René Muschter
Research Expert covering Industry & Mobility
Global zinc industry - statistics & facts
From galvanizing steel to dietary supplements, zinc, a solid transition metal, has many uses and applications. The majority of zinc mining occurs underground, but this production method generates just over half of the total production volume. As zinc ores contain small concentrations of zinc, they must often be crushed for optimal separation from other minerals. There are several processes to obtain more zinc concentrates, such as roasting and sintering for zinc blends or the pyrometallurgical process. Zinc is one of the world’s most widely used non-ferrous metals, underpinning industries from construction to automotive manufacturing. At 240 million metric tons in 2025, global zinc reserves are large enough to sustain extraction well into the coming decades. Global mine production of zinc numbered approximately 12.5 million metric tons in 2025, up from around 11.9 million metric tons in 2024, confirming that the supply base held after several years of softness.
