Top 10 Phosphate Countries by Production

1. China

Mine production: 85 million MT

China’s phosphate production decreased in 2022 to 85 million metric tons (MT), down from 90 million MT in 2021, but it is still first on the list of top phosphate-producing countries by a long shot. The drop in Chinese output is likely a result of the nation’s environmental crackdown on the mining industry, in addition to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The country also has the third largest phosphate reserves in the world, with 1.9 billion MT of the commodity. China’s government has placed restrictions on phosphate exports in an effort to drive down domestic prices of the fertilizer with its own supply. China is also the second largest producer of potash.

2. Morocco

Mine production: 40 million MT

As the second largest phosphate-producing country, Morocco produced 40 million MT of the fertilizer in 2022. The North African nation’s phosphate output increased slightly last year due to ongoing capacity expansions.

Despite producing significantly less phosphate than China in 2022, Morocco has the largest phosphate reserves. With 50 billion MT, the country accounts for over 70 percent of total global phosphate reserves.

3. United States

Mine production: 21 million MT

In 2022, US phosphate mining fell by 1 million MT from the previous year. The top phosphate-producing states, Florida and North Carolina, accounted for over 75 percent of domestic output. The other 25 percent of US production came from Idaho and Utah.

Most phosphate rock mined in the US is used for manufacturing phosphoric acid and superphosphoric acid. These types of wet-process phosphate products are used for items such as animal feed supplements. About half of this type of phosphate is exported in the form of merchant-grade phosphoric acid, granular diammonium and monoammonium phosphate fertilizer.

4. Russia

Mine production: 13 million MT

Russia’s phosphate output also dropped by 1 million MT in 2022 from the previous year, coming in at 13 million MT. As per the US Geological Survey, the country has phosphate reserves of 600 million MT. Russia is also the third largest producer of potash.

European nations were previously Russia's biggest phosphate customers in the global market, but the country's war in Ukraine is impacting which countries buy from Russia. The war has also directly influenced phosphate prices.

Interestingly, CRU Group expects phosphate supply out of Russia to grow in 2023 — while Europe may be turning away from Russian sources of the crop additive, shipments to Brazil, India and elsewhere will support Russian exports.

5. Jordan

Mine production: 10 million MT

Jordan’s phosphate-mining output remained steady from the previous year, coming in at 10 million MT in 2022. Its phosphate reserves stand at an estimated 1 billion MT. The country’s sole state-owned phosphate producer is Jordan Phosphate Mines Company, which has offtake deals with several Indian firms. Another Jordan-focused producer is Arab Potash Company, a privately owned company in which China’s State Development & Investment Corporation holds a stake.

6. Saudi Arabia

Mine production: 9 million MT

Saudi Arabia produced 9 million MT of phosphate last year, down by 200,000 MT from 2021’s output level. The country is sitting on 1.4 billion MT of phosphate reserves.

The Saudi Arabian Mining Company, also known as Ma’aden, operates the largest phosphate-mining facility in the world. The Wa’ad Al Shamal Minerals Industrial City, an integrated phosphate fertilizer production complex, is a US$8 billion joint venture investment between Ma’aden (60 percent), chemical manufacturer SABIC (TADAWUL:2010) (15 percent) and the Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS) (25 percent), the largest potash and phosphate producer in the US.

The company has been working with Fluor (NYSE:FLR) on the Wa’ad Al Shamal facility, with Fluor providing project management consulting to further develop the operation.

7. Brazil

Mine production: 5.5 million MT

Brazil, another of the top phosphate countries by production, produced 5.5 million MT of phosphate in 2022 compared to 6 million MT in 2021. Brazil has a booming agricultural sector and is one of the world's largest fertilizer consumers and importers.

Mosaic is the country’s largest producer of phosphate and nitrogen. It also operates Brazil's only potash mine. Aguia Resources (ASX:AGR) subsidiary Aguia Fertilizantes is pushing forward with the construction of a new phosphate-mining operation that, according to Reuters, is expected to contribute to Brazil’s goal to "slash overall fertilizer imports to 45% of total domestic consumption from the current 85% by 2050."

8. Egypt

Mine production: 5 million MT

Egypt’s phosphate-mining production in 2022 remained unchanged from 2021 output levels. According to the US Geological Survey, Egypt’s phosphate reserves now sit at 2.8 billion MT. More of those reserves may get dug up in the future as the country builds a new phosphate industrial zone in Aswan. It will also expand the port in Safaga.

9. Vietnam

Mine production: 4.5 million MT

Vietnam produced 4.5 million MT of phosphate in 2021, and the Southeast Asian nation has 30 million MT of phosphate reserves. The environmental impact of mining has been an ongoing issue in the Vietnamese mining industry, with concerns over coal and bauxite dominating the discussion.

10. Peru

Mine production: 4.2 million MT

Peru is last on the list of top phosphate-producing countries in 2022, with output 4.2 million MT, on par with the previous year. About 95 percent of US phosphate imports originate from Peru.

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