Production, refining and reserves
| Commodity | Metric | Value | World rank · share | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rare earths | Mine production 2025 | 110 t REO | #12 · 0% | USGS MCS 2026 |
| Rare earths | Refinery production 2025 | 4,587 t magnet REE | — | IEA Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2026 (Critical Minerals Dataset, July 2026) |
| Rare earths | Reserves 2025 | 710,000 t REO | #11 · 0.9% | USGS MCS 2026 |
| Manganese | Mine production 2024 | 410,000 t Mn content | — | USGS MCS 2025 |
| Tin | Mine production 2025 | 5,000 t Sn content | #10 · 2% | USGS MCS 2026 |
| Tin | Reserves 2021 | 81,000 t Sn content | #10 · 2% | USGS MCS 2022 |
| Bauxite | Mine production 2022 | 600,000 t bauxite (basis as labelled) | #19 · 0.2% | USGS Minerals Yearbook 2022 (bauxite and alumina), table 11 |
| Bauxite | Reserves 2020 | 170 million t bauxite (dry equivalent weight) | #11 · 0.6% | USGS MCS 2021 |
| Aluminium | Refinery production 2025 | 1.1 million t primary aluminium (smelter production) | #10 · 1% | USGS MCS 2026 |
| Titanium (rutile) | Mine production 2014 | 14,000 t TiO2 content | — | USGS MCS 2015 |
| Silicon | Refinery production 2025 | 120,000 t Si content (ferrosilicon) | #6 · 2% | USGS MCS 2026 |
| Thorium | Reserves 2013 | 4,500 t ThO2 | #7 · 0.3% | USGS MCS 2014 |
| Magnesium metal | Refinery production 2013 | 1,000 t primary magnesium metal (smelter production) | #7 · 0.1% | USGS MCS 2015 |
| Lime | Refinery production 2025 | 1.4 million t lime | #16 · 0.3% | USGS MCS 2026 |
| Feldspar | Mine production 2020 | 200,000 t feldspar | — | USGS MCS 2021 |
| Nitrogen (ammonia) | Refinery production 2025 | 1.5 million t N content (ammonia) | #20 · 0.9% | USGS MCS 2026 |
| Sand and gravel (industrial) | Mine production 2025 | 6 million t industrial sand and gravel | #12 · 1% | USGS MCS 2026 |
Policies and export measures
Policy tracker →2026-03-03 · ban
Act 304 (Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984) licence conditions for Lynas: thorium extraction from WLP residue
In October 2023 the Atomic Energy Licensing Board let Lynas continue cracking and leaching on condition that radioactivity in its water-leach-purification (WLP) residue be brought below 1 Bq/g, based on lab results showing thorium can be extracted from the residue. The licence renewed for 3 March 2026 to 2 March 2036 requires radioactive residue production to stop after five years, with residue from that period neutralised to below 1 Bq/g through thorium extraction or another approved treatment. No new permanent disposal facility for WLP residue above control limits may be built.
Source: Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), Malaysia (hosted by Jabatan Tenaga Atom)2025-10-26 · agreement
United States-Malaysia Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (critical minerals investment and security provisions)
Bilateral trade agreement signed in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia commits to explore an inbound-investment screening mechanism, including for critical minerals, and to facilitate US investment in sectors including critical minerals. The agreement enters into force 60 days after both sides confirm completion of domestic procedures.
Source: The White House (United States Government)2025-10-26 · agreement
United States-Malaysia Memorandum of Understanding on critical minerals
MoU signed by the US and Malaysia during the ASEAN Summit visit. It aims to expand bilateral trade and investment in critical minerals across exploration, extraction, refining, manufacturing, recovery and recycling, and to help diversify global supply chains.
Source: The White House (United States Government)
Trade in critical minerals
Exports 2024$8.9 bn
- Aluminium$4.8 bnto China 34%, Vietnam 9%, India 9% · 57 more
- Copper$903 mto China 70%, Japan 9%, South Korea 8% · 24 more
- Manganese*$743 mto United States of America 24%, South Korea 18%, Japan 12% · 41 more
- Silicon$702 mto Vietnam 21%, China 21%, Japan 15% · 42 more
- Tin$514 mto Japan 22%, Thailand 16%, India 15% · 36 more
- Rare earths$462 mto China 44%, Japan 21%, Vietnam 16% · 60 more
- Nickel$196 mto China 53%, Japan 13%, Taiwan 6% · 23 more
- Lead$163 mto China 31%, Philippines 23%, India 22% · 13 more
and 36 more commodities
Imports 2024$11 bn
- Aluminium$3.5 bnfrom United States of America 29%, India 15%, Japan 9% · 124 more
- Copper$3.0 bnfrom Indonesia 26%, Australia 23%, Dem. Rep. Congo 7% · 77 more
- Alumina$839 mfrom Indonesia 68%, Australia 20%, Saudi Arabia 4% · 22 more
- Nickel$554 mfrom South Africa 39%, Australia 27%, Switzerland 9% · 35 more
- Potash$491 mfrom Russia 47%, Canada 28%, United States of America 7% · 22 more
- Tin$382 mfrom Nigeria 30%, Congo 15%, Indonesia 14% · 31 more
- Silicon$378 mfrom China 58%, United States of America 10%, Brazil 8% · 21 more
- Graphite (synthetic)$360 mfrom China 94%, South Korea 3%, United Arab Emirates 1% · 30 more
and 36 more commodities
Trade values in current US dollars (ores, concentrates, intermediates, chemicals and refined metal), not prices. * Includes HS codes that also cover other products. Source: CEPII BACI (HS22), Etalab Open Licence 2.0 — details.
Fiscal regime for mining
| Instrument | Applies to | Rate | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate income tax (mining) | All mineralsResident company rate 24%; companies with paid-up capital up to RM2.5 million and gross business income up to RM50 million: 15% on the first RM150,000, 17% on RM150,001-600,000, 24% on the balance. No mining-specific rate. Mineral royalties are levied by the States (not read) | 24%chargeable income of a resident company | Income Tax Act 1967, Schedule 1 (rates as published by the Inland Revenue Board) · Schedule 1, Part Iin force 2023-01-01 |
Rates and terms as set in the cited law or regulation; agreements with individual projects can differ. Not legal or tax advice.
Deals and financing (1)
2026-03-25 · Equity investment · completed · MYR 14
JOGMEC → Taiyo Koko Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. (Taiyo Koko Co.) · Vanadium refinery from spent catalysts, Gebeng (Kuantan, Pahang)
JOGMEC invested MYR 14 million in Taiyo Koko Malaysia, which is building a plant in Kuantan to recover vanadium pentoxide (and molybdenum oxide) from spent refinery desulphurisation catalysts for export to Japan.
Mines and facilities (5)
- Chini manganese minesMine · In production · PahangManganese
- Lynas Malaysia Advanced Materials PlantProcessing plant · In production · PahangRare earths
- MSC Pulau Indah Tin SmelterSmelter · In production · SelangorTin
- Rahman Hydraulic Tin MineMine · In production · PerakTin
- Teluk Ramunia bauxite mineMine · In production · JohorBauxite
Latest news
All news →- US companies study rare earth mining and processing investments in Malaysia
2026-10-15 · Mining.com.au