Base metal
Molybdenum Reserves by Country
Reported reserves and 2025 production by country, from USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries — see today's Molybdenum price for live rates.
USGS reports a country-level figure for 14 countries on molybdenum, with China holding the largest reported reserve at 45.88% of the reported global total. The full ranking, including countries with a reported production figure but no separate reserve number, is below.
Countries reporting
14
Largest reported holder
China
7,800 metric tons (molybdenum content)
Data vintage
2025
USGS MCS 2026
Top Reserve Holders
Molybdenum 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 |
 China
|
7,800 metric tons (molybdenum content) | 45.88% | 97,000 metric tons (molybdenum content) | 37.31% |
| 2 |
 Australia
|
7,760 metric tons (molybdenum content) | 45.65% | 1,000 metric tons (molybdenum content) | 0.38% |
| 3 |
 United States
|
3,500 metric tons (molybdenum content) | 20.59% | 40,000 metric tons (molybdenum content) | 15.38% |
| 4 |
 Russia
|
1,100 metric tons (molybdenum content) | 6.47% | 1,300 metric tons (molybdenum content) | 0.50% |
| 5 |
 Peru
|
1,000 metric tons (molybdenum content) | 5.88% | 39,000 metric tons (molybdenum content) | 15.00% |
| 6 |
 Armenia
|
150 metric tons (molybdenum content) | 0.88% | 5,300 metric tons (molybdenum content) | 2.04% |
| 7 |
 Mexico
|
130 metric tons (molybdenum content) | 0.76% | 17,000 metric tons (molybdenum content) | 6.54% |
| 8 |
 Korea, North
|
78 metric tons (molybdenum content) | 0.46% | 800 metric tons (molybdenum content) | 0.31% |
| 9 |
 Canada
|
64 metric tons (molybdenum content) | 0.38% | 2,200 metric tons (molybdenum content) | 0.85% |
| 10 |
 Iran
|
43 metric tons (molybdenum content) | 0.25% | 3,300 metric tons (molybdenum content) | 1.27% |
| 11 |
 Uzbekistan
|
21 metric tons (molybdenum content) | 0.12% | 2,000 metric tons (molybdenum content) | 0.77% |
| 12 |
 Mongolia
|
10 metric tons (molybdenum content) | 0.06% | 4,200 metric tons (molybdenum content) | 1.62% |
| 13 |
 Korea, Republic of
|
8 metric tons (molybdenum content) | 0.05% | 500 metric tons (molybdenum content) | 0.19% |
| 14 |
 Kazakhstan
|
7 metric tons (molybdenum content) | 0.04% | 4,300 metric tons (molybdenum content) | 1.65% |
| — | Other countries | 150 metric tons (molybdenum content) | 0.88% | Not reported | Not calculated |
