Kazakhstan Uranium Production: World Rank, Tonnes, Share

Kazakhstan uranium production: the short answer

Kazakhstan is the world’s largest uranium producer. It mined about 25,839 tonnes of uranium (tU) in 2025, roughly 40% of the world total, according to the World Nuclear Association, and has held first place since 2009. Its operators expect more in 2026: Kazatomprom, the state company, guides to 27,500-29,000 tU on a 100% basis.

Three facts explain that position. Almost all Kazakh uranium comes from in situ leaching, which dissolves the metal underground rather than digging it out. The country holds the second-largest identified resources. And foreign partners such as Orano, Cameco and Chinese and Russian groups own large stakes in the mines, so “Kazakhstan’s output” and “Kazatomprom’s output” are very different numbers. This page ranks the producers, shows the share over time, separates those two numbers and lists the mines behind the total.

A note on units: tU means tonnes of contained uranium. Prices are quoted per pound of U3O8, the oxide sold as yellowcake. One tU is about 2.6 thousand pounds of U3O8, the conversion Kazatomprom states in its report (2.5998 lb per kgU).

World ranking of uranium producing countries

The last year with a full country table is 2024. World mine output was 60,213 tU, and Kazakhstan produced 23,270 tU of it, which is 38.6%. Canada came second with 14,309 tU and Namibia third with 7,333 tU. Those three made up about 75% of the total. Natural Resources Canada shows the same order and puts Kazakhstan at 44% of world uranium exports in 2024, ahead of Canada on 24%. The ranking metric below is mine production in tonnes of uranium, from the World Nuclear Association table updated on 23 October 2026.

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Uranium mine output by country

tonnes of uranium (tU), 2024, top eight producers

Shares are our division of each country’s tonnage by the world total. Older pages that show Canada at about 7,000 tU are using 2018-2019 figures, when McArthur River was suspended (January 2018 to November 2022). Canada’s output has since doubled, so the gap to Kazakhstan is much narrower than those pages suggest: about 9,000 tU in 2024. For where the ground itself sits, see our map of uranium deposits in the world.

Kazakhstan’s share of world uranium production over time

Kazakhstan passed Canada in 2009 with almost 28% of world production. Output rose from 2,114 tU in 2001 to a peak of about 24,600-24,700 tU in 2016, then fell. Low prices led to deliberate cuts from 2017, and the pandemic pushed output down to 19,477 tU in 2020.

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Kazakhstan’s share of world mine output

percent of world tU

The share chart tells a slightly different story from the tonnage chart. The share reached about 46% in 2021 because other producers had cut harder, not because Kazakh tonnage was high. It then fell back to under 39% by 2024, even as Kazakh output grew, because Canadian mines restarted. A falling share can therefore sit beside rising tonnes, and it is worth checking both before quoting either.

How much uranium Kazakhstan will produce next

The 2025 total of 25,839 tU was a record in the World Nuclear Association series. For 2026, Kazatomprom reiterated production guidance of 27,500-29,000 tU in August 2026, which would be 6-12% above 2025. First-half production was 13,291 tU, up 9% on a year earlier. To land inside the range, the second half has to deliver about 14,200-15,700 tU.

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Kazakhstan uranium production

tU per year, national total

Three items matter for 2027 and beyond, all from the company’s first-half report of 21 August 2026:

• Sulphuric acid. The TQZ acid plant hit potential paleontological finds during earthworks. Its start moved from early 2027 to between the third quarter of 2027 and the first quarter of 2028. The company says it expects no material effect on mining at this stage and will reflect its assessment in 2027 guidance.
• Costs. Guidance for attributable C1 cash cost (the direct cost of producing a pound) rose to US$25.50-27.00/lb from US$23.50-25.00/lb. Guidance for all-in sustaining cash cost (C1 plus capital cost) rose to US$39.00-40.50/lb from US$35.00-36.50/lb. Acid prices and a stronger tenge were among the reasons given.
• New capacity. A processing plant at the Zhalpak deposit started on 29 July 2026 with capacity of up to 500 tonnes a year, and expansion to 900 tonnes is planned for 2027.

Country output versus Kazatomprom output

This is the most common mix-up in coverage of the sector. Kazatomprom reports two production numbers. The 100% basis counts everything from every mine it has a stake in. The attributable basis counts only its ownership share. In 2025 the attributable figure was 13,519 tU, about 52% of the national total. In other words, close to half of Kazakh output belongs to other owners.

The company ranking shows the effect. In 2024 Kazatomprom was the largest uranium company by attributable production with 12,463 tU, 21% of the world, ahead of Cameco on 10,193 tU (17%). Orano, Uranium One and CGN follow, and each counts tonnes from Kazakh joint ventures. For a wider list of operators, see our guide to mining companies in Kazakhstan.

Kazatomprom is state-controlled. In November 2018, 15% of its shares were placed on the Astana International Exchange and the London Stock Exchange. Figures here are facts for reference, not a view on any share.

The largest uranium mines in Kazakhstan

The list below ranks Kazakh operations by 2024 production, using the five that appear in the World Nuclear Association top-10 mines table. All are in situ leach operations. Partners come from the joint-venture table in the country profile, which reflects recent stake sales. Together these five made about 13,500 tU, or some 58% of the national total.

Even the largest Kazakh operation is less than half the size of McArthur River/Key Lake in Canada, the world’s top producer at 7,808 tU. Kazakhstan leads through many mid-sized wellfields: Kazatomprom operates 27 deposits grouped into 14 mining assets. Production comes mainly from two sedimentary provinces, Chu-Sarysu and Syrdarya, in the central south of the country.

How Kazakh uranium is mined: in situ leaching

In situ leaching (ISL, also called in situ recovery or ISR) leaves the ore in the ground. Wells inject a solution into a water-bearing sandstone, the solution dissolves the uranium, and other wells pump it back up for processing. Worldwide, ISL made up 55% of production in 2024. Since virtually all Kazakh output uses it, Kazakhstan alone accounts for roughly seven of every ten ISL tonnes.

Infographic

In situ leaching in 4 steps

1. 1Drill wellfieldInjection and extraction wells reach the sandstone.
2. 2Inject solutionAcidic solution dissolves uranium underground.
3. 3Pump to surfaceUranium-bearing solution returns to the plant.
4. 4Recover U3O8Uranium is separated, dried and packed.

The method explains the economics. Kazakh mines generally use much higher acid concentrations and no oxidant, which is why acid supply and acid prices appear so often in Kazatomprom’s reports. Instead of a pit or shaft, an operator keeps drilling new wellfields as old ones deplete. That is a steady capital cost, and output cannot simply be switched on: wells must be prepared ahead of time.

Groundwater and land

Surface disturbance is small compared with a pit, but ISL works inside an aquifer, so groundwater is the main environmental question. At Inkai, the native groundwater is not potable because of naturally high radionuclide levels, according to Cameco’s description quoted by the World Nuclear Association. Monitor wells around each mineralised zone are used to detect solution moving outside the mining area. In a Kazakh test at the Irkol deposit, the affected area halved in four years and was fully restored naturally after 12 years. From September 2026, site liquidation moves from mining enterprises to a national radioactive waste operator.

Is Saskatchewan uranium higher grade than Kazakh uranium?

Yes, by a very wide margin. Grade is the share of the ore that is U3O8. Cameco’s reserves at the end of 2025 average 16.33% U3O8 at Cigar Lake and 6.48% at McArthur River, both in Saskatchewan, against 0.03% at JV Inkai in Kazakhstan. That makes Cigar Lake about 540 times richer than Inkai on reserve grade.

So descriptions of Kazakhstan’s deposits as “high-grade” are wrong. Low grade is workable there because ISL does not need to haul or mill the rock. The deposits’ permeable sandstone and large size do the work that grade does in Canada. Compare mines on cost per pound and recovery, not grade alone. Our guide to types of ore deposits explains how geology shapes the mining method.

Uranium resources: can Kazakhstan keep this up?

Kazakhstan holds 1,219,000 tU of identified resources up to US$130/kg U as of 1 January 2025, 16% of the world, second to Australia’s 2,119,800 tU (27%), and ahead of Russia and Canada. Dividing by 2025 output gives about 47 years. That is a rough scale and not a mine life: it ignores recovery losses, costs and new discoveries. Reasonably assured resources alone, the better-known part, are 491,256 tU in the 2026 Red Book.

Uranium prices and what Kazakh producers actually receive

Uranium has no open exchange price in the way copper does. Buyers and sellers negotiate privately, and Cameco publishes an average of the month-end prices from UxC and TradeTech. At 30 October 2026 the spot price was US$91.55/lb U3O8 and the long-term price US$98.00/lb. Spot is the price for near-term delivery. Long-term (term) is the indicator for multi-year contracts, and most trade runs through 3-15 year term contracts.

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Spot price versus prices realised

US$/lb U3O8, first half averages

Kazatomprom’s realised price lags spot. In the first half of 2026 the Group realised US$67.88/lb while weekly spot averaged US$85.98/lb. Because sales follow contract terms, a spot rally need not pass straight into producer revenue. Use the calculator below with your own price and share to see the difference.

Who can invest or hold rights in Kazakh uranium

Consultants advising foreign partners should read the recent rules closely. Under amendments to the Subsoil Use Code effective 7 September 2026:

• Licences held by the national operator for in situ leach deposits can be transferred only to companies in which it holds more than 75%. That threshold is unchanged.
• For open-pit or underground uranium deposits, the threshold is more than 50%.
• Uranium exploration moves from licences to subsoil use agreements, with a one-time extension of up to five years and a maximum total of 11 years.
• Extensions of a production period can be tied to added obligations on national security or strategic projects.

The Euratom Supply Agency’s annual report reads earlier amendments as capping foreign stakes in new uranium projects at 25%, down from 50%, and says this may make new projects less attractive to foreign companies. Existing joint ventures, such as those in the mine table, were set up under earlier terms. Confirm the position for a specific asset with local counsel.

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Where Kazakh uranium fits in supply chains

Kazakhstan mines far more uranium than it uses, because it has no operating nuclear power plant. Its single earlier reactor ran from 1972 to 1999. That is starting to change: voters backed new nuclear energy in an October 2024 referendum, and in September 2026 Rosatom and Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Plants signed a construction contract for a 2,400 MWe plant at Balkhash.

The country is also moving beyond raw concentrate. The Ulba site makes fuel pellets, and a fuel fabrication plant built with CGN opened in 2021 and reached its 200 tU/yr design capacity in 2024. As one measure of buyers, Kazakhstan supplied 2,981 tU, or 20.31%, of uranium delivered to EU utilities in 2025, second to Canada.

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What this means for mining consultants

• State the basis. Say whether a figure is national, 100% basis or attributable, and give the year.
• Watch 2027 guidance. It is the first place the acid plant delay and cost pressure will show up in tonnes.
• Do not compare grades alone. A 0.03% ISL mine and a 16% underground mine are different businesses.
• Check ownership early. The equity thresholds above shape any deal in the sector.
• Look elsewhere too. Supply is also shifting in Namibia and Niger; see our page on African countries with the highest uranium reserves.

Sandstone-hosted ISL targets sit deep, so surface imagery alone will not define them. For early screening in other settings, Farmonaut’s satellite-based mineral detection produces exploration targets that sit ahead of any resource estimate and need drilling to confirm. Consultants can send a project outline through the mining query form or contact the team.

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Frequently asked questions

Which country is the largest uranium producer in the world?

Kazakhstan. It produced about 25,839 tU in 2025, some 40% of world mine output, according to the World Nuclear Association. It has ranked first since 2009.

How much uranium does Kazakhstan produce per year?

About 23,270 tU in 2024 and 25,839 tU in 2025. Kazatomprom’s guidance for 2026 is 27,500-29,000 tU on a 100% basis.

How much is Kazakhstan’s output in pounds of U3O8?

About 67 million pounds for 2025, using roughly 2.6 thousand pounds per tU. The 2026 guidance equals 71.49-75.39 million pounds in Kazatomprom’s report.

What share of world uranium comes from Kazakhstan?

About 39% in 2024 and about 40% in 2025. The share peaked near 46% in 2021, when other producers had cut output.

Who are the top five uranium producing countries?

On 2024 mine output: Kazakhstan, Canada, Namibia, Australia and Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan’s 4,000 tU is an estimate.

Which is the largest uranium mine in Kazakhstan?

Karatau (Budenovskoye 2) was the largest Kazakh operation in the 2024 table, at 3,299 tU. The world’s largest was McArthur River/Key Lake in Canada.

Is Kazakh uranium high grade?

No. Cameco reports reserves at JV Inkai averaging 0.03% U3O8. Kazakh mines work because in situ leaching suits their sandstone deposits, not because the ore is rich.

Does Kazatomprom own all of Kazakhstan’s uranium production?

No. Its attributable share was 13,519 tU in 2025, about 52% of national output. The rest belongs to partners in its joint ventures.

Why did Kazakhstan’s output fall after 2016?

Mainly deliberate cuts during low prices from 2017, followed by a pandemic-related drop to 19,477 tU in 2020.

Where are Kazakhstan’s uranium mines?

Mainly in the Chu-Sarysu and Syrdarya provinces, including Inkai, Budenovskoye, Moinkum, Kharasan and Zarechnoye.

Can foreign companies mine uranium in Kazakhstan?

Yes, usually through joint ventures with the national operator, though recent rules set high state-equity thresholds. Take local legal advice for a specific asset.