China produced 88% of the world's bismuth in 2025. What bismuth is, what it replaces, and why prices hit a record.
Last updated: October 2026
Bismuth is a brittle, crystalline metal with a pinkish-white hue, recovered as a byproduct of lead, copper, tin and tungsten processing. Bismuth minerals rarely occur in quantities sufficient to mine as a principal product. China produced 88% of world output in 2025, and its export controls sent prices to a record high.
| # | Country | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 88% - 14,000 t of 16,000 t (2025) |
| 2 | South Korea | 1,000 t |
| 3 | Japan | 500 t |
| 4 | Laos | 500 t |
| 5 | Kazakhstan | 180 t |
| 6 | Bulgaria | 50 t |
| 7 | Bolivia | 50 t |
World refinery production, 2025 (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026). In 2024, China accounted for 81% (13,000 t of 16,000 t, USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025).
Bismuth is a brittle, crystalline metal with a pinkish-white hue, recovered as a byproduct of lead, copper, tin and tungsten processing. Bismuth minerals rarely occur in quantities sufficient to mine as a principal product. The United States ceased primary refined bismuth production in 1997.
Chemicals (pharmaceuticals including bismuth subsalicylate, cosmetics, industrial and laboratory uses), metallurgical uses (lead-free brass, solders, foundry alloys, ammunition), nuclear shielding, thermoelectrics and semiconductors. Its low toxicity makes it the standard non-toxic replacement for lead.
China, with 88% of world bismuth refinery production in 2025 (14,000 t of 16,000 t, USGS). South Korea is a distant second at 1,000 t.
China accounts for 88% of world bismuth production in 2025 (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026), up from 81% in 2024. Beijing imposed export controls on bismuth in February 2025.
Extreme. China imposed export controls on bismuth in February 2025. European prices surged from about $6/lb to a record $34.22/lb monthly average in March 2025; the 2025 annual average of about $20/lb was the highest on record, roughly four times the 2024 price. US imports from China fell 40% in 2025. The United States is more than 95% import-reliant.
Bismuth is a byproduct metal with no dedicated mines. China produced 88% of world output in 2025. Its export controls in February 2025 sent prices to a record high, because bismuth is the standard non-toxic replacement for lead and no alternative supplier could scale fast enough.
Bismuth is a brittle, crystalline metal with a pinkish-white hue, recovered as a byproduct of lead, copper, tin and tungsten processing. Bismuth minerals rarely occur in quantities sufficient to mine as a principal product. The United States ceased primary refined bismuth production in 1997.
Chemicals (pharmaceuticals including bismuth subsalicylate, cosmetics, industrial and laboratory uses), metallurgical uses (lead-free brass, solders, foundry alloys, ammunition), nuclear shielding, thermoelectrics and semiconductors. Its low toxicity makes it the standard non-toxic replacement for lead.
China, with 88% of world bismuth refinery production in 2025 (14,000 t of 16,000 t, USGS). South Korea is a distant second at 1,000 t.
