Learning about the aluminum production from countries around the world offers insight into the important industrial metal, which is used in a wide range of essential applications globally.
The reason aluminum is one of the most in-demand industrial metals is its versatility. The metal is non-toxic and lightweight; it also has a high thermal conductivity, is resistant to corrosion and can be easily cast, machined and formed. Aluminum is the second most malleable metal and sixth most ductile, and it is non-magnetic and non-sparking.
This wide array of benefits means aluminum is used in a huge variety of products, including cans, foils, kitchen utensils, window frames, beer kegs and airplane parts. It also has new applications that make it an important element in the green transition.
Learn about the top countries for aluminum production below, including insight on top countries for bauxite mining and alumina smelting. Investors interested in the sector can also check out our guide on investing in aluminum stocks.
Where is aluminum found in the world?
While it is one of the Earth’s most abundant metals, aluminum is rarely found as a free metal. That means companies can’t actually mine for the metal itself — instead, they mine bauxite, which is a large source of the world’s aluminum production. The bauxite is processed to obtain alumina, which is then refined further through smelting to produce aluminum.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), ‘As a general rule, 4 tons of dried bauxite is required to produce 2 tons of alumina, which, in turn, can be used to produce 1 ton of aluminum.’ There are other sources of alumina, including clay and oil shale, but they are not economical at a commercial scale.
The USGS estimates global bauxite resources to be between 55 billion and 75 billion metric tons with deposits distributed largely in Africa, Oceania, South America, the Caribbean and Asia. Known bauxite reserves stood at 29 billion metric tons in 2024. The five nations with the highest bauxite reserves are Guinea, Australia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Brazil.
In terms of bauxite production, Guinea was the world’s largest producer in 2024 at 130 million metric tons of bauxite, closely followed by Australia at 100 million MT and China at 93 million MT. Brazil and India round out the top five with 33 million and 32 million metric tons of bauxite respectively.
As for alumina production, China is by far the world’s largest alumina producer, accounting for nearly 60 percent of the world’s production at 84 million metric tons. The next largest alumina producing country, Australia, accounts for more than 13 percent of global supply with 18 million MT. Brazil, India and Russia round out the top five.
Aluminum production by country
Below we list the top aluminum producers by country based on the USGS’s latest Mineral Commodity Summary, including data on the countries’ alumina and bauxite production.
The US Geological Survey notes that world aluminum output increased slightly in 2024, coming in at 72 million metric tons (MT) compared to 70 million MT in 2023.
1. China
Aluminum production: 43 million metric tons
Alumina production: 84 million metric tons
Bauxite production: 93 million metric tons
Bauxite reserves: 680 million metric tons
China is by far the largest producer of aluminum in the world. In 2024, China produced 43 million metric tons of aluminum, accounting for nearly 60 percent of total global production. China also consumes a considerable amount of aluminum.
Statista points out that China has experienced consistent growth in primary annual aluminum production over the past decade. In 2024, China’s aluminum production increased to a record high for a third year in a row. ‘Manufacturers are preemptively increasing production due to potential US tariffs, altering global trade dynamics,’ reported investment publication Finimize in late 2024.
Aluminum from China accounted for 3 percent of United States aluminum imports in 2024. In September of that year, the Biden Administration increased tariffs on aluminum products imported from China to 25 percent. The Trump Administration tagged on an additional 10 percent tariff on all imports from China in February 2025.
2. India
Aluminum production: 4.2 million metric tons
Alumina production: 7.6 million metric tons
Bauxite production: 25 million metric tons
Bauxite reserves: 650 million metric tons
India’s nickel production in 2024 was 4.2 million metric tons. India has seen its output grow consistently in recent years. In 2021, its production totaled 3.97 million MT, overtaking Russia for second place, and over the past three years, India has increased its aluminum production even further.
Hindalco Industries (NSE:HINDALCO), the world’s leading aluminum-rolling company, is located in Mumbai. Vedanta (NSE:VEDL), India’s largest aluminum-producing company, was reportedly set to invest US$1 billion in its aluminum operations in 2024.
Indian exports are not expected to be heavily impacted by European Union carbon taxes on direct emissions set to go into effect in 2026. The EU is the second largest aluminum consuming region in the world.
3. Russia
Aluminum production: 3.8 million metric tons
Alumina production: 2.9 million metric tons
Bauxite production: 6.3 million metric tons
Bauxite reserves: 480 million metric tons
Russia produced 3.8 million metric tons of aluminum in 2024, up slightly from the 3.7 million MT it put out in 2023. Leading global aluminum producer RUSAL is headquartered in Moscow.
Russia’s aggressive invasion of Ukraine and the resulting sanctions were expected to curb the country’s ability to contribute aluminum supply to the global aluminum market; however, China is picking up much of the slack as a destination for exports. Rusal reported that its year-on-year revenues for aluminum exports to China almost doubled in 2023.
However, in April 2024 ‘the United States coordinated with the United Kingdom to ban imports of aluminum from Russia into both countries and to restrict the sale of these metals on global metal exchanges and in over-the-counter derivative trading,’ the USGS states.
In November 2024, Rusal reported that it plans to reduce its aluminum production by at least 6 percent, due in large part to higher prices for alumina and falling domestic demand.
4. Canada
Aluminum production: 3.3 million metric tons
Alumina production: 1.9 million metric tons
Bauxite production: None
Bauxite reserves: None
Canada’s aluminum production was 3.3 million metric tons in 2024, up from the previous year’s total of 3.2 million MT of aluminum. Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO,NYSE:RIO,LSE:RIO), another leading global aluminum producer, has roughly 16 operations in the country.
The province of Québec is the main aluminum jurisdiction in Canada. There are 10 primary aluminum smelters in Canada, with nine of those being located in Québec, and the province is also home to an alumina refinery. The final smelter is located across the country in the province of British Columbia.
Canada was again the leading supplier of aluminum for the US in 2024, accounting for 56 percent of all US aluminum imports. That figure may change in 2025 due to the 25 percent tariffs new US President Donald Trump levied on Canadian aluminum in February.
5. United Arab Emirates
Aluminum production: 2.7 million metric tons
Alumina production: 2.4 million metric tons
Bauxite production: None
Bauxite reserves:None
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) produced 2.7 million metric tons in 2024. Aluminum production in the UAE has remained steady over the last few years, and came in at 2.66 million MT in 2023.
Emirates Global Aluminum is the largest aluminum producer in the Middle East and contributes nearly 4 percent of all global aluminum. The UAE was the source of 8 percent of US aluminum imports in 2024, making it the second largest source of aluminum for the US.
6. Bahrain
Aluminum production: 1.6 million metric tons
Alumina production: None
Bauxite production: None
Bauxite reserves: None
Bahrain’s aluminum production in 2024 came in at 1.6 million metric tons in 2024, nearly on par with the 1.62 million metric tons in the previous year. The aluminum sector is one of the largest sources of export revenue for Bahrain, taking in US$3 billion in 2023.
Formed in 1981, the Gulf Aluminium Rolling Mill in Bahrain was the first aluminum facility in the Middle East. The downstream facility has an annual production capacity of more than 165,000 metric tons of flat-rolled aluminum products.
7. Australia
Aluminum production: 1.5 million metric tons
Alumina production: 18 million metric tons
Bauxite production: 100 million metric tons
Bauxite reserves:3.5 billion metric tons
Australia’s aluminum production in 2024 was 1.5 million metric tons, down slightly compared to 1.56 million MT the previous year. In addition to its work as a major aluminum producer in Canada, Rio Tinto also produces the industrial metal in Australia at two of the country’s four aluminum smelters. The mining major sees aluminum as a valuable resource in the new automotive industry.
However, Australia’s aluminum market has been struggling under the weight of the heavy energy costs associated with smelter operations for a number of years now. “Australia is one of the world’s most emissions-intensive aluminium producers,” as per the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.
Pittsburgh-based Alcoa (NYSE:AA), another of the world’s largest aluminum-producing companies, currently operates two bauxite mines, two alumina refineries and one aluminum smelter in Australia. In January 2024, the firm announced it was curtailing production at its Kwinana alumina refinery due to challenging economics.
8. Norway
Aluminum production: 1.3 million metric tons
Alumina production: None
Bauxite production: None
Bauxite reserves: None
Norway produced 1.3 million metric tons of aluminum, on par with the level produced in the previous year. Norway is the largest exporter of primary aluminum in the European Union.
Norsk Hydro (OTCQX:NHYKF,OSE:NHY), a Norwegian aluminum and renewable energy company, has a number of aluminum projects and plants in the country. At Sunndal, Norsk Hydro operates the largest primary aluminum plant in Europe.
In its bid to reach zero-carbon aluminum, the company announced in June 2024 that it is beginning a three-year industrial scale pilot that will test the use of green hydrogen to power aluminum recycling at the recycling unit in its Høyanger plant Norway. In January 2025, Norsk Hydro in partnership with Rio Tinto announced a plan to invest US$45 million in carbon capture technology over the next five years to reduce emissions from aluminum smelting operations.
9. Brazil
Aluminum production: 1.1 million metric tons
Alumina production: 11 million metric tons
Bauxite production: 33 million metric tons
Bauxite reserves: 2.7 billion metric tons
Brazil’s aluminum production in 2024 was 1.1 million metric tons, up from 1.02 million in the previous year. The country is home to the world’s fourth largest bauxite reserves, and was the fourth largest bauxite production and third largest alumina production levels by country in 2024. This makes the likelihood of Brazil gaining a further footprint in the global aluminum market very possible, especially given plans by the country’s industry leaders to invest 30 billion Brazilian reals in the domestic market by 2025.
The largest producer of primary aluminum in Brazil is Albras, which has annual production of about 460,000 metric tons of aluminum using renewable energy sources. Albras is a 51/49 joint venture between Norsk Hydro and Nippon Amazon Aluminum Co. (NAAC), a consortium of Japanese companies, trading companies, consumers and manufacturers of aluminum products. In August 2024, Mitsui & Co (TSE:8031) increased its stake in NAAC from 21 to 46 percent in order to increase its offtake of green aluminum.
Brazil is also a target of the Trump Administration’s 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.
10. Malaysia
Aluminum production: 870,000 metric tons
Alumina production: None
Bauxite production: None
Bauxite reserves: None
Malaysia produced 870,000 metric tons of aluminum in 2024, down from 940,000 metric tons of the metal in the previous year. The Southeast Asian nation’s output of the metal has boomed dramatically in the last decade, as Malaysia’s aluminum production in 2012 was just 121,900 MT.
Aluminium Company of Malaysia, or Alcom, is both the largest producer of rolled aluminum products in the country and Malaysia’s largest aluminum producer. It is part of the holding company Alcom Group (KLSE:2674).
S&P Global reports that Chinese firms are keen on opening aluminum-smelting operations in Malaysia. This includes the Bosai group, which is planning a 1 million MT per year operation in the country.
Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
