globaltraffic.earth

Nickel ore: top exporters and importers (2024)

In 2024, world trade in nickel ore totaled $5 billion (52.9 million tonnes). The top exporters were the Philippines (40%), Zambia (11%) and Finland (8%); China accounted for 60% of imports, followed by Indonesia (9%) and Canada (9%). Compared with 2019, the value rose 19%.

Summary

World trade
$5billion
Tonnes
52.9million tonnes
Price per tonne
$93
The largest flows between countries. Width: value; color: estimated transport mode.SeaAirLand

Top exporters

  1. Philippines$2 billion · 39.6%
    see destinations
  2. Zambia$539 million · 10.9%
  3. Finland$406 million · 8.2%
  4. New Caledonia$343 million · 6.9%
  5. Russia$321 million · 6.5%
  6. Brazil$220 million · 4.4%
  7. Namibia$209 million · 4.2%
  8. Australia$202 million · 4.1%
  9. Canada$177 million · 3.6%
  10. United States$126 million · 2.5%
  11. Côte d'Ivoire$79 million · 1.6%
  12. Vietnam$66 million · 1.3%
  13. South Africa$55 million · 1.1%
  14. Taiwan$55 million · 1.1%
  15. Solomon Islands$39 million · 0.78%
  16. Malaysia$27 million · 0.55%
  17. Switzerland$27 million · 0.55%
  18. Belgium$25 million · 0.51%
    re-exports
  19. Guatemala$19 million · 0.38%
  20. Netherlands$15 million · 0.31%
    re-exports

Top importers

  1. China$3 billion · 60.3%
    see sources
  2. Indonesia$454 million · 9.1%
  3. Canada$427 million · 8.6%
  4. Finland$310 million · 6.2%
  5. Namibia$242 million · 4.9%
  6. South Korea$212 million · 4.3%
  7. Belgium$75 million · 1.5%
    re-exports
  8. Switzerland$69 million · 1.4%
  9. Taiwan$53 million · 1.1%
  10. Japan$39 million · 0.78%
  11. Malaysia$31 million · 0.62%
  12. South Africa$11 million · 0.22%
  13. Morocco$9 million · 0.18%
  14. Germany$8 million · 0.16%
  15. Spain$5 million · 0.1%
  16. Singapore$4 million · 0.08%
    re-exports
  17. Australia$3 million · 0.07%
  18. Colombia$3 million · 0.06%
  19. Panama$3 million · 0.05%
  20. Brazil$3 million · 0.05%

Trend

Who sells it

The Philippines has been the top exporter since 2006

Value in USD billions. The five largest exporters in 2024.

  • Philippines 2
  • Zambia 0.54
  • Finland 0.41
  • New Caledonia 0.34
  • Russia 0.32

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
Country19952024
Philippines0.042
Zambia00.54
Finland0.020.41
New Caledonia0.110.34
Russia00.32

Price

Implied price

The price per tonne rose 41% since 1995

Current US dollars per tonne: value over the weight reported by BACI.

  • 2024: $93

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearUSD per tonne
1995$66
1996$67
1997$62
1998$49
1999$42
2000$68
2001$51
2002$63
2003$83
2004$129
2005$136
2006$134
2007$192
2008$150
2009$83
2010$89
2011$70
2012$53
2013$50
2014$101
2015$68
2016$73
2017$54
2018$54
2019$54
2020$77
2021$77
2022$102
2023$136
2024$93

What it includes

  • 2604 · Nickel ore

Products in the same chapter

Sources and methodology

Sources and licenses

Methodology

Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), which reconciles what exporters and importers report: countries that stopped reporting (Russia since 2022) appear with their partners’ data. FOB values in current US dollars; tonnes when BACI reports them. The price per tonne is the value of the rows with a weight divided by that weight. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Data up to 2024.

Hong Kong, Singapore, the Netherlands and Belgium re-export goods from other countries: their figures include transit.

See all products