Brazil holds 21 million tonnes of rare-earth-oxide reserves — the third-largest reserve base globally, behind only China and Australia. In 2025, Brazilian production tripled from 560 to 2,000 tonnes REO, driven by the ramp of Serra Verde's Pela Ema operation in Goiás — Latin America's first commercial ionic-clay rare earth mine.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Reserves (USGS 2026) | 21 million tonnes REO — 3rd globally |
| Production 2025 (USGS) | 2,000 tonnes REO (+257% vs 2024) |
| Production 2024 | 560 tonnes REO |
| Global production 2025 | ~390,000 tonnes REO |
| Brazil global share | ~0.5% — rapidly growing |
| Lead producer | Serra Verde — Pela Ema, Goiás (target: 6,500 t/yr by 2027) |
| DFC financing | US$465 million to Serra Verde (Nov 2025) |
| Dysprosium price 2025 | ~US$250/kg |
| Terbium price 2025 | >US$1,000/kg |
| Neodymium oxide 2025 | ~US$73/kg |
China imposed export controls on seven heavy rare earths in April 2025 and expanded them in October. European rare-earth prices reached up to six times Chinese levels during the tightest months. The U.S. DFC committed US$465 million to Serra Verde — the largest single federal financing ever extended to a Latin American critical-minerals project.
Brazil's ionic-clay deposits carry a meaningful share of the high-value heavy rare earths — dysprosium and terbium — that permanent-magnet producers need for electric vehicles and wind turbines. This is not a legacy commodity story; it is a supply-chain security story unfolding in real time.