGS Shows South Africa Mines 45 Percent of World Chromite.
Glossary
- Manganese content: the weight of the metal inside an ore or alloy
- Ferromanganese: an iron and manganese alloy used in steelmaking
- Silicomanganese: a manganese and silicon alloy used in steelmaking
- Metric ton unit: a trading unit of 10 kilograms of contained manganese
- Net import reliance: imports minus exports as a share of consumption
These definitions are general explanations and are not quoted from the USGS.
What is not covered here?
We omit the country reserve lines, which were garbled, and we give no price forecast.
Key facts at a glance
- World mine production, 2025: about 20 million tons
- Top producer: South Africa, 7.6 million tons
- U.S. mine production: none
- U.S. import reliance: 100%
- China ore price, 2025: 4.50 against 5.53 in 2024
Frequently asked questions
Which country mines the most manganese?
South Africa, at an estimated 7.6 million tons in 2025.
Does the United States produce manganese?
No. The USGS reports no mine production and 100% import reliance.
What is manganese used for?
Mostly steelmaking, with smaller uses in batteries, fertilizers and animal feed.
More in Business