The Global Material Flows Database holds a variety of datasets on material extraction and consumption. The dataset displayed on Resource Watch shows global material consumption and extraction of nonmetallic minerals, biomass, fossil fuels, and metal ores on a national scale.

The following data was used in the paper "Schiller & Roscher (2023). Impact of Urbanization on construction material consumption: A global analysis" to calculate material consumption of non-metallic mineral construction materials.

This dataset provided data on the extraction of mineral construction materials that are used for further processes. The data represent the extraction of raw materials from the environment by country. They are based on reported data on the one hand and estimated data on the other. The specific assumptions and factors for the estimates can be found in Krausmann et al. (2009). Growth in global material use, GDP and population during the 20th century. Ecological Economics 68(10) 2696-2705. doi: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2009.05.007. In the MFA methodology, some categories of materials are defined as "unused extraction" because they are not economically used or further processed. For example, unused materials include overburden from mining activities and unused residues from biomass extraction (OECD, 2008). These are not included in presented data.

The following materials belong to the group of construction minerals: asphalt, chert and flint, common clay, clay for bricks etc., crushed stone, igneous rock, lava sand, limestone, marl, shell, loam, marble, travertines, sand and gravel, sandstone, slate and turfaceous rock (see Lutter, S., Lieber, M., & Giljum, S. (2016). Global Materialflow database. Material extraction data. Technical Report, Version 2015.1. retrieved February 2018 from www.materialflows.net). The status of the given data is spring 2018 and was downloaded from www.materialflows.net at this time. Due to restructuring of the website, 2018 data is no longer available online. Current data on material extraction and consumption can be found on United Nations Environment Programme, International Resource Panel (IRP). (2023). Global Material Flows Database. https://www.resourcepanel.org/global-material-flows-database.

Material stocks of buildings, infrastructure, machinery and other short-lived products form the biophysical basis of production and consumption. They are a crucial lever for resource efficiency and a sustainable circular economy, and for climate change mitigation. Here, we provide a global, country-level database of national-level material stocks differentiated by four end-uses and four summary material groups, for 177 countries from 1900 to 2016.

This MAT_STOCKS database is derived from the economy-wide, dynamic, inflow-driven stock-flow model of Material Inputs, Stocks and Outputs (MISO2) (Wiedenhofer et al. 2024). MISO2 covers 14 supply chain processes from raw material extraction to processing, trade, recycling and waste management, as well as 13 end-use types of stocks. Further information on the model and its system definition, as well as the model input data and assumptions and data processing procedures can be found in the accompanying peer-reviewed publication. The model code and exemplary input data can be found in the GitHub repository.

The MAT_STOCKS database version 1.0 provided here is summarized from the more detailed modeling presented in (Wiedenhofer et al. 2024). The dataset here gives:

Material stocks by 4 main end-uses: buildings, infrastructure, machinery and other short-lived products (summarized from 13 detailed end-uses modeled) (S_10)

Material stocks and flows by 4 main material groupings: biomass, non-metallic minerals, metals, as well as fossil-fuels derived materials (summarized from 23 raw materials and 20 stock-building materials modeled)

Flows: Gross Additions to Stocks (F_9_10) and End-of-Life/Waste potentials (F_10_11)

177 countries

1900 to 2016

All units in kilotons. Paramter names are in accordance with the system definition given in the publication.

Additionally, this repository includes all data presented in the figures of the related journal article.

Further information

This dataset complements the following scientific article:

Wiedenhofer, Dominik and Streeck, Jan and Wieland, Hanspeter and Grammer, Benedikt and Baumgart, Andre and Plank, Barbara and Helbig, Christoph and Pauliuk, Stefan and Haberl, Helmut and Krausmann, Fridolin, From Extraction to End-uses and Waste Management: Modelling Economy-wide Material Cycles and Stock Dynamics Around the World (2024). Journal of Industrial Ecology, https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13575

The model code and its documentation are available on Github and Zenodo (see links below). For further information please see the publications. You can also contact Dominik Wiedenhofer dominik.wiedenhofer(a)boku.ac.at and visit our website to learn more about our project: MAT_STOCKS - Understanding the Role of Material Stock Patterns for the Transformation to a Sustainable Society.

Funding

This work was supported by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (MAT_STOCKS, grant agreement No 741950), and the European Union's Horizon Europe programme (CircEUlar, grant agreement No 101056810). Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or granting authorities.

www.materialflows.net is an online portal for material flow data, providing access to data on the national level. The website is based on the worldwide unique comprehensive database on global resource extraction - WU Global Material Flows Database, set up and administrated by the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU). It covers more than 200 countries, the time period of 1980 to 2013, and more than 300 different materials aggregated into 12 categories of material flows. With regard to material extraction data, the database currently comprises 311 types of materials, which can be aggregated into five material groups; Fossil fuels, Metal Ores, Industrial Minerals, Construction Minerals and Biomass. For each country, each year and each material the database contains the: primary data (in the original unit as reported by the data source; e.g. tons, kilograms, cubic meters, carat, etc.), factors converting primary data into gross values (i.e. used extraction; e.g. gross ore), factors converting primary data into 1000 tons of used extraction, factors converting primary biomass values in additional biomass quantities used as straw or feed, used extraction (in 1000 tonnes), factors to calculate unused domestic extraction by multiplying used extraction values (in tonnes per tonne), unused extraction (in 1000 tonnes), and total extraction (in 1000 tonnes), summing up used and unused extraction and finally erosion factors and eroded material (in 1000 tonnes).

Website:

http://www.materialflows.net/materialflowsnet/home/

Database compiled by a global consortium of leading research institutes to establish the first authoritative global database covering: •material extraction •trade in primary materials and •material footprint of consumption.

The Global Materials Flows database encompasses 40 years (1970–2010) of data from every country in the world.

Website:

http://environmentlive.unep.org/material

This dataset complements the scientific article by Watari, T., Böcher, C., Baumgart, A., & Wiedenhofer, D. (2025). Mapping sand flows and stocks. One Earth.

For further information, please consult the cited publications or contact Dominik Wiedenhofer (dominik.wiedenhofer@boku.ac.at).

Data

This dataset includes the following information:

• Economy-wide global stocks and flows of sand and gravel for the year 2016, from raw material extraction, trade and processing to its accumulation as material stocks, as well as resulting waste management. Sand and gravel stocks and flows are further differentiated by end-use product groups for gross additions to stocks, in-use stocks, and end-of-life flows
• Global timeseries of sand stocks and flows, for domestic extraction, gross-additions to stocks, and end-of-life flows from 1900 to 2016, by material category
• Global timeseries of sand stocks from 1900 to 2016, by end-use product groups

The dataset combines information from the MAT_STOCKS database (Wiedenhofer et al., 2024a) derived from the MISO2 model (Streeck et al., 2024; Wiedenhofer et al., 2024b), and the UNEP IRP Global Material Flows database (TCCC.3.8.2) for global extraction and raw material trade.

Sand stocks and flows are based on estimates of sand, gravel and aggregates used for asphalt, concrete and sub-base layers thereof, as well as downcycled and virgin aggregates. Note that the prefix 'aggregates_for' denotes aggregates that are to be used in asphalt and concrete before they the final products are manufactured, whereas the prefix 'aggregates_in' denotes aggregates contained in the final products. The aggregates content in asphalt is based on a 1:20 bitumen to aggregates ratio, and a 1:6.64 cement to aggregates ratio for concrete.

This dataset contains a summarized version of the more detailed MAT_STOCKS database as derived from the MISO2 model. Consequently, these flows are simplified in the sankey diagram and the data presented herein.

Further information

Please refer to the MAT_STOCKS database repository for detailed information on individual material processes and flows (Wiedenhofer et al., 2024a), as well as the documentation on GitHub for details on the MISO2 model (Streeck et al., 2024; Wiedenhofer et al., 2024b). Further information on economy-wide material flow accounting can be found in (UNEP, 2023), and the derived global country-level database in (UNEP – IRP 2024).

References

Streeck, J., Grammer, B., Wieland, H., Wiedenhofer, D., 2024. socialecologyboku/MISO2: v1.0.0. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12795906

UNEP, 2023. The Use of Natural Resources in the Economy: A Global Manual on Economy Wide Material Flow Accounting (Manual). United Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi, Kenya.

UNEP, & IRP. (2024). Global Material Flows Database. https://www.resourcepanel.org/global-material-flows-database

Wiedenhofer, D., Streeck, J., Wieland, H., Grammer, B., Baumgart, A., Plank, B., 2024a. From Extraction to End-uses and Waste Management: Modelling Economy-wide Material Cycles and Stock Dynamics Around the World. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.12794253

Wiedenhofer, D., Streeck, J., Wieland, H., Grammer, B., Baumgart, A., Plank, B., Helbig, C., Pauliuk, S., Haberl, H., Krausmann, F., 2024b. From extraction to end‐uses and waste management: Modeling economy‐wide material cycles and stock dynamics around the world. J. Ind. Ecol. jiec.13575. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13575

This data release presents the Yale stocks and flows database (YSTAFDB). Its data describe the use of 102 materials from the early 1800s to circa 2013 through anthropogenic cycles, their recycling and criticality properties, and on spatial scales ranging from suburbs to global. This data collection was previously scattered across multiple non-uniformly formatted files such as journal papers, reports, and unpublished spreadsheets. These data have been synthesized into YSTAFDB, which is presented as individual comma-separated text files and also in MySQL and PostgreSQL database formats. Consolidation of these data into a single database can increase their accessibility and reusability, which is relevant to diverse stakeholders ranging from researchers in sustainability science to government employees involved in national emergency planning.

See also the associated Data Descriptor published in Nature Scientific Data: www.nature.com/articles/s41597-023-01965-y

This data set covers global extraction of coal and metal ores on an individual mine level. It covers 1171 individual mines in 80 different countries, reporting mine-level production for 80 different materials in the period 2000-2021. Furthermore, also data on mining coordinates, ownership, mineral reserves, mining waste, transportation of mining products, as well as mineral processing capacities (smelters and mineral refineries) and production is included. The data was gathered manually from more than 1900 openly available sources, such as annual or sustainability reports of mining companies. All datapoints are linked to their respective source documents. After manual screening and entry of the data, automatic cleaning, harmonization and data checking was conducted. Geoinformation was obtained either from coordinates available in company reports, or by retrieving the coordinates via Google Maps API and subsequent manual checking. For mines where no coordinates could be found, other geospatial attributes such as province, region, district or municipality were recorded, and linked to the GADM data set, available at www.gadm.org.

The data set, found in the "data" sub-folder, consists of 12 tables. The table “facilities” contains descriptive and spatial information of mines and processing facilities, and is available as a GeoPackage (GPKG) file. All other tables are available in comma-separated values (CSV) format. If you are working in Excel or have problems handling the GeoPackage file, it can be converted to Excel with an online tool, such as https://mygeodata.cloud/converter/gpkg-to-xlsx.

A schematic depiction of the database is provided in the file database_model.pdf. A description of all variables of all tables is provided in the Excel file variables_descriptions.xlsx, and all materials for which production is reported in the database are listed in the file materials_covered.xlsx.

For convenience, global and national coverage shares for every material and country with recorded production in the database is provided in the file coverage_table.pdf. These coverage shares were calculated by comparing the production values of this database to official production statistics reported in the UNEP IRP Global Material Flows Database, to be found under https://www.resourcepanel.org/global-material-flows-database. For significant raw material producing countries, these coverage shares are also visualised in the file coverage_national_area_charts.pdf.

This Zenodo upload accompanies a Data Descriptor in Scientific Data, titled "YSTAFDB, a unified database of material stocks and flows for sustainability science". We refer to this database as the Yale stocks and flows database (YSTAFDB).

Here, we provide core and supplementary ('hierarchy') tables for YSTAFDB in comma separated value file format. We additionally provide an example of a template that we used to manually prepare data for entry into YSTAFDB.

A complete description of YSTAFDB can be found in the Data Descriptor mentioned above. Key properties of YSTAFDB include:

• 100,000+ material cycles, criticality, and recycling data records
• quantitative stocks and flows data for 62 elemental cycles and various engineering material cycles
• data records describing stocks and flows at spatial scales from cities to global, and from the early 1800s to ca. 2013

The datasets:

• Material footprints - main indicators (http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/product?mode=view&code=env_ac_rme" target="_blank">env_ac_rme)
• Material footprints - details by final use of products (http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/product?mode=view&code=env_ac_rmefd" target="_blank">env_ac_rmefd)

provide model-based estimates of material flow accounts in raw material equivalents (MFA-RME) to complement the dataset ´Material flow accounts' (http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/product?mode=view&code=env_ac_mfa" target="_blank">env_ac_mfa), also referred to as economy-wide material flow accounts (EW-MFA).

Both data sets include the indicator raw material consumption (RMC) – also referred to as material footprint. It shows the amount of extraction required to produce the products demanded by final users in the geographical reference area, irrespective of where in the world the extraction of material from the environment took place.

The dataset env_ac_rme includes:

• domestic material extraction by material, directly taken from the EW-MFA dataset (env_ac_mfa), see also Section 15.3 and 17.2 below,
• estimates of the imports and exports in raw material equivalents (RME) by material
• derived indicators, namely raw material input (RMI) and raw material consumption (RMC), by material, see also Section 3.2 below.
• for individual countries and the aggregated EU economy.

The dataset env_ac_rmefd presents RMC in more detail by:

• material
• final products
• types of final uses
• for the aggregated EU economy

The estimates for the aggregated EU economy in the two MFA-RME datasets are compiled using the same model and are fully consistent. The estimates for individual countries in the data set env_ac_rme are either done and reported by the respective national statistical institutes or estimated by Eurostat. Notably, additivity is not given, i.e., the sum of the 27 EU Member States does not match with the aggregated EU economy.

For more information on the complete set of material flow accounts see also the dedicated website on material flows and resource productivity.

Data on the UK's domestic extraction, imports and exports and flow of materials (biomass, minerals and fossil fuels), 1990 to 2023.

The material footprint, also referred to as raw material consumption (RMC), represents the demand for the extraction of materials (minerals, metal ore, biomass and fossil energy materials) induced by consumption of goods and services within a geographical reference area. Data for material footprints stem from material flow accounts, which model the flows of natural resources from the environment into the economy. They include domestic extraction of materials measured in tonnes of gross material (for example, gross ore or gross harvest) as well as estimated imports and exports of the raw material equivalents of the products traded (domestic and abroad extraction required to produce the traded products). RMC thus measures the amount of extraction needed to produce the goods demanded by final users in the geographical reference area, irrespective of where in the world the material extraction took place.

The Sankey diagrams show the flows of materials as they pass through the EU economy and are eventually discharged back into the environment or re-fed into the economic processing.

Three existing statistical data sources are employed to compile the different flows of the diagram (see also section 18.1): waste statistics, international trade in goods statistics and economy-wide material flow accounts.

Flows of waste are approximated using European waste statistics collected under Regulation (EC) No 2150/2002.

European statistics on international trade in goods (ITGS) are used to approximate total imports and exports as well as for the net-imports of waste destined for recycling.

Economy-wide material flow accounts (EW-MFA) provide an aggregate overview, in thousand tonnes per year, of the material flows into and out of an economy.

Complete Model database with 104 parameter files, the master classification file, and the master table with all socioeconomic scenario target values, plus interpolation script for target values.

Together with the ODYM-RECC model version 2.4 (https://github.com/YaleCIE/RECC-ODYM ), these data were used to generate the resource efficiency climate change (RECC) scenarios for the case study with global coverage (preprint: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-93217/v1).

The indicator is defined as the total amount of material directly used in an economy and equals direct material input (DMI) minus exports. DMI measures the direct input of materials for the use in the economy. DMI equals domestic extraction (DE) plus imports. For the ‘per capita’ calculation of the indicator the average population is used (the arithmetic mean of the population on 1st January of two consecutive years).

Domestic Material Consumption (DMC) is based on the Economy-wide Material Flow Accounts (EW-MFA). The theory of Economy-wide material flow accounts includes compilations of the overall material inputs into national economy, the changes of material stock within the economy and the material outputs to other economies or to the environment. EW-MFA covers all solid, gaseous, and liquid materials, except water and air. Water included in products is included.

Эти данные относятся к материальным ресурсам, то есть материалы, происходящие из природных ресурсов, которые формируют материальную основу экономики: металлы (черные, цветные), неметаллические полезные ископаемые (строительные, промышленные), биомасса (древесина, продукты питания) и ископаемые энергоносители. Источник данных(s): Программа ООН по окружающей среде (ЮНЕП) Глобальная база данных по материальным потокам для неевропейских стран и по материальным ресурсам данные о следах; данные Евростата База данных о материальном потоке и производительности (для стран ЕС + Норвегии, Швейцарии и Турции) Контакты: ENV.Stat@oecd.org Дата выпуска набора данных: 27 июня 2024 г. Документация по базе данных Это касается использования природных ресурсов, в том числе природных ресурсов, составляющих основу природных ресурсов", - говорится в сообщении.область применения : лесная растительность (ферро, не ферро), лесная растительность, не связанная с сельским хозяйством (строительная растительность, промышленная растительность), биомасса (буа, пищевые продукты), ископаемые ископаемые. Источник(ы) de donnназвание : База данных Программы Объединенных Наций по охране окружающей среды (PNUE) в Лесуflux mondiaux de matièresдля тех, кто платит не по-европейски и для тех, кто любит своих родных и близких; база данных Европейского статистического управления в Парижепоток информации о технологиях и производительности(для пользователей Интернета + для норвежцев)., Швейцария и Турция). Контакты : ENV.Stat@oecd.org Дата публикации дата основания: 27 июня 2024 года Документация по базе данных "données" These data refer to material resources, i.e. materials originating from natural resources that form the material basis of the economy: metals (ferrous, non-ferrous) non-metallic minerals (construction minerals, industrial minerals), biomass (wood, food) and fossil energy carriers. Data source(s): U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) Global Material Flows Database for non European countries and for material footprint data; Eurostat’s Material Flow and Productivity database (for EU countries + Norway, Switzerland and Türkiye) Contact: ENV.Stat@oecd.org Dataset release date: June 27, 2024 Database documentation Ces données concernent les ressources matérielles, c.à.d. les matières issues de ressources naturelles qui constituent la base matérielle de l'économie : les métaux (ferreux, non-ferreux), les minéraux non-métalliques (minéraux de construction, minéraux industriels), la biomasse (bois, aliments), les énergies fossiles. Source(s) de données : Base de données du Programme des Nations unies pour l'environnement (PNUE) sur les flux mondiaux de matières pour les pays non européens et pour les données relatives à l'empreinte matérielle ; base de données d'Eurostat sur les flux de matières et la productivité (pour les pays de l'UE + la Norvège, la Suisse et la Turquie). Contact : ENV.Stat@oecd.org Date de publication de la base de données : 27 Juin 2024 Documentation de la base de données

Tailings are finely ground waste rock produced as a by-product of standard mining projects as well as some industrial and power plant operations. Tailings are conventionally impounded behind a dam that is raised perpetually insofar as operations continue, thus amassing large volumes of materials (sometimes including supernatant pond water) in the process. The failures of some tailings impoundments have triggered downstream mass movements that have caused human, economic and environmental impacts, thus inviting considerable public attention and scrutiny. Developing a detailed inventory of these “tailings flows” facilitates a better understanding of the magnitude-frequency statistics, preconditioning and trigger variables, breach-outflow processes and downstream runout behaviour. Upon screening over 350 historical waste impoundment failure incidents in pre-existing secondary datasets, we have developed a comprehensive global database of 63 tailings flows from 1928-2020 while following strict case selection criteria with the support of satellite imagery, digital elevation models (DEMs) and source literature. Using a novel runout zonation method, the satellite images and DEMs were analyzed on geographic information systems (GIS) platforms to independently estimate runout distances, inundation areas and travel path angles of tailings flows. Depending on data availability or quality, we also summarized the background information, impoundment conditions and geotechnical indices to provide site-specific context to case histories. The collated data is aimed to (i) broaden the scholarly understanding of tailings breach-runout behaviour, (ii) provide comprehensive documentation while assessing the limitations of data availability and/or quality in the public domain and (iii) establish a consistent framework for reporting various properties of tailings dam failures and tailings flows. Lastly, we note that the data should be treated with prudence. Tailings impoundments are highly variable depending on the locality, and site-specific conditions exert strong controls on post-breach behaviour. As such, it is recommended that our database be used purely as a basis for screening-level assessments, case analog comparisons and academic research. For site-specific prediction studies undertaken by practitioners, targeted field observations, laboratory investigations and numerical models are essential.

This dataset contains the 56 model input parameter and the master classification file that were read into the ODYM-RECC model v2.2 to generate the scenarios on material efficiency and climate change mitigation reported in "Resource Efficiency and Climate Change: Material Efficiency Strategies for a Low-Carbon Future. Hertwich, E., Lifset, R., Ali, S., Pauliuk, S., Heeren, Tu, Q. A report of the International Resource Panel. United Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi, Kenya.".

Dataset: Global physical input-output tables for iron and steel

Years: 2008-2017

Base classification: 32 regions, 39 processes and 30 flows

Associated journal article: The PIOLab - Building global physical input-output tables in a virtual laboratory (forthcoming, Journal for Industrial Ecology)

Associated GitHub repository: www.github.com/fineprint-global/PIOLab

Contact: hanspeter.wieland@wu.ac.at

The folder RawData contains the unprocessed results of the reconciliation run in the PIOLab. These tables (in the Tvy format) form the basis for the R scripts that are available from the GitHub repository mentioned above. Please note the instructions on GitHub for further information and how i.e. where the content of RawData needs to be stored in your local repository.

The folder gPSUT contains the processed physical supply-use tables, including final use matrices and boundary input and output blocks. The variable names are described in detail in the method section of the journal article.

The folder gPIOT contains the process-by-process IO model, which was used for the calculation of the footprint indicators in the Journal article. Please read the information on the footprint calculus in the journal article.

The folder Diagnostics contains, for all years of the time series, results from the analyses of the constraint realization. The journal article presents only the diagnostic test for the year 2008.

Kuwait KW: Material Resources: Domestic Material Consumption per Capita: Fossil Energy Materials data was reported at 14.232 Tonne in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 14.084 Tonne for 2021. Kuwait KW: Material Resources: Domestic Material Consumption per Capita: Fossil Energy Materials data is updated yearly, averaging 21.114 Tonne from Dec 1970 (Median) to 2022, with 53 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 33.302 Tonne in 1997 and a record low of 2.412 Tonne in 1991. Kuwait KW: Material Resources: Domestic Material Consumption per Capita: Fossil Energy Materials data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kuwait – Table KW.OECD.ESG: Environmental: Material Resources by Material Groups: Non OECD Member: Annual.