Global uranium resources are concentrated in just a handful of nations. Remarkably, Australia alone holds more than a quarter of the world’s known reserves of this critically important strategic raw material.
This ranking is based on an assessment of identified recoverable uranium resources as of 2023. The figures account for deposits where extraction is deemed economically viable at a cost of up to $130 per kilogram of uranium.
The total volume of identified global uranium resources stands at 5.9 million tons. More than half of this supply is concentrated in just three countries: Australia, Kazakhstan, and Canada.
Australia boasts the world's largest uranium resource base, with approximately 1.7 million tons of uranium metal. This accounts for 28% of all global reserves, making the country the absolute leader in the sector. Furthermore, Australia’s resource volume is more than double that of Kazakhstan, which holds second place.
Kazakhstan ranks second with approximately 813,900 tons of uranium, representing about 14% of global resources. Canada follows closely in third place with 582,000 tons, or roughly 10% of the world's reserves. Together, Australia, Kazakhstan, and Canada control about 52% of all identified global uranium resources.
Crucially, Kazakhstan and Canada are not just top holders of reserves; they are also the world's leading uranium producers, playing a pivotal role in the global nuclear fuel supply chain.
Beyond the top three, significant uranium deposits are distributed across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
Among African nations, Namibia and Niger stand out. In Eurasia, Russia, China, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan possess substantial resource bases. On the American continent, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, and the United States hold notable reserves. Thus, while the largest individual deposits are concentrated in a limited number of countries, uranium resources are geographically diverse enough to help secure and stabilize the global nuclear fuel market.
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