Official data shows that in 2025, Guinea's bauxite exports will increase by 25% to 182.8 million tons, solidifying its dominant position in the global supply of bauxite.
BMI Research, a subsidiary of Fitch Solutions, stated that Guinea will surpass Australia to become the world's largest exporter of bauxite in 2023 and will continue to maintain double-digit production growth. According to China's customs data, 74% of Guinea's bauxite exports go to China.
Data from the Guinean Ministry of Mines shows that a total of 23 companies will export bauxite in 2025. China Aluminum Corporation ranked first with an export volume of 22.1 million tons, followed by CBG Company, which is controlled by a consortium of mining companies including Rio Tinto and Alcoa, with an export volume of 17.4 million tons. The first private bauxite exporter in Guinea, SMB Company, and the AGB2A/SDM joint venture, mainly controlled by the Guinean side, each exported 17 million tons. The export growth rate slowed down in the second half of 2025, but still increased by 16% year-on-year, reaching 84 million tons.
China remains the major investor in Guinea's mining sector. It holds more than 60% of the shares in the giant Simandou iron ore project that was put into operation last year, and also holds shares in gold and lithium mining projects.
According to data from China's customs, in 2025, China's import of bauxite from Guinea was 200.5 million tons, representing a year-on-year increase of 26.4%.
A report from Citibank stated that by November 2025, Guinea had exported 150 million tons of bauxite to China, exceeding 80% of the raw materials needed by China's 450 million tons of aluminum smelting plants.
When Guinea's production soared, China restricted its aluminum smelting capacity, which led to a decline in the price of alumina. In the first 10 months of 2025, the price of alumina in Shanghai dropped by 48%.
In November, the Minister of Mines of Guinea stated that the government is accelerating the construction plans for domestic alumina refining plants and iron ore pelletizing plants in order to reduce the export of raw materials.
However, as state-owned enterprises Niban Mining and Axiss Mining increase their production, the strong export momentum of bauxite will continue. The weekly data from January 12th to 18th shows that the shipment volume of bauxite was 4.9 million tons, and the shipment volume of iron ore was 175,880 tons.
