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Brazil is set to cut in on China's rare earths dominance

Brazil holds the world's second-largest rare earth reserves but exports only a tiny fraction of global production. With Washington's encouragement and new investments, the country aims to become a major supplier, though significant infrastructure and technological hurdles remain.

By Tertius News AI Desk 2 outlets · 2 articles Version 1 Coverage May 20–31, 2026 Published Aug 14

Lead

Brazil, sitting on the world's second-largest reserves of rare earths, is drawing global attention as Washington encourages exploration to challenge China's dominance in the market for these critical minerals. However, despite the potential, the Latin American giant currently produces only a marginal amount, exporting a mere 20 tons in 2024, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

Rare earths are essential components in everything from smartphones and electric vehicles to wind turbines and military equipment, making them increasingly vital in the shift toward renewable energy and advanced technologies.

Coverage Comparison

Reports from Dawn and Deutsche Welle (DW) both highlight Brazil's enormous potential but take slightly different angles. While Dawn focuses on the challenges standing in the way of Brazil's rise, DW emphasizes a new "gold rush" for rare earths, with a tone of optimism driven by surging demand.

Both sources agree that China still leads the world in both reserves and production, but Brazil's 20 million-plus tons of rare earths place it far ahead of India, the third-largest holder with an estimated 6.9 million tons.

Key Claims

Brazil holds the world's second-largest rare earth reserves, with estimated deposits of around 21 million tons, according to the USGS.
In 2024, Brazil exported only 20 tons of rare earths, while global production stood at 390,000 tons, with China accounting for approximately two-thirds of the total.
Demand for magnet rare earth elements has doubled since 2015 and is expected to grow another third by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
USA Rare Earths acquired Brazil's only active rare earth mine for $2.8 billion, as reported by multiple sources.
The Caldeira project in Minas Gerais, operated by Australian company Meteoric Resources, is claimed to be the world's largest ionic clay deposit—a claim carried by DW.
Washington is actively encouraging exploration in Brazil as part of its strategy to reduce dependence on China, though this claim is less widely reported.

Perspectives

The Optimistic Outlook

Companies like Meteoric Resources see Brazil as the future of rare earth production. Andrew Tunks, CEO of Meteoric, told DW, "The next big, rare earth projects in the world will be in Brazil," adding that the country will eventually compete with China. With 2,758 mining applications pending at Brazil's National Mining Agency—a sharp jump compared to just over 250 between 1975 and 2020—the sense of a rush is tangible.

The Cautious Reality

Industry experts caution that large reserves do not automatically translate to production. Rare earth elements are found mixed with dozens of other compounds and require a complex, costly separation process. Pablo Cesario, president of the Brazilian Mining Institute (IBRAM), explained that between extraction and a 99.9% pure oxide product, there are at least 400 industrial processes. He noted that while Brazil can achieve this at a laboratory scale, industrial-scale technology is scarce globally.

Julio Nery, IBRAM's director of mining affairs, added that Brazil needs infrastructure, technological research, and cheaper, more abundant energy to ramp up production. These hurdles, along with the small current output, suggest that any transformation will take time.

The United States' interest in Brazil, highlighted by Dawn, is part of a broader geopolitical push to secure supply chains. A $2.8 billion acquisition by USA Rare Earths of Brazil's only active mine signals concrete investment, but the gap between ambition and output remains wide.

As the world's demand for rare earths grows—doubling for magnet elements since 2015 and expected to rise further—Brazil's role could become critical. Yet, as reports suggest, turning geological wealth into industrial reality is a formidable challenge.

How each outlet told it

Dawn as of May 20, 2026, 9:00 AM UTC

Framing: Brazil's potential as a major supplier of rare earths — Informative and neutral

Facts Included:

Brazil has more than 20 million tons of rare earths
China has the largest reserves of rare earths
Brazil exported only 20 tons of rare earths in 2024
The USGS estimated global production of rare earths at 390,000 tons in 2024
Washington is actively encouraging exploration in Brazil

Read the source article →

Deutsche Welle as of May 31, 2026, 9:01 AM UTC

Framing: Brazil's new 'gold rush' for rare earths — Informative and optimistic

Facts Included:

Brazil has the world's second-largest rare earth reserves after China
Meteoric Resources is investing in rare earth mining in Brazil
The Caldeira project is the world's largest ionic clay deposit
Demand for magnet rare earth elements has doubled since 2015
USA Rare Earths acquired Brazil's only active rare earth mine for $2.8 billion

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimBrazil has the world's second-largest rare earth reserves after China, with estimated deposits of around 21 million tons.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from Deutsche Welle as of May 31, 2026, 9:01 AM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimMeteoric Resources is investing in rare earth mining in Brazil, with its Caldeira project being the world's largest ionic clay deposit.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Deutsche Welle as of May 31, 2026, 9:01 AM UTC
ClaimDemand for magnet rare earth elements has doubled since 2015 and is set to expand further by a third by 2030.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Deutsche Welle as of May 31, 2026, 9:01 AM UTC
ClaimUSA Rare Earths acquired Brazil's only active rare earth mine for $2.8 billion.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from Deutsche Welle as of May 31, 2026, 9:01 AM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimBrazil exported only 20 tons of rare earths in 2024, while the USGS estimated global production of rare earths at 390,000 tons in 2024.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from Dawn as of May 20, 2026, 9:00 AM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimChina accounts for around two-thirds of the total global production of rare earths.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from Dawn as of May 20, 2026, 9:00 AM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimWashington is actively encouraging exploration in Brazil to challenge China's dominance over the rare earth market.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via Dawn as of May 20, 2026, 9:00 AM UTC
ClaimBrazil needs infrastructure, technological research, and a cheaper energy supply to ramp up rare earth production.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via Dawn as of May 20, 2026, 9:00 AM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

2 outlets · 2 articles consulted: Dawn, Deutsche Welle 8 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-14