Rare Earths · Application-wise
Rare Earths' Applications: Magnets Lead, Neodymium Dominates the Mix
Permanent magnets take nearly half of rare earth demand, and neodymium alone accounts for over a third of the 17 elements mined by weight.
Magnets (NdFeB)
47.6% of demand
EV motors and wind turbine generators, covered in depth on the materials science page, the largest and fastest-growing category.
Catalysts
15.7% of demand
Petroleum refining and automotive catalytic converters, an older, established industrial use.
Polishing powders
10.5% of demand
Cerium oxide, the standard glass and optics polishing compound.
Metallurgy & other
26.2% of demand
Alloying additions, glass, ceramics, and battery alloys, a long tail of smaller uses.
The breakdown by use, and by element
Magnets (NdFeB)
47.6%
Catalysts
15.7%
Polishing powders
10.5%
Metallurgy
6.4%
Glass
5.9%
Ceramics
3.1%
Battery alloys
1.6%
Other
9.2%
Neodymium
36%
Cerium
31%
Lanthanum
18%
Praseodymium
7%
Yttrium
3%
Others
5%
Sources: end-use and element shares reference this project’s own verified demand data (USGS, IEA Critical Minerals Outlook).