Global leading aluminum exporters 2022, by country

China was the world's leading exporter of aluminum and aluminum products as of 2022. In that year, China's aluminum exports were valued at over 42 billion U.S. dollars, approximately 21 billion U.S. dollars more than Germany, the second-largest aluminum exporter in the world at that time.

China is dominating the global aluminum industry

Aluminum is one of the most abundant metals on earth; however, finding this metal in its pure form is uncommon. Generally, aluminum is produced by extracting the metal from bauxite ores which are the primary source of aluminum in the world. In 2022, China was the world’s second-largest producer of bauxite, with 90 million metric tons. This brings a natural opportunity for the country to control the entire production process, from bauxite mining to finished aluminum products. In 2022, China produced 40 million metric tons of primary aluminum, surpassing all other primary aluminum-producing countries.

Energy intensity and emissions of aluminum production

Extracting aluminum from bauxite is a highly energy-intensive process. Energy dependency on production makes aluminum a significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter worldwide. Even though the Paris Agreement did not set specific regulations for reducing GHG emissions in the sector, decarbonizing the industry took part in the companies’ main agenda. Rio Tinto, one of the world's major aluminum producers, emitted 30.3 million metric tons of greenhouse gases (GHG) in 2022. This was among the lowest GHG emissions levels of the company recorded in recent years.