The value of overall platinum exports accelerated by an average 124.2% for all exporting countries since 2018 when platinum shipments were valued at $32.3 billion.
Year over year, the value of globally exported platinum shrank by -20.1% compared to $90.6 billion during 2021.
The 5 biggest exporters of platinum are the South Africa, United States of America, United Kingdom, Russia and Germany. Collectively, that leading handful of top platinum sellers on international markets generated over two-thirds (69.6%) of the world’s platinum exported during 2022.
Among continents, suppliers in European countries sold the highest dollar worth of exported platinum during 2022 with shipments valued at $36.8 billion or 50.8% of the global total. In second place were fast-growing African exporters at 23.1% while 14.4% of worldwide platinum shipments originated from North America. Another 11.6% worth came from sellers in Asia.
Tinier percentages arrived from suppliers in Latin America (0.1%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, and Oceania’s Australia and New Zealand mostly (0.03%).
For research purposes, the 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix for unwrought or semi-manufactured platinum is 7110. Also included in that code prefix are palladium, rhodium, iridium, osmium and ruthenium.
Platinum Exports by Country
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of platinum during 2022.
- South Africa: US$16.7 billion (23.1% of total platinum exports)
- United States: $10 billion (13.8%)
- United Kingdom: $9.5 billion (13.1%)
- Russia: $7.2 billion (9.9%)
- Germany: $7 billion (9.7%)
- Belgium: $5.1 billion (7%)
- Italy: $4.8 billion (6.6%)
- Hong Kong: $3.1 billion (4.2%)
- Japan: $2.2 billion (3.1%)
- Switzerland: $2 billion (2.7%)
- United Arab Emirates: $1.2 billion (1.7%)
- South Korea: $898.4 million (1.2%)
- Norway: $557.4 million (0.8%)
- Taiwan: $492.1 million (0.7%)
- Canada: $393 million (0.5%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 98.1% of globally exported platinum in 2022.
Among the top exporters, there was a pair of growth exporters of platinum, namely suppliers in the United Arab Emirates (up 2,058% from 2021), Japan (up 22.7%), Hong Kong (up -6.8%) and Germany (up -12.8%).
Major suppliers that posted declines in their international sales of platinum were led by: South Korea (down -32.3% from 2021), United Kingdom (down -30.5%), South Africa (down -27.7%), Canada (down -25.4%) and the United States of America (down -23.9%).
Searchable List of Platinum Exporting Countries in 2022
The 71 export countries in the following automated database showcases 100% of the value of platinum exported in 2022.
| Rank | Exporter | Platinum Exports | 2021-2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | South Africa | $16,745,648,000 | -27.7% |
| 2. | United States | $10,032,241,000 | -23.9% |
| 3. | United Kingdom | $9,467,982,000 | -30.5% |
| 4. | Russia | $7,169,503,000 | -15.2% |
| 5. | Germany | $6,991,951,000 | -12.8% |
| 6. | Belgium | $5,085,401,000 | -14.1% |
| 7. | Italy | $4,783,281,000 | -13.9% |
| 8. | Hong Kong | $3,064,843,000 | -6.8% |
| 9. | Japan | $2,223,272,000 | +22.7% |
| 10. | Switzerland | $1,964,853,000 | -16.9% |
| 11. | United Arab Emirates | $1,209,027,000 | +2058% |
| 12. | South Korea | $898,413,000 | -32.3% |
| 13. | Norway | $557,354,000 | -18.1% |
| 14. | Taiwan | $492,087,000 | -15.4% |
| 15. | Canada | $393,004,000 | -25.4% |
| 16. | Singapore | $356,953,000 | +4.3% |
| 17. | Austria | $271,878,000 | +5.9% |
| 18. | France | $182,277,000 | +1.4% |
| 19. | Spain | $98,814,000 | -22% |
| 20. | Türkiye | $66,312,000 | -4.2% |
| 21. | Netherlands | $56,059,000 | -72.8% |
| 22. | Czech Republic | $44,961,000 | -28.6% |
| 23. | Costa Rica | $40,305,000 | +33.6% |
| 24. | Mexico | $32,266,000 | +873% |
| 25. | Poland | $31,060,000 | -58.9% |
| 26. | Ireland | $23,725,000 | +26.8% |
| 27. | Colombia | $22,570,000 | +6.7% |
| 28. | India | $17,761,000 | -80.2% |
| 29. | China | $14,876,000 | +9.1% |
| 30. | Australia | $13,902,000 | -4.4% |
| 31. | Thailand | $13,505,000 | -3.6% |
| 32. | Trinidad/Tobago | $10,810,000 | +62.9% |
| 33. | Finland | $10,159,000 | +21.3% |
| 34. | Hungary | $7,953,000 | -40.4% |
| 35. | Saudi Arabia | $7,779,000 | 0% |
| 36. | Serbia | $7,676,000 | -34.9% |
| 37. | Chile | $5,632,000 | -17.1% |
| 38. | Uzbekistan | $4,789,000 | -97.6% |
| 39. | New Zealand | $4,193,000 | +20.7% |
| 40. | Sweden | $4,183,000 | +9.5% |
| 41. | Greece | $3,905,000 | -19.5% |
| 42. | Ukraine | $3,427,000 | -88.2% |
| 43. | Malaysia | $3,062,000 | -74.1% |
| 44. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $1,834,000 | +6450% |
| 45. | Cuba | $1,635,000 | 0% |
| 46. | Denmark | $1,310,000 | +28.4% |
| 47. | Israel | $775,000 | -8.4% |
| 48. | Vietnam | $533,000 | +49.7% |
| 49. | Brazil | $517,000 | -85.9% |
| 50. | Lebanon | $458,000 | -55.6% |
| 51. | Portugal | $343,000 | -5.5% |
| 52. | Egypt | $321,000 | -73.3% |
| 53. | Georgia | $290,000 | 0% |
| 54. | Slovakia | $286,000 | -86% |
| 55. | Peru | $278,000 | -19.9% |
| 56. | Luxembourg | $268,000 | -42.4% |
| 57. | Kuwait | $163,000 | 0% |
| 58. | Slovenia | $157,000 | -43.9% |
| 59. | Bulgaria | $122,000 | +8% |
| 60. | Bahrain | $122,000 | 0% |
| 61. | Armenia | $97,000 | +67.2% |
| 62. | Papua New Guinea | $76,000 | 0% |
| 63. | Indonesia | $70,000 | -72.9% |
| 64. | Dominican Republic | $63,000 | -99.9% |
| 65. | Jordan | $28,000 | 0% |
| 66. | Philippines | $24,000 | -65.7% |
| 67. | Ecuador | $16,000 | 0% |
| 68. | Ethiopia | $13,000 | 0% |
| 69. | Andorra | $7,000 | +600% |
| 70. | Burundi | $1,000 | 0% |
| 71. | Namibia | $1,000 | 0% |
Expanding our scope to include all platinum exporters, the fastest growers were Bosnia and Herzegovina (up 6,450% from 2021), United Arab Emirates (up 2,058%), Mexico (up 873%), Andorra (up 600%) then Armenia (up 67.2%).
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of the columns. An entry of 0% in the right-most column means that 2021 data was unavailable.
Countries Generating Best Surpluses Trading Platinum
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for platinum during 2022. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the surplus between the value of each country’s exported platinum and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- South Africa: US$16.7 billion (net export surplus down -27.6% since 2021)
- Russia: $7.2 billion (down -14.8%)
- Belgium: $4.7 billion (down -8%)
- United Kingdom: $1.6 billion (down -6.4%)
- United Arab Emirates: $1.1 billion (reversing a -$5.5 million deficit)
- Italy: $957.2 million (down -28.3%)
- Norway: $511.8 million (down -19.9%)
- Taiwan: $217.5 million (up 49%)
- Türkiye: $56.8 million (down -5.6%)
- Costa Rica: $36.7 million (up 58.1%)
- Austria: $30.3 million (reversing an -$11.4 million deficit)
- Colombia: $22.1 million (up 6.1%)
- Netherlands: $12.4 million (down -90.2%)
- Trinidad/Tobago: $10.8 million (up 62.9%)
- Serbia: $7.6 million (down -34.8%)
South Africa generated the highest surplus in the international trade of platinum. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms South Africa’s strong competitive advantage for this specific product category.
Countries Causing Worst Deficits Trading Platinum
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for platinum during 2022. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the deficit between the value of each country’s imported platinum purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- China: -US$7.64 billion (net export deficit down -23.6% since 2021)
- Japan: -$7.58 billion (down -20.6%)
- United States: -$3.8 billion (down -27%)
- Germany: -$2.2 billion (down -38.8%)
- Canada: -$1.74 billion (up 4.5%)
- South Korea: -$1.66 billion (up 0.3%)
- India: -$1.56 billion (up 233.4%)
- North Macedonia: -$1.43 billion (up 2%)
- Hong Kong: -$1.37 billion (down -62.4%)
- Poland: -$1.1 billion (down -2.4%)
- Brazil: -$768.6 million (down -6.7%)
- Ireland: -$686.6 million (up 116.4%)
- Switzerland: -$325.1 million (down -68.9%)
- Argentina: -$150.8 million (up 13%)
- Australia: -$109.5 million (up 70.8%)
Two Asian competitors, mainland China and Japan, incurred the highest deficit in the international trade of platinum. In turn, their negative cashflows highlight both countries’ competitive disadvantages for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for platinum-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful demand.
Platinum Exporting Companies
Below are global platinum miners that represent established players engaged in the international platinum trade. The home country for each platinum producer is shown within parenthesis.
- Anglo American Platinum Limited (South Africa)
- Aquarius Platinum (Bermuda)
- ARM African Rainbow Minerals (South Africa)
- Impala Platinum (South Africa)
- Lonmin plc (United Kingdom)
- Nornickel (Russia)
- North American Palladium (Canada)
- Northam Platinum (South Africa)
- Stillwater Mining Company (United States)
- Wesizwe Platinum (South Africa)
See also Gold Exports by Country, Silver Exports by Country, Palladium Exports by Country and Jewelry Exports by Country
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on October 6, 2023
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on October 6, 2023
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on October 6, 2023
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on October 6, 2023
Wikipedia, Category:Platinum mining companies. Accessed on October 6, 2023