A small group of countries controls the world’s largest reserves of many of the minerals that power modern economies. This map shows the top reserve-holding country for 18 key minerals, from iron ore and copper to rare earths and cobalt. In several cases, a single nation accounts for an outsized share of global reserves, creating potential supply chain bottlenecks and geopolitical leverage. The data for this visualization comes from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 and the World Nuclear Association. While some countries dominate a single resource, Australia stands out for the breadth of ... (full story)