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9 Rarest Earth Elements
Rare earth elements (REEs), which comprise of only 17 elements from the entire periodic table, play a critical role to our national security, energy independence, environmental future, and economic growth.
Rare earth elements have been all over headlines as of recent. These materials, heavily tied into the global geopolitics game of chess, play a tremendous role in key industries and it appears that President Trump values them dearly.
This guide will show you what are the world’s rarest elements, how are they mined, what’s are they used for, which countries have the upper edge in supply and what price trajectory could these materials have under certain conditions.
Earth Rarest is a minor metals brokers allowing customers with direct access to buying rare earth metals.
Top 9 Rarest Materials on Planet Earth
At Astatine
The rarest naturally occurring element, with only trace amounts existing transiently in uranium/thorium decay chains. All astatine used is produced artificially in particle accelerators.
| Country/Region | % of Production | Source/Method |
|---|---|---|
| Research labs (USA, Canada, EU) | N/A | Produced in microgram quantities by bombarding bismuth-209 with alpha particles in cyclotrons Artificially Produced |
Fr Francium
Incredibly rare and short-lived (Fr-223 half-life ~22 min). At any time, only ~30 grams of francium exist in Earth's crust from natural radioactive decay.
| Country/Region | % of Production | Source/Method |
|---|---|---|
| Research labs only | N/A | Obtained by nuclear reactions (neutron irradiation of radium or proton bombardment of thorium) Artificially Produced |
Pm Promethium
All isotopes of promethium are radioactive (longest half-life ~18 yrs), so virtually none exists naturally. Promethium-147 is obtained as a fission byproduct in nuclear facilities.
| Country/Region | % of Production | Source/Method |
|---|---|---|
| Russia (Mayak) | ~100% (before 2020) | Recovered from spent nuclear fuel reprocessing Nuclear Byproduct |
| United States (ORNL, DOE) | New producer (2020+) | Extracted from byproducts of Pu-238 production (neptunium target irradiation) Nuclear Byproduct |
Po Polonium
Polonium (especially Po-210) is produced in very small quantities for industrial and scientific use. Only about 100 grams of polonium are manufactured worldwide per year.
| Country/Region | % of Production | Source/Method |
|---|---|---|
| Russia (Avangard facility) | ~100% | Produced by irradiating bismuth-209 with neutrons in nuclear reactors Artificially Produced |
Ac Actinium
Actinium occurs naturally only in trace amounts, so all useful supply is produced artificially. The key isotope is Actinium-225 (for cancer therapy).
| Country/Region | % of Production | Source/Method |
|---|---|---|
| United States (ORNL & DOE labs) | ~80–90% | "Milking" Thorium-229 stockpiles and high-energy proton irradiation of Ra-226 or Th targets Artificially Produced |
| Canada (CNL & TRIUMF) | Pilot-scale | Production using high-energy cyclotron to bombard thorium targets Artificially Produced |
Tc Technetium
Technetium has no stable isotope and is not found in mineable ores. Essentially 100% of technetium is obtained from nuclear fission processes during spent fuel reprocessing.
| Country/Region | % of Production | Source/Method |
|---|---|---|
| France (La Hague) | N/A | Reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel yields technetium as a fission product Nuclear Byproduct |
| United Kingdom (Sellafield) | N/A | Produced during fuel reprocessing at Sellafield plant Nuclear Byproduct |
| Russia (Mayak) | N/A | Russian facilities reprocess reactor fuel, producing technetium-99 Nuclear Byproduct |
Re Rhenium
Rhenium is one of the rarest stable elements but is actively produced as a byproduct of copper-molybdenum mining. About 59 metric tons of rhenium are refined per year globally.
| Country/Region | % of Production | Source/Method |
|---|---|---|
| Chile | ~49% | Recovered from molybdenite concentrates in Chile's large porphyry copper deposits Mining Byproduct |
| Poland | ~16% | Poland's copper industry processes sedimentary copper ores containing rhenium Mining Byproduct |
| United States | ~15% | Obtained from molybdenum roast flue gases at copper mines in Arizona and Utah Mining Byproduct |
| Uzbekistan | ~8% | Rhenium-bearing residues from copper ore processing are refined Mining Byproduct |
| China and Others | ~12% | China (~4%) and others recover small amounts of rhenium Mining Byproduct |
Ir Iridium
Iridium is an extremely rare platinum-group metal. World mine supply is only a few tons per year (about 7.3 tonnes in 2018). It is produced as a byproduct of platinum or nickel mining.
| Country/Region | % of Production | Source/Method |
|---|---|---|
| South Africa | ~85–87% | Recovered from platinum-group metal ores in South Africa's Bushveld complex Mining Byproduct |
| Zimbabwe | ~8% | Output from Zimbabwe's Great Dyke platinum mines Mining Byproduct |
| Russia | ~3% | Norilsk Nickel operations produce iridium as a byproduct of smelting nickel sulfide ores Mining Byproduct |
| Canada | ~3% | Canada's Sudbury nickel-copper mines yield trace iridium in their smelter anode slimes Mining Byproduct |
Te Tellurium
Tellurium is a rare semi-metal primarily obtained as a byproduct of copper refining. Global tellurium output in 2021 was about 580–640 tonnes.
| Country/Region | % of Production | Source/Method |
|---|---|---|
| China | ~67% (2023) | Recovered from copper anode slimes during electrolytic refining Mining Byproduct |
| Japan | ~12% | Processing of imported copper anode slimes during electrorefining Mining Byproduct |
| Russia | ~12% | Extraction from copper and lead refining residues Mining Byproduct |
| Canada | ~4% | Recovery from anode slimes and flue dust at copper/lead refineries Mining Byproduct |
| Sweden | ~4% | Production from copper anode slimes at Rönnskär smelter Mining Byproduct |
Mining Locations & Production
The nine rarest naturally occurring elements on Earth are extremely scarce in nature. Most are not mined directly but obtained as byproducts of other processes or produced artificially due to their rarity or short half-lives.
Global Production Locations
How Rare Are They, Exactly?
Rarity Comparison
Below you can see how the world's rarest materials are compared with common and uncommon materials.
Log Scale (ppm)
Global Production in the Last Hour
Rarest Elements: Chemical Properties
Understanding the Electron Shell Charts
Electrons orbit the nucleus of an atom in distinct energy levels called shells. The pie charts below show how electrons are distributed across these shells for each element.
The size of each colored segment indicates how many electrons occupy that shell. These arrangements determine the element's chemical properties.
Astatine (At)
Where Found: Trace decay product in uranium and thorium ores.
Rarity: Estimated <30 grams total on Earth at any given time.
Usage: Primarily research; potential use in targeted alpha therapy (nuclear medicine).
Source: Formed naturally via radioactive decay chains of heavier elements.
Francium (Fr)
Where Found: Trace amounts in uranium minerals (from actinium decay).
Rarity: <30 grams worldwide at any time.
Usage: No large-scale uses; mostly for atomic research.
Source: Generated by the decay of uranium and actinium in nature.
Promethium (Pm)
Where Found: Minute traces in uranium ores via rare nuclear reactions.
Rarity: <1 microgram per million tons of rock.
Usage: Specialized nuclear batteries, luminous paint; mostly produced artificially.
Source: Short-lived isotopes formed by alpha decay and fission; no stable form.
Polonium (Po)
Where Found: Very small amounts in uranium ores (decay of radon).
Rarity: ~0.1–0.2 mg per ton of uranium ore.
Usage: Anti-static devices, heat source for space equipment.
Source: Part of natural radioactive decay series (uranium → radium → radon → polonium).
Actinium (Ac)
Where Found: Trace amounts in uranium/thorium ores.
Rarity: On the order of micrograms in the entire Earth's crust.
Usage: Research; potential for targeted alpha therapy in cancer treatments.
Source: Generated through the decay of uranium and thorium isotopes.
Technetium (Tc)
Where Found: Trace from spontaneous fission of uranium and in nuclear waste.
Rarity: Parts per trillion in uranium ores.
Usage: Widely in nuclear medicine (Tc-99m) as a diagnostic tracer.
Source: All isotopes radioactive; any primordial Tc has decayed, so it's replenished via fission.
Rhenium (Re)
Where Found: Very low levels in molybdenite (MoS₂) ores; recovered as a byproduct of copper/moly refining.
Rarity: ~1 part per billion in Earth's crust.
Usage: Jet engine superalloys, petroleum-reforming catalysts.
Source: A heavy siderophile/chalcophile element, mostly locked in Earth's core.
Iridium (Ir)
Where Found: Crustal rocks at ~1 ppb; more abundant in some meteorites.
Rarity: About 1 part per billion in Earth's crust.
Usage: Alloys for high-temperature applications, spark plugs, crucibles, and electronics.
Source: Highly siderophile, sank into Earth's core; also delivered by meteorites.
Tellurium (Te)
Where Found: Typically in telluride minerals with gold/copper; refined as a copper byproduct.
Rarity: ~1 part per billion in crustal abundance.
Usage: Thermoelectrics, CdTe solar cells, metal alloys.
Source: Volatility and chalcophile behavior led most Te to Earth's interior or lost to space.
Rarity, Price, and Demand Relationship
This historical illustration uses approximate 2023–2024 data. Each bubble's position on the X-axis reflects estimated crustal abundance (on a log scale, in parts per million), the Y-axis shows approximate market price per kilogram (also log scale), and the bubble size indicates a relative scale of annual demand or usage.
Notice how some extremely rare elements on the far left (like astatine or francium) have essentially no market price or industrial demand, while others (like iridium or gold) are both rare and heavily used, driving their values up.
When it comes to pricing, rarity is just one of many components that determine it. The actual supply and demand play a more substantial role, as do geopolitics. But rare earth elements' pricing mechanism isn't quite like precious metals at this stage. A "precious" metal can surge if miners can't ramp up supply in time or if traders view it as a stable asset during financial turbulence. Meanwhile, copper byproducts like tellurium or gallium can swing dramatically if a shift in manufacturing, such as a boost in high efficiency solar cells, suddenly spikes demand without enough smelting capacity to keep up. In other words, rare earth elements are less about speculation or perceived value and much more about their practical, face-value usage.
Investment Opportunities in Rare Elements
Wondering if you can actually acquire any of the nine rarest elements on Earth? While elements like astatine or francium remain virtually unobtainable, Earth Rarest serves as a specialized minor-metals broker connecting qualified investors with legitimate sources of rare earth elements and strategic metals.
From our rare elements portfolio, we specifically handle rhenium and tellurium, alongside select rare earth elements including dysprosium, erbium, neodymium, and cerium. We also facilitate investments in critical technology metals such as antimony, indium, gallium, and cobalt.
To explore investment opportunities, schedule a consultation with our senior metals advisor Russ. With a minimum investment threshold of $10,000, we provide comprehensive services including secure storage solutions and streamlined market resale options when you're ready to liquidate or rebalance your holdings.
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