Figure 4.6 | Regional development of mineral raw materials production, 1985 and 2023

America saw a 43.3 per cent increase in production from 1985 to 2023. Latin America and the Caribbean nearly doubled their output during the same period, while Oceania experienced a remarkable 334.3 per cent increase, underscoring its expanding role in the supply of minerals. By contrast, Europe's production declined by 57.2 per cent, reflecting a regional shift towards reduced extraction, influenced the world. Africa showed significant growth, with an extraction of 0.93 billion metric tons in 2023, marking a 67.6 per cent increase compared The dynamic regional upswing and redistribution of mining activity, shaped by industrial expansion, evolving resource demand, and geopo- litical transformations, is reflected at the national level, with China emerging as the world's leading producer, accounting for an impressive Asia's predominance, as China's share is more than twice that of the United States of America (12.3 per cent),the second-largest producer. Alongside the Russian Federation (8.0 per cent) and India (7.0 per cent), the top four countries collectively contribute with 54.2 per cent more than half of the world's total minerals output. This concentration high-