Rare Earth Elements
What They Are and Why They Matter
Rare Earth Elements (REEs) are a group of 17 metals: the 15 lanthanides (lanthanum to lutetium in the periodic table), plus scandium and yttrium. Despite the name, most REEs are not geologically rare — they are, however, difficult to extract and process economically because they occur in low concentrations and are chemically similar to each other, making separation complex. REEs are categorised as Light Rare Earth Elements (LREEs: lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium) and Heavy Rare Earth Elements (HREEs: dysprosium, erbium, ytterbium, lutetium). The most strategically important are neodymium and dysprosium, which are used in neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) permanent magnets — the strongest magnets known, essential for EV motors and wind turbine generators.
- Primary REE minerals in India: monazite (contains thorium, lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium), xenotime (yttrium, heavy REEs), bastnäsite.
- India holds the 5th-largest REE reserves globally, with approximately 8.52 million tonnes.
- China controls ~60% of global REE mining and ~85–90% of global REE processing — creating strategic supply chain vulnerability for all nations.
- REEs are listed as Critical Minerals by India's Ministry of Mines (2023 list of 30 critical minerals).
● Tracked since February 01, 2026 · last seen May 26, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes