Salient Bauxite Statistics

This table presents key quantitative data on bauxite production, trade, and consumption in the United States alongside global production figures over a five-year period from 2018 to 2022. Bauxite is the primary ore of aluminum, making these statistics vital for understanding supply chain dynamics in the aluminum industry, which is critical to sectors such as transportation, packaging, and construction. Tracking exports, imports, and domestic consumption provides insight into the country's reliance on foreign sources and its role in the global bauxite market, informing economic and industrial policy decisions.

Analysis of the data reveals that U.S. bauxite production figures are withheld, likely due to proprietary concerns, but trade and consumption trends are clear. U.S. exports of crude and dried bauxite declined from 4,000 metric tons in 2018 to 2,000 metric tons in 2022, while calcined bauxite exports decreased from 7,000 to 4,000 metric tons over the same period. Imports for consumption also showed a downward trend for crude and dried bauxite, falling from 3.33 million metric tons in 2018 to 2.8 million metric tons in 2022, though calcined bauxite imports slightly increased to 479,000 metric tons in 2022 from 376,000 in 2018. Domestic consumption dropped significantly from 4.46 million metric tons in 2018 to 2.17 million metric tons in 2022, indicating reduced demand or shifts in industrial usage. Globally, bauxite production steadily increased, reaching an estimated 400 million metric tons in 2022, underscoring the expanding scale of the international bauxite market despite the U.S. consumption decline.