BGS World Mineral Statistics

Query the British Geological Survey's World Mineral Statistics database for mineral production, imports, and exports by commodity, country, and year. Covers global mineral data with country-level breakdowns.

Usage

Basic search:

python3 {baseDir}/scripts/bgs_query.py --query "lithium"

Production by country:

python3 {baseDir}/scripts/bgs_query.py --query "Cobalt" --country "Congo"

Filter by year range:

python3 {baseDir}/scripts/bgs_query.py --query "Copper" --year-from 2018 --year-to 2022

Get country ranking:

python3 {baseDir}/scripts/bgs_query.py --query "Graphite" --ranking --top-n 10

Filter by statistic type:

python3 {baseDir}/scripts/bgs_query.py --query "Nickel" --statistic-type "Exports"

JSON output:

python3 {baseDir}/scripts/bgs_query.py --query "Rare earths" --format json --limit 20

Parameters

Parameter	Description	Default
--query	Commodity name to search for	Required
--country	Filter by country name	-
--year-from	Start year for date filter	-
--year-to	End year for date filter	-
--statistic-type	Statistic type: Production, Imports, Exports	Production
--ranking	Show country ranking by production	false
--top-n	Number of top countries in ranking	15
--limit	Maximum records to return	50
--format	Output format: summary, detailed, json	summary

Examples

# Top lithium producers
python3 {baseDir}/scripts/bgs_query.py --query "Lithium" --ranking --top-n 10

# Cobalt production in Congo over time
python3 {baseDir}/scripts/bgs_query.py --query "Cobalt" --country "Congo" --year-from 2015 --format detailed

# Rare earth exports globally
python3 {baseDir}/scripts/bgs_query.py --query "Rare earths" --statistic-type "Exports" --format json

# Graphite production ranking for 2021
python3 {baseDir}/scripts/bgs_query.py --query "Graphite" --ranking --year-from 2021 --year-to 2021

Notes

• Data from the BGS OGC API (free, no authentication required)
• Covers global mineral production, imports, and exports statistics
• Country names use BGS conventions (e.g., "Congo (Democratic Republic)" not "DRC")
• Year filtering is applied client-side after fetching records
• Rate limiting: be courteous, avoid excessive requests