Nickel producing countries are increasingly central to the energy transition and defence supply chains, with global mine output reaching approximately 3.59 million tonnes in 2024 according to the USGS Mineral Commodity Summary 2025. One country — Indonesia — accounts for more than 60% of that total, a concentration that is reshaping pricing dynamics, trade flows, and battery supply chain strategy worldwide. This ranking of the top 10 nickel producing countries draws on USGS production data and Statista market share analysis, with supplementary detail from GlobalData’s country-level reporting.
How We Ranked the Top 10 Nickel Producing Countries
Countries are ranked by confirmed mine production volume, measured in metric tonnes of nickel content, using the most recent full-year data available (2024, per USGS). Where 2024 figures are provisional or estimated, this is flagged explicitly. Production figures refer to mine output — not refined or processed nickel — to ensure comparability across different ore types and processing routes.
For context on pricing conditions affecting these producers, see the CMN Nickel Price Tracker.
1. Indonesia — 2,200,000 Metric Tonnes (61.3% of Global Output)
Indonesia is by a significant margin the world’s dominant nickel producing country, accounting for more than three in every five tonnes mined globally. Production has grown at a pace few commodity markets have witnessed: output was approximately 1.72 million tonnes in 2023, rising to an estimated 2.2 million tonnes in 2024, driven by Chinese-backed HPAL (high-pressure acid leach) and RKEF (rotary kiln electric furnace) investment across Sulawesi and the Maluku Islands.
Key operating areas include Weda Bay (Halmahera), Morowali Industrial Park, and Pomalaa. Indonesian Nickel Industries (IMIP) and the Weda Bay project — backed by Eramet and Tsingshan — are among the largest contributors to growth. Indonesia’s export ban on raw nickel ore, introduced in 2020, has accelerated downstream processing investment but also attracted regulatory scrutiny: authorities have investigated illegal ore shipments to China valued at over S$1.3 billion since 2020.
The country’s saprolite deposits yield higher-grade ore suited to ferronickel production; lower-grade limonite deposits feed the HPAL route preferred for battery-grade nickel sulphate. Indonesia’s production trajectory is projected to account for approximately 50% of global production growth through 2030, according to GlobalData. The scale of Indonesian output has driven a sustained period of global oversupply, suppressing LME nickel prices and forcing curtailments in higher-cost producing countries.
See also: Indonesia Nickel Supply Crisis: Sulfur Shock Hits Prices
2. Philippines — 330,000 Metric Tonnes (9.2% of Global Output)
The Philippines is the second-largest nickel producing country and the primary supplier of laterite ore to Chinese nickel pig iron (NPI) smelters. Production is concentrated in Surigao del Norte, Palawan, and Zambales, with Nickel Asia Corporation the dominant operator through its Taganito and Cagdianao mines.
Output of approximately 330,000 tonnes in 2024 is broadly stable against the 365,000 tonnes recorded in 2023. The medium-term outlook is constrained by scheduled mine closures, including the Cagdianao operation (2025) and Libjo Laterite Mining Project (2026), alongside ore reserve depletion at several established deposits. The country has been actively marketing investment opportunities to attract replacement capacity.
3. Russia — 210,000 Metric Tonnes (5.8% of Global Output)
Russia ranks third among nickel producing countries, with output of approximately 210,000 tonnes in 2024. Production is dominated by Norilsk Nickel (Nornickel), whose operations at Norilsk and the Kola Peninsula account for the majority of Russian output. Nornickel produced 209,000 tonnes of nickel in 2023, a slight year-on-year decline attributed to scheduled furnace repairs at the Nadezhda Smelter.
Russia is a significant source of Class I refined nickel — the high-purity grade traded on the LME — which distinguishes it from Indonesia’s predominantly Class II NPI output. Western sanctions imposed following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine have not directly targeted Russian nickel, but trade route disruption and financing constraints have complicated export logistics. Nornickel’s nickel is still accepted for LME delivery.
4. Canada — 190,000 Metric Tonnes (3.5% of Global Output)
Canada produced approximately 190,000 tonnes in 2024 (estimated), down from 132,400 tonnes recorded in 2023 by GlobalData — the USGS figure likely incorporates revised production from additional operations. Ontario’s Sudbury Basin remains the country’s historic production heartland, with Glencore operating the Onaping Depth project (under construction, 20,000 tpa capacity, targeting 2025 start). Vale’s Sudbury operations also contribute significant volume.
Canada’s nickel is predominantly Class I — sulphide-sourced, high-purity — making it strategically attractive for Western battery supply chains seeking non-Chinese, non-Indonesian feedstock. The Kenbridge project (Tartisan Nickel) represents developing capacity, targeting 5,700 tpa of saleable nickel once operational.
5. China — 120,000 Metric Tonnes (3.3% of Global Output)
China’s domestic mine production of approximately 120,000 tonnes ranks fifth, but this figure substantially understates China’s role in the global nickel supply chain. China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of nickel pig iron (NPI), a low-grade ferronickel substitute for stainless steel production. Chinese NPI production accounts for approximately 26% of global NPI output.
Domestic ore grades are low, making Chinese mine economics increasingly challenged as Indonesian NPI — produced by Chinese-owned facilities operating under Indonesia’s ore export ban — can be imported at lower cost. Chinese companies have effectively replicated their NPI model in Indonesia and are re-exporting the processed product back to China, making the domestic mine production figure less meaningful than China’s total nickel processing and consumption position.
6. Australia — 110,000 Metric Tonnes (3.1% of Global Output)
Australia holds the world’s second-largest nickel reserves at an estimated 21 million tonnes, yet mine production has declined sharply due to sustained low LME prices driven by Indonesian oversupply. Output of approximately 110,000 tonnes in 2024 compares to 158,100 tonnes in 2023 — a significant contraction reflecting the suspension and curtailment of multiple Western Australian operations.
BHP placed its Nickel West operations — including the Mount Keith, Leinster, and Cliffs mines — into care and maintenance in 2024, citing uneconomic market conditions. The Murrin Murrin and Ravensthorpe laterite operations have also faced output pressures. Australia’s sulphide deposits, concentrated in Western Australia, produce high-purity Class I nickel preferred by battery manufacturers — but the economics of sulphide mining are challenged at prices below approximately $16,000/tonne.
7. New Caledonia (France) — 110,000 Metric Tonnes (3.1% of Global Output)
New Caledonia shares sixth position with Australia by USGS estimates, producing approximately 110,000 metric tonnes in 2024. The territory has faced a prolonged operational and political crisis: civil unrest in 2024 severely disrupted nickel operations, with the Koniambo Nickel SAS (KNS) smelter — a joint venture between Glencore and SMSP — suspending operations. Prony Resources and SLN (Société Le Nickel, a subsidiary of Eramet) have also curtailed output.
New Caledonia holds some of the world’s highest-grade laterite deposits but faces structural challenges: high energy costs, ageing infrastructure, and political uncertainty over its constitutional relationship with France. The territory’s long-term production viability is under active review by both operators and the French state.
8. Brazil — 77,000 Metric Tonnes (2.1% of Global Output)
Brazil produced approximately 77,000 tonnes of nickel in 2024, with reserves of 16 million tonnes (15.7% of the global total). The Barro Alto and Onça Puma ferronickel operations are the country’s primary producers, operated by Anglo American and Vale respectively. The Araguaia Nickel project (Horizonte Minerals), targeting 29,000 tpa, was under construction with first metal originally targeted for early 2024, though commissioning has faced delays.
In July 2023, Vale signed a binding agreement with Manara Minerals and Engine No. 1 to strengthen its energy transition metals business, targeting nickel output of 300,000 tpa — up from 175,000 tpa in 2022. Brazil’s nickel production is predominantly laterite-sourced ferronickel, limiting its addressable market for battery-grade applications without further processing investment.
9. Cuba — 45,000 Metric Tonnes (est.)
Cuba produced approximately 45,000 tonnes of nickel in 2024 (estimated), with output broadly stable around the 45,000–46,000 tonne range recorded in 2022–2023. Production centres on the Moa Joint Venture in eastern Cuba — a partnership between Sherritt International (Canada) and General Nickel Company of Cuba — which processes laterite ore using high-pressure acid leaching to produce mixed nickel-cobalt sulphides.
Processed intermediate product is shipped to Sherritt’s Fort Saskatchewan refinery in Alberta, Canada, for final refining to Class I nickel and high-grade cobalt. Cuba’s nickel industry faces chronic underinvestment, energy shortages, and US sanctions that limit access to international capital markets, constraining any near-term production growth.
10. United States — 8,000 Metric Tonnes (0.2% of Global Output)
The United States ranks tenth among nickel producing countries with approximately 8,000 tonnes of domestic mine output in 2024 — a small fraction of national consumption. The Eagle Mine in Michigan (Lundin Mining) is the country’s primary producing operation, mining high-grade nickel-copper sulphide ore. Production is constrained by the mine’s finite reserve base; Eagle is expected to exhaust primary ore reserves in the late 2020s.
US domestic production covers less than 5% of national nickel demand, making import dependency a persistent supply chain vulnerability. The Talon Metals Tamarack project in Minnesota represents the most significant domestic development pipeline asset, though permitting and development timelines extend into the 2030s. US nickel policy is increasingly oriented toward securing allied-country supply — Canada, Australia — rather than building domestic mine capacity at scale.
Summary: Top 10 Nickel Producing Countries (2024 Data)
| Rank | Country | Est. Output (Mt) | Share of Global Output | Primary Ore Type | Key Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indonesia | 2,200,000 | 61.3% | Laterite (saprolite/limonite) | Tsingshan, Vale Indonesia, IMIP |
| 2 | Philippines | 330,000 | 9.2% | Laterite | Nickel Asia Corporation |
| 3 | Russia | 210,000 | 5.8% | Sulphide | Nornickel |
| 4 | Canada | 190,000 | 5.3% | Sulphide | Glencore, Vale |
| 5 | China | 120,000 | 3.3% | Mixed (laterite/NPI) | Jinchuan Group |
| 6 | Australia | 110,000 | 3.1% | Sulphide/Laterite | BHP (care & maintenance), IGO |
| 7 | New Caledonia | 110,000 | 3.1% | Laterite | Prony Resources, Eramet/SLN |
| 8 | Brazil | 77,000 | 2.1% | Laterite | Anglo American, Vale |
| 9 | Cuba | 45,000 | ~1.3% (est.) | Laterite (HPAL) | Sherritt International / GNC |
| 10 | United States | 8,000 | 0.2% | Sulphide | Lundin Mining (Eagle Mine) |
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summary 2025; Statista; GlobalData. All figures metric tonnes nickel content. 2024 data; some figures provisional or estimated where flagged.
The Outlook for Nickel Producing Countries in 2026
The fundamental story for nickel producing countries in 2026 is the divergence between Indonesian volume dominance and the precarious economics facing sulphide producers in Australia, Canada, and New Caledonia. LME nickel prices — trading below $16,000/tonne for much of 2024–2025 — remain too low to sustain many Western operations at full capacity, yet Indonesia’s cost curve continues to fall as Chinese-backed smelter capacity expands. The IEA projects nickel demand rising approximately 65% by 2030, driven by electric vehicle battery requirements, but the timing of any price recovery depends on whether Indonesian supply growth is absorbed by EV demand faster than current forecasts suggest. Countries with Class I sulphide production — Canada, Australia, Russia — hold a quality premium for battery supply chains seeking LME-deliverable material, but quality alone does not resolve the cost gap. Watch for further Australian and New Caledonian output curtailments in 2026 if prices remain suppressed.
For company-level analysis of the dominant producers, see the Vale Base Metals profile and the Top 10 Nickel Mining Companies ranking.
Which country produces the most nickel in the world?
Indonesia is by far the world’s largest nickel producing country, accounting for approximately 61% of global mine output — around 2.2 million tonnes in 2024. No other country comes close; the Philippines in second place produces roughly 330,000 tonnes.
How are the top nickel producing countries ranked?
Countries are ranked by confirmed mine production volume in metric tonnes of nickel content, using USGS Mineral Commodity Summary 2025 data (full-year 2024 figures where available, provisional estimates where noted). Production refers to mine output, not refined nickel, to ensure comparability across ore types.
Why has Australian nickel production fallen so sharply?
Low LME nickel prices — driven by Indonesian oversupply — have made many Australian sulphide operations uneconomic. BHP suspended its Nickel West assets in 2024, citing market conditions. Australia holds the world’s second-largest reserves but cannot compete on cost with Indonesian laterite operations backed by Chinese processing investment.
Is Russian nickel still traded on the LME after 2022 sanctions?
Yes. Western sanctions imposed following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine have not directly targeted Russian nickel, and Nornickel’s metal remains eligible for LME delivery. However, trade route disruption and financing constraints have complicated Russian nickel export logistics and buyer relationships.
Which nickel producing countries will gain or lose market share by 2030?
Indonesia is expected to account for approximately 50% of global production growth through 2030. The Philippines is likely to see modest declines as mines close. Australia and New Caledonia face continued curtailment risk unless prices recover. Canada is positioned to grow if Western battery supply chain demand for Class I sulphide nickel translates into investment at projects like Tamarack (Talon Metals).
