The data illustrates the distribution of U.S. rare earth imports between 2013 and 2016, sorted by country. In that period, some 78% of rare earth imports into the U.S. originated from China.
Rare earth industry
A large proportion of rare earth imports to the U.S. originate from China. France and Japan both account for another 4% each. Rare earths include minerals such as scandium, yttrium, and lanthanides and range in abundance in their presence in the earth’s crust. The problem is that they are dispersed and often it is difficult to find economically exploitable deposits.
