Has India Missed the Bus on Rare Earths? | Beyond Averages

In 1995, China produced as many rare earth elements as the United States and 10 times more than India. Fast forward 30 years, and China’s production capacity is nearly 100 times that of India and six times that of the US. Today, it accounts for over 80 percent of rare earth element imports by India, the US, and South Korea—and its dominance has only grown over the past decade. In high-value products such as permanent magnets, China controls more than 60 percent of the global supply chain. With Chinese trade restrictions increasingly disrupting access to these critical elements, can India—and the world—realistically hope to reduce dependence on Beijing?