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The table titled "Sulfur: World Production In All Forms, By Country And Source" provides a comprehensive overview of sulfur production across various countries and sources. This data is crucial for understanding the global sulfur market, which plays a significant role in various industries, including agriculture, manufacturing, and energy. Sulfur is primarily used in the production of fertilizers, chemicals, and petroleum refining, making it an essential component in supporting food production and industrial processes. By analyzing this data, stakeholders can assess supply trends, identify leading producers, and make informed decisions related to trade and investment.
The data presented in this table is sourced from the USGS Mineral Yearbook, which compiles annual mineral production statistics. It is important to note the footnote notations accompanying the figures: "e" indicates estimated values, "p" denotes preliminary data that may be subject to revision, and "r" signifies revised figures that have been updated from previous reports. These notations help users understand the reliability and status of the data, ensuring that they can interpret the information accurately for their research or decision-making needs.
| TABLE 11 | |||||||||||
| SULFUR: WORLD PRODUCTION IN ALL FORMS, BY COUNTRY AND SOURCE1, 2 | |||||||||||
| (Thousand metric tons, sulfur content) | |||||||||||
| Country or locality | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | ||||||
| Australia, byproduct:e | |||||||||||
| Metallurgy | 810 | 810 | 810 | 810 | 810 | ||||||
| Petroleum | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | ||||||
| Total | 900 | 900 | 900 | 900 | 900 | ||||||
| Belgium, all forms and sourcese | 400 | 400 | 400 | 400 | 400 | ||||||
| Brazil, byproduct:e | |||||||||||
| Metallurgy | 260 | 260 | 260 | 260 | 260 | ||||||
| Petroleum | 240 | 240 | 240 | 240 | 240 | ||||||
| Total | 500 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 500 | ||||||
| Canada, byproduct: | |||||||||||
| Metallurgy | 520 | 555 | 550 | e | 550 | e | 550 | e | |||
| Natural gas and petroleum | 4413 | 4519 | 4329 | 4349 | 4431 | ||||||
| Total | 4933 | 5074 | 4879 | 4899 | 4981 | ||||||
| Chile, byproduct, metallurgye | 1300 | 1500 | 1400 | 1300 | r | 1300 | |||||
| China: | |||||||||||
| Byproduct: | |||||||||||
| Metallurgye | 5700 | 5700 | 5700 | 5700 | 5700 | ||||||
| Natural gas and petroleum | 7660 | 7910 | 8490 | r | 8500 | r, e | 8500 | e | |||
| Pyrites | 5700 | 5240 | 5200 | e | 5200 | e | 5200 | e | |||
| Total | 19060 | 18850 | 19390 | r | 19400 | r | 19400 | ||||
| Finland: | |||||||||||
| Byproduct: | |||||||||||
| Metallurgy | 340 | e | 359 | 338 | 341 | r | 340 | e | |||
| Petroleume | 130 | 120 | 120 | 120 | 120 | ||||||
| Pyrites | 296 | 247 | 232 | 182 | 180 | e | |||||
| Total | 766 | 726 | 690 | 643 | r | 640 | |||||
| France, byproduct, natural gas and petroleume | 400 | 400 | 400 | 400 | 400 | ||||||
| Germany, byproduct: | |||||||||||
| Metallurgy | 281 | 213 | 236 | 227 | r | 230 | e | ||||
| Natural gas and petroleum | 460 | 353 | 382 | 371 | 370 | e | |||||
| Total | 741 | 566 | 618 | 598 | r | 600 | |||||
| India, byproduct:e | |||||||||||
| Metallurgy | 1200 | 1200 | 1200 | 1200 | 1200 | ||||||
| Petroleum | 2376 | 2262 | 2341 | 2426 | r | 2481 | |||||
| Total | 3576 | 3462 | 3541 | 3626 | r | 3681 | |||||
| Iran, byproduct, natural gas and petroleume | 1540 | 1400 | 1640 | 2000 | r | 2000 | |||||
| Italy, byproduct:e | |||||||||||
| Metallurgy | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | ||||||
| Petroleum | 510 | 510 | 510 | 510 | 510 | ||||||
| Total | 550 | 550 | 550 | 550 | 550 | ||||||
| Japan, byproduct: | |||||||||||
| Metallurgy | 1630 | 1729 | 1575 | 1656 | r | 1700 | e | ||||
| Petroleum | 1629 | 1412 | 1420 | 1542 | 1367 | ||||||
| Total | 3259 | 3141 | 2995 | 3198 | r | 3067 | |||||
| Kazakhstan, byproduct: | |||||||||||
| Metallurgye | 600 | 600 | 610 | 610 | 610 | ||||||
| Natural gas and petroleum | 4036 | 3876 | 3993 | 3688 | 4481 | ||||||
| Total | 4636 | 4476 | 4603 | 4298 | 5091 | ||||||
| Korea, Republic of, byproduct:e | |||||||||||
| Metallurgy | 1080 | 1080 | 1080 | 1080 | 1080 | ||||||
| Natural gas and petroleum | 2000 | 2000 | 2000 | 2000 | 2000 | ||||||
| Total | 3080 | 3080 | 3080 | 3080 | 3080 | ||||||
| Kuwait, byproduct, petroleum | 623 | 620 | r | 959 | r | 1268 | r | 1300 | e | ||
| Mexico, byproduct, natural gas and petroleum | 365 | 264 | 176 | 289 | 221 | ||||||
| Netherlands, byproduct:e | |||||||||||
| Metallurgy | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | ||||||
| Petroleum | 410 | 380 | 390 | 400 | 430 | ||||||
| Total | 510 | 480 | 490 | 500 | 530 | ||||||
| Poland: | |||||||||||
| Byproduct:3 | |||||||||||
| Metallurgye | 280 | 280 | 280 | 280 | 280 | ||||||
| Natural gas | 25 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 23 | e | |||||
| Petroleume | 269 | 269 | 269 | 269 | 269 | ||||||
| Other, unspecifiede | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Frasch3 | 555 | 417 | 444 | 476 | 471 | ||||||
| Total | 1130 | 992 | 1018 | 1049 | 1044 | ||||||
| Qatar, byproduct, natural gas | 2050 | 1650 | e | 2100 | 3150 | r | 3100 | e | |||
| Russia: | |||||||||||
| Byproduct:e | |||||||||||
| Metallurgy | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 | ||||||
| Natural gas | 6600 | 6600 | 6600 | 6600 | 6600 | ||||||
| Petroleum | 500 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 500 | ||||||
| Native | 58 | 46 | 50 | e | 50 | e | 50 | e | |||
| Pyritese | 180 | 180 | 180 | 180 | 180 | ||||||
| Total | 7538 | 7526 | 7530 | 7530 | 7530 | ||||||
| Saudi Arabia, all forms and sources, unspecifiede | 6500 | 6500 | 7000 | 7500 | 7500 | ||||||
| Turkmenistan | 660 | e | 700 | e | 700 | e | 862 | 870 | e | ||
| Ukraine, native | 120 | e | NA | NA | NA | NA | |||||
| United Arab Emirates, byproduct, natural gas and petroleum | 6000 | 5500 | r | 5950 | r | 6105 | r | 6000 | e | ||
| United States, byproduct: | |||||||||||
| Metallurgy | 596 | 579 | r | 600 | 636 | 640 | |||||
| Natural gas | 322 | 276 | 549 | r | 516 | r | 417 | ||||
| Petroleum | 7790 | 7030 | 6920 | r | 7490 | r | 7600 | ||||
| Total | 8710 | 7880 | r | 8070 | r | 8640 | 8650 | ||||
| Uzbekistan, byproduct:e | |||||||||||
| Metallurgy | 130 | 150 | 150 | 160 | r | 160 | |||||
| Natural gas and petroleum | 330 | 320 | 320 | 320 | 320 | ||||||
| Total | 460 | 470 | 470 | 480 | r | 480 | |||||
| Venezuela, byproduct, natural gas and petroleume | 320 | 320 | 320 | 320 | 320 | ||||||
| Other (total):4 | |||||||||||
| Byproduct: | |||||||||||
| Metallurgy | 1299 | 1106 | 677 | r | 530 | r | 534 | ||||
| Natural gas and petroleum | 443 | 386 | 399 | 393 | 382 | ||||||
| Petroleum | 593 | 541 | 382 | 377 | 375 | ||||||
| All forms and souces, unspecified | 255 | 227 | 257 | 241 | r | 202 | |||||
| Frasch, native | 58 | 60 | 91 | 89 | 86 | ||||||
| Pyrites | 200 | 55 | 47 | 49 | 47 | ||||||
| Total | 2848 | 2375 | 1853 | r | 1679 | r | 1626 | ||||
| Grand total | 83500 | 80300 | r | 82200 | r | 85200 | r | 85800 | |||
| Of which: | |||||||||||
| Byproduct: | |||||||||||
| Metallurgy | 16400 | 16500 | 15800 | r | 15700 | r | 15700 | ||||
| Natural gas | 9000 | 8550 | 9270 | 10300 | r | 10100 | |||||
| Natural gas and petroleum | 28000 | 27200 | r | 28400 | r | 28700 | r | 29400 | |||
| Petroleum | 15200 | 14000 | 14100 | r | 15200 | r | 15300 | ||||
| All forms and souces, unspecified | 7820 | 7830 | 8360 | 9000 | r | 8970 | |||||
| Frasch, native | 791 | 523 | 585 | 615 | 607 | ||||||
| Pyrites | 6380 | 5720 | 5660 | 5610 | 5610 | ||||||
eEstimated. rRevised. NA Not available.
1Table includes data available through October 24, 2024. All data are reported unless otherwise noted; totals may include estimated data. Grand totals, U.S. data, and estimated data are rounded to no more than three significant digits; may not add to totals shown.
2The term “source” reflects the means of collecting sulfur and the type of raw material. Sources listed include the following: Frasch recovery; native, comprising all production of elemental sulfur by traditional mining methods (thereby excluding Frasch); pyrites (whether or not the sulfur is recovered in the elemental form or as acid); byproduct recovery, either as elemental sulfur or as sulfur compounds from coal gasification, metallurgical operations including associated coal processing, crude oil and natural gas extraction, petroleum refining, oil sand cleaning, and processing of spent oxide from stack-gas scrubbers; and recovery from processing mined gypsum. Recovery of sulfur in the form of sulfuric acid from synthetic gypsum produced as a byproduct of phosphatic fertilizer production is excluded, because to include it would result in double counting. Production of Frasch sulfur, other native sulfur, pyrites-derived sulfur, mined gypsum-derived sulfur, byproduct sulfur from extraction of crude oil and natural gas, and recovery from oil sands are all credited to the country of origin of the extracted raw materials. In contrast, byproduct recovery from metallurgical operations, petroleum refineries, and spent oxides are credited to the nation where the recovery takes place, which is not the original source of the crude product from which the sulfur is extracted.
3Government of Poland sources report total Frasch and native mined elemental sulfur output annually, undifferentiated; this figure has been divided between Frasch and other native sulfur on the basis of information obtained from supplementary sources.
4Includes, Algeria, Austria, Bahrain, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Lithuania, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, South Africa, Syria, Taiwan, and Turkey.
Source: United States Geological Survey Mineral Resources Program
See also: Sulfur statistics | Mineral commodity prices