China produces about 70% of the world's indium. What indium is, what it coats, and why touchscreens depend on it.
Last updated: October 2026
Indium is a soft, silvery metal recovered as a byproduct of zinc processing. There are no indium mines. China produces about 70% of world output, and control of indium is geopolitical leverage over the transparent coatings in every screen, touchscreen and solar panel.
| # | Country | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 70% - 760 t of 1,080 t |
| 2 | South Korea | Major refiner |
| 3 | Japan | Refiner |
| 4 | Canada | Refiner |
| 5 | France | Refiner |
| 6 | Belgium | Refiner |
World production, 2024 (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025, Table 5: China 760 t, world 1,080 t). The United States is 100% import-reliant for indium; South Korea is the leading US import source.
Indium is a soft, silvery metal recovered as a byproduct of zinc processing. There are no indium mines. It is best known for indium tin oxide (ITO), a transparent conductive coating that is both see-through and electrically conductive.
ITO coatings for LCD screens, touchscreens and solar panels; solders and alloys; semiconductors; and thermal interface materials.
China, with about 70% of world indium production (760 t of 1,080 t in 2024, USGS). South Korea, Japan, Canada, France and Belgium are refiners, not large mine producers.
China accounts for about 70% of world indium production (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025). Beijing imposed export controls on indium in February 2025.
High. China imposed export controls on indium in February 2025, as part of a package covering tungsten, tellurium, molybdenum, bismuth and indium. The United States is 100% import-reliant. Indium prices have more than doubled since 2016.
Indium is a zinc byproduct with no dedicated mines. China produces about 70% of world output. Its oxide, ITO, is the transparent conductor in every LCD screen, touchscreen and many solar panels, which makes indium a quiet chokepoint of the display industry.
Indium is a soft, silvery metal recovered as a byproduct of zinc processing. There are no indium mines. It is best known for indium tin oxide (ITO), a transparent conductive coating that is both see-through and electrically conductive.
ITO coatings for LCD screens, touchscreens and solar panels; solders and alloys; semiconductors; and thermal interface materials.
China, with about 70% of world indium production (760 t of 1,080 t in 2024, USGS). South Korea, Japan, Canada, France and Belgium are refiners, not large mine producers.
