Mapping the Largest Producers of Manganese: Inside the Global Top 9

South Africa stands as the world’s largest producer of manganese by a substantial margin, commanding roughly a third of global output. Yet behind this single dominant nation lies a complex global supply chain involving nine major producing countries that collectively shape the manganese market. Recent years have revealed just how sensitive this market is to disruptions—from weather events to demand swings in key consuming nations—making it essential to understand which countries lead and why their production matters.

Understanding Manganese’s Strategic Importance

Manganese serves as a cornerstone material across multiple industries, but two sectors drive demand most powerfully: steel manufacturing and the rapidly expanding electric vehicle battery sector. The steel industry has long consumed the vast majority of manganese, requiring it as an alloying agent to strengthen and improve the workability of this fundamental construction material. Beyond steel, manganese compounds are integral to alkaline batteries, zinc-carbon batteries, and increasingly, advanced lithium-ion battery chemistries.

The green energy transition has thrust manganese into the spotlight. Benchmark Mineral Intelligence projects that demand for manganese will expand eightfold between 2020 and 2030 as electric vehicle production accelerates. This projection underscores why nations controlling manganese reserves are geopolitically significant. Battery manufacturers now incorporate manganese into lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) batteries and newer lithium-manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) formulations, which deliver superior energy density and improved cold-weather performance compared to earlier battery designs.

Market Dynamics: How Supply Shocks Reshape Prices

The manganese market has demonstrated significant volatility in recent years, illustrating how concentrated global production can amplify price swings. In April 2024, manganese prices surged dramatically during the second quarter following the impact of Tropical Cyclone Megan on Australia’s Groote Eylandt Mining Company (GEMCO) operations. This single disruption rippled through global markets, but the rebound proved equally swift—by September 2024, prices had retreated to earlier levels as alternative supplies emerged and Chinese demand remained sluggish.

Into 2025, manganese prices have stabilized but show limited upward momentum, keeping analysts focused on whether China can recover its economic trajectory. As the world’s largest economies grapple with structural economic challenges, manganese prices remain tethered to expectations about Chinese steel consumption and infrastructure investment. Looking ahead, the market’s trajectory will depend heavily on two factors: whether production disruptions occur at major mines and whether battery demand accelerates as aggressively as forecasters anticipate.

The Global Manganese Supply Chain: Top 9 Producers

The largest producers of manganese are concentrated in Africa, Australia, and Asia, with production statistics revealing a highly skewed distribution. Here’s how the nine leading nations ranked in 2024, according to data from the US Geological Survey (USGS):

South Africa: The Undisputed Global Leader

Production: 7.4 million metric tons
Reserves: 560 million metric tons

South Africa dominates manganese production by an enormous margin, accounting for 37 percent of worldwide output in 2024. The country produced 7.4 million metric tons that year, an increase of 200,000 MT compared to 2023. This extraordinary concentration of supply extends to reserves as well—South Africa holds 560 million metric tons of manganese ore and controls approximately 70 percent of the world’s identified manganese mineral resources.

This dominance stems from the country’s geographic advantage: massive economically viable deposits exist within the manganese-rich Kalahari Basin. South32, the largest miner in the region, maintains a 44 percent indirect stake in South Africa’s primary manganese operation through a joint venture with Anglo American (29.6 percent). The operation encompasses the open-pit Mamatwan mine and underground Wessels mine. Jupiter Mines operates the nearby Tshipi Borwa mine (49.9 percent owned), which ranks as South Africa’s largest manganese mine and sits among the five largest globally.

Gabon: Africa’s Second Pillar

Production: 4.6 million metric tons

Gabon ranks as the second-largest producer, though at 4.6 million metric tons in 2024, output falls substantially short of South Africa’s volume. Nevertheless, Gabon’s strategic importance looms large: the country supplied 63 percent of all US manganese ore imports in 2024, making it the primary non-South African source for American markets.

Eramet, the world’s second-largest producer of high-grade manganese ore, operates Gabon’s key Moanda mine through its subsidiary COMILOG. In the final quarter of 2024, Eramet temporarily halted Moanda production, citing widespread market oversupply conditions—a move that highlighted how producer decisions can trigger price corrections.

Australia: Third Among Global Producers

Production: 2.8 million metric tons

Australia produced 2.8 million metric tons of manganese in 2024, marginally below the prior year’s 2.86 million MT. Despite ranking third, Australia hosts one of the world’s lowest-cost manganese ore mines through the GEMCO operations in the Northern Territory.

South32 holds a dominant 60 percent stake in GEMCO, with Anglo American holding the remaining 40 percent. However, the April 2024 impact of Tropical Cyclone Megan on GEMCO’s wharf infrastructure has constrained export capacity, with South32 anticipating disruptions extending into the first quarter of 2025. The company and partner Anglo American previously owned the Tasmanian Electro Metallurgical Company (TEMCO) alloy smelter until selling it to GFG Alliance in 2021.

Secondary Producers: Ghana, India, China, Brazil, Malaysia, and Côte d’Ivoire

The remaining six nations produce substantially smaller volumes but collectively represent the second tier of global supply:

Ghana produced 820,000 metric tons in 2024, with operations concentrated in the western region near Takoradi. Consolidated Minerals (Consmin), a subsidiary of China’s Ningxia Tianyuan Manganese Industry (TMI), holds a 90 percent stake in Ghana Manganese Company, which operates the Nsuta mine. Consmin ranks among the world’s four largest manganese producers by volume.

India yielded 800,000 metric tons in 2024, up 56,000 MT year-over-year. The vast majority feeds India’s steel sector, a consumption pattern mirrored in China and Brazil. State-owned MOIL commands India’s manganese production landscape and operates the country’s only electrolytic manganese dioxide manufacturing facility. In fiscal year 2023/2024, MOIL posted record manganese ore output of 1.76 million MT, though first-half 2024/2025 output reached 1.33 million MT.

China produced 770,000 metric tons in 2024, essentially flat versus 2023 but markedly lower than the 1.34 million MT yielded in 2020. COVID-19 disruptions followed by property sector weakness explain much of this decline. China operates as both producer and massive consumer, particularly for steelmaking. Large ore deposits were reportedly discovered in Guizhou province in 2017 but remain undeveloped. Firebird Metals is partnering with a Chinese firm to construct a high-purity manganese sulfate monohydrate plant designed to supply EV battery manufacturers.

Brazil generated 590,000 metric tons in 2024, marginally above 2023 levels. Vale previously dominated Brazilian manganese but divested its Center-West assets to J&F Investimentos in 2022. J&F’s Lhg Mining subsidiary subsequently resumed operations at the Urucum underground mine in 2023 and announced plans to invest US$1 billion across iron and manganese operations. Buritirama Mining, owned by Grupo Buritipar, represents another significant Brazilian producer and committed to a US$200 million expansion.

Malaysia produced 410,000 metric tons in 2024, maintaining the prior year’s output while emerging as a dedicated hub for manganese ferroalloy production. OM Sarawak, a subsidiary of Singapore-headquartered OM Holdings, operates a smelting complex that generated 317,995 MT of manganese alloy in 2024. Malaysian ferromanganese now comprises 24 percent of US ferromanganese imports.

Côte d’Ivoire produced 360,000 metric tons in 2024, nearly steady with 2023’s 357,000 MT. However, the nation peaked at 525,000 MT in 2020 and has since contracted. Four operating mines now serve the country—Bondoukou, Guitry, Kaniasso, and Lagnonkaha—with most output destined for China’s steel sector, followed by shipments to India and Latvia.

Manganese Applications: From Industrial Staple to Battery Frontier

Manganese functions across diverse applications, each driving distinct demand dynamics. Steel mills consume the largest share, blending manganese as an alloy to enhance strength and workability. Manganese-aluminum combinations produce tin cans and various metal products. Manganese dioxide and manganese oxide serve as cathode materials in alkaline and zinc-carbon batteries, roles that, while substantial, pale in significance compared to emerging lithium-ion applications.

In petroleum refining, manganese compounds act as protective coatings for engine components. But the energy transition has opened a new frontier: advanced battery chemistry. NMC batteries (lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt oxide) deliver improved energy loading and longer lifespan, positioning them as ideal for electric vehicles. Manufacturers are now experimenting with manganese-doped lithium iron phosphate (LMFP) batteries to boost energy density and cold-temperature performance, a development that could dramatically expand manganese consumption if adoption accelerates.

The Concentration Risk: Why Supply Matters

The geographic concentration of manganese production presents both opportunities and risks. South Africa’s overwhelming dominance as the largest producer of manganese creates a strategic bottleneck—any disruption to South African output could cascade globally. Gabon and Australia provide secondary outlets, yet neither approaches South Africa’s scale or reserve base.

This concentration explains why even brief interruptions like Tropical Cyclone Megan’s impact on GEMCO triggered immediate price movements. Conversely, oversupply episodes like the 2024 Q4 production pause by Eramet demonstrate how producer behavior can influence pricing even when fundamental demand remains healthy.

For investors and industry participants, monitoring the top nine producers’ production trends, reserve depletion rates, and capital investment plans offers critical insight into future manganese supply dynamics and pricing direction.

Frequently Asked Questions on Manganese

Is manganese an industrial metal?

Yes, manganese is classified as an essential industrial metal. With an atomic number of 25, it represents a hard, brittle, silvery element that ranks second only to iron in abundance among transition elements within Earth’s crust.

What role does manganese dioxide play in battery chemistry?

Manganese dioxide has historically served as a depolarizer in alkaline batteries, but contemporary interest centers on advanced lithium-ion chemistries incorporating manganese. Lithium-manganese oxide batteries and lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt oxide batteries employ electrolytic manganese dioxide as cathode material. Industry observers anticipate rising manganese demand as lithium-ion battery configurations incorporating manganese become increasingly prevalent in electric vehicle manufacturing and energy storage applications.