List of countries by uranium reserves
Uranium reserves are reserves of recoverable uranium, regardless of isotope, based on a set market price. The list given here is based on Uranium 2009: Resources, Production and Demand, a joint report by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and the International Atomic Energy Agency published in 2010.[1]
Figures are given in tonnes. The reserves figures denote identified resources as of January 1st, 2009, consisting of reasonably assured resources (RAR) plus inferred resources recoverable at a cost range of below 130 USD/kg U. The list also includes cumulative historical production figures to 2008 and totals for reserves plus historical production.
The amount of ultimately recoverable uranium depends strongly on what one would be willing to pay for it. Uranium is a widely distributed metal with large low-grade deposits that are not currently considered profitable. If reserves recoverable at up to 260 USD per kilogram of uranium are included, the amount of worldwide reserves increases from 5,404,000 tonnes to 6,306,300 tonnes, according to the Uranium 2009 report. Moreover, much of Canada, Greenland, Siberia and Antarctica are currently unexplored due to permafrost and may hold substantial undiscovered reserves. When and if reserves from such remote locations will become profitable remains to be seen.
| Country | Reserves as of 2009 | World Share | Historical Production to 2008 | World Share | Historical Production + Reserves | World Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Algeria |
19,500 | 0.4% | 0 | 0.0% | 19,500 | 0.2% |
 Argentina |
19,100 | 0.4% | 2,513 | 0.1% | 21,613 | 0.3% |
 Australia |
1,673,000 | 31.0% | 156,428 | 6.5% | 1,829,426 | 23.4% |
 Belgium |
0 | 0.0% | 686 | 0.0% | 686 | 0.0% |
 Brazil |
278,700 | 5.2% | 2,839 | 0.1% | 281,539 | 3.6% |
 Bulgaria |
0 | 0.0% | 16,362 | 0.7% | 16,362 | 0.2% |
 Canada |
485,300 | 9.0% | 426,670 | 17.7% | 911,970 | 11.7% |
 Central African Republic |
12,000 | 0.2% | 0 | 0.0% | 12,000 | 0.2% |
 China |
265,000[2] | 4.92% | 31,399 | 1.3% | 265,000 | 4.92% |
 Czech Republic |
500 | 0.0% | 110,427 | 4.6% | 110,927 | 1.4% |
 Democratic Republic of the Congo |
0 | 0.0% | 25,600 | 1.1% | 25,600 | 0.3% |
 Finland |
1,100 | 0.0% | 30 | 0.0% | 1,130 | 0.0% |
 France |
100 | 0.0% | 75,982 | 3.2% | 76,082 | 1.0% |
 Gabon |
4,800 | 0.1% | 25,403 | 1.1% | 30,203 | 0.4% |
 Germany |
0 | 0.0% | 219,517 | 9.1% | 219,517 | 2.8% |
 Hungary |
0 | 0.0% | 21,052 | 0.9% | 21,052 | 0.3% |
 India |
80,200 | 1.5% | 9,153 | 0.4% | 89,353 | 1.1% |
 Iran |
0 | 0.0% | 17 | 0.0% | 17 | 0.0% |
 Indonesia |
4,800 | 0.1% | 0 | 0.0% | 4,800 | 0.1% |
 Italy |
4,800 | 0.1% | 0 | 0.0% | 4,800 | 0.1% |
 Vietnam |
140,800 | 2.2% | 0 | 0.0% | 140,800 | 2.2% |
 Japan |
6,600 | 0.1% | 84 | 0.0% | 6,684 | 0.1% |
 Jordan |
111,800 | 2.1% | 0 | 0.0% | 111,800 | 1.4% |
 Kazakhstan |
651,800 | 12.1% | 126,900 | 5.3% | 778,700 | 10.0% |
 Madagascar |
0 | 0.0% | 785 | 0.0% | 785 | 0.0% |
 Malawi |
15,000 | 0.3% | 0 | 0.0% | 15,000 | 0.2% |
 Mexico |
0 | 0.0% | 49 | 0.0% | 49 | 0.0% |
 Mongolia |
49,300 | 0.9% | 535 | 0.0% | 49,835 | 0.6% |
 Namibia |
284,200 | 5.3% | 95,288 | 4.0% | 379,288 | 4.9% |
 Niger |
272,900 | 5.0% | 110,312 | 4.6% | 383,212 | 4.9% |
 Pakistan |
0 | 0.0% | 1,159 | 0.0% | 1,159 | 0.0% |
 Peru |
2,700 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 2,700 | 0.0% |
 Poland |
0 | 0.0% | 660 | 0.0% | 660 | 0.0% |
 Portugal |
7,000 | 0.1% | 3,717 | 0.2% | 10,717 | 0.1% |
 Romania |
6,700 | 0.1% | 18,419 | 0.8% | 25,119 | 0.3% |
 Russia |
480,300 | 8.9% | 139,735 | 5.8% | 619,735 | 7.9% |
 Slovenia |
9,200 | 0.2% | 382 | 0.0% | 9,582 | 0.1% |
 South Africa |
295,600 | 5.5% | 156,312 | 6.5% | 451,912 | 5.8% |
 Soviet Union |
NA | NA | 102,886 | 4.3% | 102,886 | 1.3% |
 Spain |
11,300 | 0.2% | 5,028 | 0.2% | 16,328 | 0.2% |
 Sweden |
10,000 | 0.2% | 200 | 0.0% | 10,200 | 0.1% |
 Turkey |
7,300 | 0.1% | 0 | 0.0% | 7,300 | 0.1% |
 Ukraine |
105,000 | 1.9% | 124,397 | 5.2% | 229,397 | 2.9% |
 United States |
207,400 | 3.8% | 363,640 | 15.1% | 571,040 | 7.3% |
 Uzbekistan |
114,600 | 2.1% | 34,939 | 1.4% | 149,539 | 1.9% |
 Zambia |
0 | 0.0% | 86 | 0.0% | 86 | 0.0% |
| Total | 5,404,000 | 100% | 2,409,591 | 100% | 7,813,591 | 100% |
Notes: Historical production for the Czech Republic includes 102,241 tonnes of uranium produced in former Czechoslovakia from 1946 through the end of 1992. Historical production for Germany includes 213,380 tonnes produced in the German Democratic Republic from 1946 through the end of 1992. Historical production for the Soviet Union includes the former Soviet Socialist Republics of Estonia[citation needed], Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, but excludes Kazakhstan and Ukraine. Historical production for the Russian Federation and Uzbekistan is since 1992 only.
See also
References
- ↑ OECD. Uranium 2009: Resources, Production and Demand. OECD NEA Publication 6891. 2010
- ↑ http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/files/chinasaccesstouraniumresources.pdf
