Base metal
Lead Reserves by Country
Reported reserves and 2025 production by country, from USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries — see today's Lead price for live rates.
USGS reports a country-level figure for 12 countries on lead, with Australia holding the largest reported reserve at 772.63% of the reported global total. The full ranking, including countries with a reported production figure but no separate reserve number, is below.
Countries reporting
12
Largest reported holder
Australia
734,000 thousand metric tons (lead content)
Data vintage
2025
USGS MCS 2026
Top Reserve Holders
Lead Reserves — Full Ranking
Reserve figures never sum across countries into a page-level total shown here — units and reporting bases vary by commodity; see each row's own unit. Percentages are exactly as reported by USGS, not recalculated.
| # | Country | Reserve | Global Reserve Share | 2025 Production | Global Production Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 Australia
|
734,000 thousand metric tons (lead content) | 772.63% | 480 thousand metric tons (lead content) | 10.67% |
| 2 |
 China
|
22,000 thousand metric tons (lead content) | 23.16% | 1,900 thousand metric tons (lead content) | 42.22% |
| 3 |
 Russia
|
8,900 thousand metric tons (lead content) | 9.37% | 260 thousand metric tons (lead content) | 5.78% |
| 4 |
 Mexico
|
5,600 thousand metric tons (lead content) | 5.89% | 200 thousand metric tons (lead content) | 4.44% |
| 5 |
 Peru
|
5,000 thousand metric tons (lead content) | 5.26% | 290 thousand metric tons (lead content) | 6.44% |
| 6 |
 United States
|
4,600 thousand metric tons (lead content) | 4.84% | 280 thousand metric tons (lead content) | 6.22% |
| 7 |
 Iran
|
2,000 thousand metric tons (lead content) | 2.11% | 70 thousand metric tons (lead content) | 1.56% |
| 8 |
 India
|
1,900 thousand metric tons (lead content) | 2.00% | 220 thousand metric tons (lead content) | 4.89% |
| 9 |
 Sweden
|
1,700 thousand metric tons (lead content) | 1.79% | 70 thousand metric tons (lead content) | 1.56% |
| 10 |
 Bolivia
|
1,600 thousand metric tons (lead content) | 1.68% | 100 thousand metric tons (lead content) | 2.22% |
| 11 |
 Turkey
|
1,600 thousand metric tons (lead content) | 1.68% | 70 thousand metric tons (lead content) | 1.56% |
| 12 |
 Tajikistan
|
Not reported | Not calculated | 40 thousand metric tons (lead content) | 0.89% |
| — | Other countries | 5,900 thousand metric tons (lead content) | 6.21% | 500 thousand metric tons (lead content) | 11.11% |
