Phosphate & Phosphorus
Phosphate rock feeds the world's fertilizers; refined phosphorus is used in LFP batteries, flame retardants and as a semiconductor dopant.
LFP (lithium iron phosphate) is the dominant chemistry for stationary storage at data centers; high-purity phosphorus is an n-type dopant.
Where it's produced
Share of 2025 world mine production (thousand metric tons). Source: USGS MCS 2026.
Where the reserves are
Share of known economic reserves (thousand metric tons). World total: 73B t. ≈ 292 years at 2025 output.
Who calls it critical
Membership on each government list. “Strategic” marks a higher tier where the list has one; “group” means included as part of a group such as rare earths or PGMs.
Phosphate & Phosphorus: key questions
- Where is phosphate & phosphorus mined or produced?
- According to USGS 2025 data, the largest producers are China (44%), Morocco (14%) and United States (8.0%) of world mine production.
- Is phosphate & phosphorus a critical mineral?
- Phosphate & Phosphorus appears on 8 of the 10 official lists we track (United States, European Union, United Kingdom, China, Japan, India, Australia, Canada).
- Is phosphate & phosphorus in short supply?
- Our supply status: Watch. null
- Why does phosphate & phosphorus matter for AI infrastructure?
- LFP (lithium iron phosphate) is the dominant chemistry for stationary storage at data centers; high-purity phosphorus is an n-type dopant.
Related minerals
ExplorerUranium
WatchThe fuel of nuclear power. Hyperscalers have signed agreements to restart and build reactors to power AI.
Potash
WatchPotassium salts that fertilize the world's crops. Canada, Russia and Belarus dominate supply.
Metallurgical Coal
AdequateCoking coal used to make the coke that reduces iron ore to steel. Added to the US list in 2025 and listed by the EU.