For over a century, the United States was the largest iron ore producer in the Americas, before it was overtaken by Brazil in the 1970s. Since the late 19th century, the U.S. had the highest iron output in the world, and (apart from a few years in the 1930s) it held this position until the late 1950s, when it fell behind the Soviet Union. At the turn of the 20th century, Australia, Brazil, and China emerged as the world leaders, with Australia having the highest output in recent years.
U.S. output averaged at around 60 million tons per year in the first three decades of the 20th century, before the Great Depression saw output plummet from 74 million tons in 1929 to just 10 million tons in 1932. It took a decade for consistently high production to return to the iron mining industry, peaking at 120 million tons in 1953, before output declined and it has fluctuated between 40 and 60 million tons in most years since the 1980s. In contrast, Brazil's output was comparatively low until the 1960s, before output spiked in the mid-1970s, when it became the largest iron producer in the Americas, and today it is the second largest producer in the world.
Iron ore production in selected American countries from 1860 to 1988
(in thousands of metric tons)
Characteristic
United States
Brazil
Canada*
Venezuela
Chile
1988
57,515
200,617
39,934
18,321
7,866
1987
47,648
182,745
37,702
17,111
6,690
1986
39,486
175,725
36,167
16,753
7,009
1985
49,533
168,120
39,502
14,753
6,510
1984
52,092
143,842
39,930
13,055
7,116
1983
38,165
114,190
32,959
9,297
5,974
1982
36,002
119,939
33,198
11,680
6,470
1981
74,348
122,709
49,551
15,722
8,514
1980
70,730
139,697
49,068
16,102
8,835
1979
87,091
117,502
59,617
15,261
8,225
1978
82,892
103,896
42,931
13,515
7,813
1977
56,645
100,817
53,621
13,683
8,021
1976
81,277
107,395
55,416
18,685
10,055
1975
80,132
108,162
44,893
24,772
11,007
1974
85,709
91,488
46,785
25,983
10,297
1973
89,076
55,019
47,498
22,155
9,416
1972
76,644
46,471
38,735
17,327
8,640
1971
82,058
37,486
42,957
20,240
11,228
1970
91,200
36,381
47,458
22,070
11,265
1969
89,745
27,959
36,336
19,745
11,534
1968
87,243
24,776
43,040
12,665
11,916
1967
85,530
22,661
38,390
17,124
10,789
1966
91,594
24,818
36,914
17,841
12,212
1965
88,842
18,159
34,208
17,650
12,721
1964
86,197
16,960
34,769
15,645
9,910
1963
74,780
11,218
27,346
11,747
8,510
1962
72,982
10,778
24,820
13,266
8,092
1961
72,474
10,221
18,470
14,565
6,990
1960
90,209
9,345
19,551
19,490
6,041
1959
61,243
8,841
22,215
17,201
4,649
1958
68,796
5,185
14,266
15,485
3,759
1957
107,851
4,977
20,205
15,296
3,081
1956
99,448
4,075
20,274
11,105
3,002
1955
104,656
3,382
14,772
8,439
1,720
1954
79,383
3,071
6,679
5,389
2,285
1953
119,888
3,617
5,906
2,296
2,939
1952
99,489
3,162
4,783
1,970
2,362
1951
118,375
2,407
4,247
1,270
3,160
1950
99,618
1,987
3,270
199
2,950
1949
86,300
1,888
3,334
-
2,743
1948
102,624
1,572
2,708
-
2,711
1947
94,586
611
3,208
-
1,738
1946
71,980
583
2,643
-
1,177
1945
89,794
650
2,013
-
277
1944
95,628
770
974
-
18
1943
102,873
811
1,133
-
5
1942
107,219
704
1,706
-
409
1941
93,893
828
1,451
-
1,697
1940
74,879
404
1,909
-
1,804
1939
52,562
363
1,792
-
1,691
1938
28,903
486
1,707
-
1,615
1937
73,251
242
1,635
-
1,558
1936
49,572
110
908
-
1,462
1935
31,030
-
673
-
862
1934
24,983
-
514
-
973
1933
17,835
-
326
-
565
1932
10,005
-
323
-
172
1931
31,632
-
546
-
742
1930
59,346
-
1,473
-
1,689
1929
74,200
-
1,518
-
1,812
1928
63,195
-
1,509
-
1,525
1927
62,732
-
1,229
-
1,508
1926
68,708
-
877
-
1,396
1925
62,902
-
1,150
-
1,234
1924
55,138
-
993
-
1,050
1923
70,464
-
761
-
673
1922
47,885
-
1,034
-
290
1921
29,964
-
402
-
8
1920
68,689
-
717
-
3
1919
61,943
-
632
-
1
1918
70,776
-
962
-
-
1917
76,497
-
996
-
5
1916
76,374
-
1,167
-
56
1915
56,417
-
1,149
-
147
1914
42,105
-
797
-
64
1913
62,975
-
1,735
-
14
1912
56,038
-
1,468
-
7
1911
44,581
-
1,381
-
29
1910
57,930
-
1,362
-
-
1909
52,117
-
1,263
-
-
1908
36,560
-
1,166
-
-
1907
55,138
-
1,182
-
-
1906
70,464
-
1,154
-
-
1905
47,885
-
1,017
-
-
1904
29,964
-
859
-
-
1903
68,689
-
880
-
-
1902
61,943
-
1,134
-
-
1901
70,776
-
1,043
-
-
1900
76,497
-
434
-
-
1899
76,374
-
406
-
-
1898
56,417
-
189
-
-
1897
42,105
-
139
-
-
1896
62,975
-
150
-
-
1895
56,035
-
93
-
-
1894
44,581
-
141
-
-
1893
57,930
-
152
-
-
1892
52,117
-
93
-
-
1891
36,560
-
82
-
-
1890
52,551
-
70
-
-
1889
48,516
-
76
-
-
1888
43,080
-
72
-
-
1887
27,941
-
69
-
-
1886
35,358
-
58
-
-
1885
35,866
-
-
-
-
1884
29,058
-
-
-
-
1883
27,738
-
-
-
-
1882
24,994
-
-
-
-
1881
19,746
-
-
-
-
1880
17,799
-
-
-
-
1879
16,262
-
-
-
-
1878
16,214
-
-
-
-
1877
12,071
-
-
-
-
1876
11,774
-
-
-
-
1875
16,559
-
-
-
-
1874
14,825
-
-
-
-
1873
16,293
-
-
-
-
1872
14,751
-
-
-
-
1871
12,257
-
-
-
-
1870
11,481
-
-
-
-
1869
10,160
-
-
-
-
1868
7,722
-
-
-
-
1867
8,332
-
-
-
-
1866
8,534
-
-
-
-
1865
9,144
-
-
-
-
1864
7,234
-
-
-
-
1863
7,234
-
-
-
-
1862
4,082
-
-
-
-
1861
3,893
-
-
-
-
1860
2,919
-
-
-
-
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Macmillan Publishers. (December 31, 1993). Iron ore production in selected American countries from 1860 to 1988 (in thousands of metric tons) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved January 04, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1316651/iron-ore-production-americas-historical-country/
Macmillan Publishers. "Iron ore production in selected American countries from 1860 to 1988 (in thousands of metric tons)." Chart. December 31, 1993. Statista. Accessed January 04, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1316651/iron-ore-production-americas-historical-country/
Macmillan Publishers. (1993). Iron ore production in selected American countries from 1860 to 1988 (in thousands of metric tons). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: January 04, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1316651/iron-ore-production-americas-historical-country/
Macmillan Publishers. "Iron Ore Production in Selected American Countries from 1860 to 1988 (in Thousands of Metric Tons)." Statista, Statista Inc., 31 Dec 1993, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1316651/iron-ore-production-americas-historical-country/
Macmillan Publishers, Iron ore production in selected American countries from 1860 to 1988 (in thousands of metric tons) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1316651/iron-ore-production-americas-historical-country/ (last visited January 04, 2025)
Iron ore production in selected American countries from 1860 to 1988 (in thousands of metric tons) [Graph], Macmillan Publishers, December 31, 1993. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1316651/iron-ore-production-americas-historical-country/