What Countries Produce the Most Quantities of Salt?
It would not be an overstatement to say that salt is one of the great discoveries in the history of humankind. Just imagine how tasteless our food would have been, had salt not been discovered. Apart from adding flavor to our food, it is also essential for the health of both humans as well as animals if consumed in the right amount. Salt is also used by the food processing and meatpacking industries as a seasoning or preservative ingredient.
The commodity has always been instrumental in the building of communities and societies, as humans usually built their settlements around the sources of salt. At one point in time, salt was also used as a currency.
Currently, many countries around the world are working hard to extract salt so that we can enjoy our food to the fullest. Some of these are producing enough salt to replenish the requirement of the entire world, while others are producing just enough to support their populace.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries, January 2020, China is the top salt producer in the world. In 2019, salt production stood at a whopping 60,000 thousand metric tons in the country. The United States of America produced 42,000 thousand metric tons of salt and occupied the second position, and India, finishing a third, produced 30,000 thousand metric tons of salt in 2019.
Other major salt-producing countries in 2019 included the European nation Germany that produced 14,000 thousand metric tons of salt and occupied the fourth position. Australia occupied fifth place in salt production. It produced 13,000 thousand metric tons. Canada, on the sixth spot, produced 12,000 thousand metric tons of salt.
Other countries that made it among the top ten salt-producing nation’s list in 2019 were – Chile, Mexico, Brazil, and the Netherlands. Chile and Mexico produced 9,000 thousand metric tons and occupied the seventh and eight positions.
The South American nation Brazil occupied the ninth position, produced 7,600 thousand metric tons. The Netherlands produced 7,000 thousand metric tons of salt in 2019 and occupied the tenth position.
Other prominent countries that produced the bulk of salt in 2019 included Russia, Turkey, France, Austria, Pakistan, Poland, Spain, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
So, the next time you take your meal and add a pinch of salt to make it more delicious, do share a thought for the numerous salt workers around the world due to whom our food tastes so perfect.
The top 10 salt-producing countries in the world are:
| S. No. | Country | Mine Production, 2019 |
| 1 | China | 60,000 |
| 2 | United States | 42,000 |
| 3 | India | 30,000 |
| 4 | Germany | 14,000 |
| 5 | Australia | 13,000 |
| 6 | Canada | 12,000 |
| 7 | Chile | 9,000 |
| 8 | Mexico | 9,000 |
| 9 | Brazil | 7,600 |
| 10 | Netherlands | 7,000 |
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