By Brazil Stock Guide – Brazil’s critical and strategic minerals industry accounts for 57% of employment in the country’s extractive mining sector, with 129,423 jobs recorded in 2025, according to data released by the National Mining Agency (ANM). Employment in the segment increased 8.6% between 2023 and 2025, underscoring its growing importance to the domestic mining economy.
The figures, published through the ANM’s Critical and Strategic Minerals Portal, also show a 485.4% increase in rare-earth exploration authorizations between 2021 and 2025. The expansion reflects growing interest in mineral resources used in electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, advanced manufacturing and other strategic technologies.
Critical and strategic mineral operations account for 129,423 of Brazil’s 226,634 extractive mining jobs. Of those employed in the segment, 51,714 are classified as skilled workers, representing approximately 23% of total employment across the broader extractive mining industry.
Another 30,707 workers have higher education qualifications, equivalent to approximately 14% of the industry’s total workforce.
The sector remains predominantly male. Men hold 100,765 positions, accounting for 78% of employment, while women occupy 28,658 jobs, or 22%.
Higher Education Drives Wage Premiums
Pay varies significantly by educational attainment, according to the ANM.
Workers with elementary education earned a median monthly wage of R$3,218.08 in 2025, compared with R$4,142.24 for employees with secondary education.
For workers holding university degrees, median monthly compensation reached R$11,856.16, approximately 3.7 times the level recorded among employees with elementary education.
The figures illustrate the wage differences associated with educational qualifications in Brazil’s strategic mining activities.
Pará and Minas Gerais Lead Mining Employment
Employment in critical and strategic minerals is concentrated in established mining centers, particularly in the states of Pará and Minas Gerais.
Parauapebas, in Pará, recorded 8,234 workers in the segment, including 1,851 with university degrees. Men accounted for 71.4% of the workforce, while women represented 28.6%.
Nova Lima, in Minas Gerais, employed 8,218 workers, of whom 4,776 had completed higher education. Women accounted for 36.7% of employment, compared with 63.3% for men.
Congonhas, also in Minas Gerais, registered 7,114 workers, including 1,234 with university degrees. Its workforce was 73.2% male and 26.8% female.
The three municipalities rank among Brazil’s major employment centers for critical and strategic mineral extraction.
The ANM’s online platform provides employment and compensation data by municipality, state, mineral commodity, education level and occupational category.
“The portal allows users to consult data on employment, compensation, worker profiles, geographic distribution and minerals associated with these activities,” said Inara Barbosa, the ANM’s superintendent of mineral economics.
Rare-Earth Exploration Permits Jump 485.4%
Brazil recorded a 485.4% increase in rare-earth exploration authorizations between 2021 and 2025, according to the regulator.
The surge indicates a significant expansion in exploration activity, although authorizations do not necessarily translate into commercially viable mining operations.
Brazil produced 326 metric tons of rare earths in oxide concentrate form in 2025. The country currently has four active mining areas producing these materials, all located in Goiás state.
The ANM identified 3,067 areas undergoing mineral exploration, along with another 78 areas that have approved final exploration reports, are eligible for mining concession applications or have already submitted such applications.
Brazil’s Geological Survey has identified an additional 75 locations with rare-earth mineral potential.
The figures highlight the difference between the country’s geological resources and its existing industrial production capacity.
Developing a mining project requires technical assessments, investment, economic feasibility studies, regulatory approvals and environmental licensing before commercial production can begin.
Rare-earth elements are used in permanent magnets, electronics, industrial equipment and technologies associated with energy transition.
Rare-Earth Imports Exceed Concentrate Exports
Brazil exported US$14.9 million in rare-earth concentrates in 2025, while imports of processed rare-earth products, including oxides and magnets, totaled US$30.6 million.
The figures show that imports of these processed products exceeded the value of concentrate exports, illustrating the gap between domestic mineral extraction and downstream manufacturing.
The imbalance highlights the importance of processing capabilities in determining how much economic value a country captures from its mineral resources.
Rare earths are among several commodities classified as critical or strategic by Brazilian authorities. Others include lithium, nickel, copper, graphite, niobium, manganese, uranium, potassium and gold.
The classification also covers iron ore, phosphate, silicon, aluminum, tin, vanadium, molybdenum, tantalum, tungsten and chromium.
Brazil established its framework for identifying critical and strategic minerals under Resolution No. 2, issued by the Ministry of Mines and Energy on June 18, 2021.
The designation takes into account economic and strategic considerations, including the relevance of mineral resources to domestic industries and national priorities.
Gold Output Reaches R$41.7 Billion
Gold remains another major component of Brazil’s strategic mineral economy.
The country produced 71.1 metric tons of processed gold in 2025, with an estimated production value of R$41.7 billion, according to the ANM.
The regulator identified 504 active gold-mining operations during the period.
Exports of gold in the mining segment reached US$6.59 billion, while imports totaled US$10.4 million.
The figures underline the importance of established mineral commodities alongside emerging opportunities in rare earths and other materials associated with advanced industrial technologies.
The ANM’s Critical and Strategic Minerals Portal consolidates information on exploration, mining production, employment, compensation and international trade.
Its database allows comparisons across commodities and regions, providing an overview of Brazil’s mineral resource development, operating assets and industrial supply chains.
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