In 2025, China’s iron ore imports amounted to a historical high of 1.26 billion mt, up 1.8 percent year on year, according to the latest data released by China's General Administration of Customs (GACC). This means that, even despite the drop of around 40 million mt in crude steel production in 2025, China increased its iron ore imports by 22 million mt, signaling that changing trends and growth in supply of iron ore are gathering pace.
In December last year, China’s iron ore imports totaled 119.65 million mt, reaching the highest monthly volume of the year, up 6.4 percent year on year, while increasing by 8.2 percent month on month.
