What is it?
The only element cold enough to keep an MRI magnet superconducting, and the only one light enough to escape Earth's gravity for good once released.
Why does it matter?
Helium is extracted as a by-product of natural gas. When it is vented it is gone from the planet permanently.
Deeper written sections for this material have not been published yet. Everything below is drawn straight from the source datasets and is complete.
Who produces it
See it on a map →Helium Production
Helium Productionmillion cubic meters 2025 (estimated) World total 190.0 million cubic meters
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · Reported in million cubic metres of gas, not tonnes. · source ↗
Scroll the table sideways for the remaining columns.
| Country | Production | Share of world |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 81.00 | 42.6% |
| Qatar | 63.00 | 33.2% |
| Russia | 18.00 | 9.5% |
| Algeria | 11.00 | 5.8% |
| Canada | 6.00 | 3.2% |
| Poland | 3.00 | 1.6% |
| China | 3.00 | 1.6% |
| South Africa | s | — |
| World total | 190.0 | 100% |
“Withheld” means the USGS suppressed the figure to avoid disclosing an individual company's data — it does not mean zero. Country rows do not always sum to the world total because the source rounds each figure independently and does not always break out an “other countries” line.
Who holds the reserves
Helium Reserves
Helium Reservesmillion cubic meters 2025
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · source ↗
| Country | Reserves | Share of world |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 8,500 | — |
| Algeria | 1,800 | — |
| Russia | 1,700 | — |
| South Africa | 400.0 | — |
| Poland | 24.00 | — |
| Qatar | Large | — |
| China | Not applicable | — |
| Canada | Not applicable | — |
| World total | Not applicable | 100% |
Where it is processed and refined
| Plant | Kind | Stage | Country | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung Pyeongtaek Campus | Semiconductor fab | Component | South Korea | Input |
| TSMC Fab 18, Tainan | Semiconductor fab | Component | Taiwan | Input |
What it is used for
All end markets →| End market | What it does there | Importance |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine & Health | Cooling superconducting MRI magnets | Defining |
| Semiconductors | Cooling and leak detection | Important |
| Data Centres & AI | Used in some drive designs and in chip manufacturing | Present |
How much of it a technology needs
| Technology | Quantity | Quoted | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leading-Edge Logic Chip Consumed as gas, not incorporated. | trace | per 300 mm wafer | Process cooling and leak detection |
Indicative range compiled from published technology studies and chemistry; verify against a manufacturer specification before use. Run these numbers at any scale in the material calculator →