As of 2021, Russia held natural resources amounting to an estimated total value of 75 trillion U.S. dollars. This figure includes the value of Russia’s many valuable natural resources, which includes coal, oil, natural gas, gold, timber, and rare earth metals, among others.

Natural Resources

Natural resources can be defined as resources that occur naturally and exist independently from the actions of humans. They are commonly categorized in biotic and abiotic resources, where biotic refers to living and organic materials (such as plants), and abiotic resources to refers to non-living materials (such as minerals). Furthermore, natural resources can be divided into the categories of renewable and non-renewable. Renewable resources such as wind, sunlight, and forests are not permanently depleted when we consume or utilize them. Conversely, non-renewable resources are available in finite quantities and can be permanently depleted because of this. Among the most prominently known non-renewable resources on Earth are fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas, and petroleum, usually exploited by humankind to generate energy.

Natural resources and sustainability

The value of natural resources is often determined by their scarcity and by their value for our modern economies. In the consumption-oriented, globalized world, industries need to balance meeting consumer demands and guaranteeing business growth while not over-exploiting and consequently depleting the natural resources of our planet. With natural resources having such high economic value and demand, in addition to the fact that many countries in the world have heavily resource-based economies, the socially, environmentally, and economically sustainable management of these resources is often an afterthought, if its considered at all. This issue is increasingly causing environmental issues, however, and more attention is now being paid by national governments and international environmental watch groups, as a result.

Natural resources in the United States

With a total natural resource value of 45 trillion U.S. dollars, the U.S. is the second leading country worldwide based on natural resource value after Russia. Among the main contributors to the United States’ natural resource value are coal, timber, natural gas, gold, and copper. These industries have strong historic significance for the United States. The U.S. lumber industry, for example, originated during the colonial era, when importing timber from the United States saved people in the U.K. from cold winters. Nowadays, U.S. timber is mostly used for the production of pulp and paper, as well as furniture. The U.S. also has the largest proven coal reserves worldwide as of 2019. In 2020, the U.S. also accounted for 6.7 percent of global coal production, which made the country the fifth-largest coal producer in the world.

According to the results of a survey conducted from December 2022 to January 2023 with decision-makers in the global mining and metals industry, a 68 percent share of the respondents stated that they think resource nationalism will increase worldwide in 2023. Resource nationalism occurs when there is an assertion of control by people and governments over natural resources for strategic or economic reasons.

The revenue of Natural Resource Partners with headquarters in the United States amounted to 278.73 million U.S. dollars in 2023. The reported fiscal year ends on December 31.Compared to the earliest depicted value from 2019 this is a total increase by approximately 21.29 million U.S. dollars. The trend from 2019 to 2023 shows, however, that this increase did not happen continuously.

Natural resources rents in Tanzania corresponded to roughly two percent of the country's GDP in 2019. This represented the lowest share since 2000. During the period under review, the share of natural resources rents in the country's GDP reached a peak in 2011, at 7.5 percent.

The liabilities of Natural Resource Partners with headquarters in the United States amounted to 219.64 million U.S. dollars in 2023. The reported fiscal year ends on December 31.Compared to the earliest depicted value from 2019 this is a total decrease by approximately 365.65 million U.S. dollars. The trend from 2019 to 2023 shows, furthermore, that this decrease happened continuously.

The net cash of Pioneer Natural Resources with headquarters in the United States amounted to 8.45 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. The reported fiscal year ends on December 31.Compared to the earliest depicted value from 2019 this is a total increase by approximately 5.33 billion U.S. dollars. The trend from 2019 to 2023 shows, however, that this increase did not happen continuously.

The net cash of Natural Resource Partners with headquarters in the United States amounted to 310.98 million U.S. dollars in 2023. The reported fiscal year ends on December 31.Compared to the earliest depicted value from 2019 this is a total increase by approximately 173.67 million U.S. dollars. The trend from 2019 to 2023 shows, however, that this increase did not happen continuously.

The operating profit of Natural Resource Partners with headquarters in the United States amounted to 292.54 million U.S. dollars in 2023. The reported fiscal year ends on December 31.Compared to the earliest depicted value from 2019 this is a total increase by approximately 241.22 million U.S. dollars. The trend from 2019 to 2023 shows, however, that this increase did not happen continuously.

The total assets of Natural Resource Partners with headquarters in the United States amounted to 797.88 million U.S. dollars in 2023. The reported fiscal year ends on December 31.Compared to the earliest depicted value from 2019 this is a total decrease by approximately 288.03 million U.S. dollars. The trend from 2019 to 2023 shows, however, that this decrease did not happen continuously.

The revenue of Pioneer Natural Resources with headquarters in the United States amounted to 19.36 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. The reported fiscal year ends on December 31.Compared to the earliest depicted value from 2019 this is a total increase by approximately 10.04 billion U.S. dollars. The trend from 2019 to 2023 shows, however, that this increase did not happen continuously.

The net income of Pioneer Natural Resources with headquarters in the United States amounted to 4.9 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. The reported fiscal year ends on December 31.Compared to the earliest depicted value from 2019 this is a total increase by approximately 5.1 billion U.S. dollars. The trend from 2019 to 2023 shows, however, that this increase did not happen continuously.

China is home to 173 different types of minerals resources, with their known reserves increasing by the day. In 2022, natural gas was the most abundant mineral resource in the country, with some 6569 billion cubic meters. Furthermore, with China's establishment of the Ministry of Natural Resources in 2020, the mining industry has developed rapidly in the direction of environment-friendly practices.

China’s fossil mineral reserves

Of the overall investment in geological exploration made by China, a majority is allocated to discovering fossil mineral reserves. Fossil minerals primarily include coal, natural gas, and crude oil. In fact, among the newly explored reserves of China’s major mineral resources, the three largest reserves were of coal, crude oil, and natural gas. Moreover, coal is second-most invested in with regards to geological exploration of major non-oil and gas resources.

Metal ore mining in China

Metals such as iron, copper, titanium, and gold are much valued for their industrial purposes. China is among the few large countries in the world to have a complete mineral resource palette and is a leading exporter of these essential raw materials. China’s lead reserves saw a 6.7 percent growth in 2019. Meanwhile, that year China invested around 1.17 billion yuan in the geological excavation of gold which has the least year-on-year growth in its reserve. In 2022, the country amounted to nearly 22 million tons of led reserves.

The total assets of Pioneer Natural Resources with headquarters in the United States amounted to 36.61 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. The reported fiscal year ends on December 31.Compared to the earliest depicted value from 2019 this is a total increase by approximately 17.52 billion U.S. dollars. The trend from 2019 to 2023 shows, however, that this increase did not happen continuously.

The total equity of Pioneer Natural Resources with headquarters in the United States amounted to 12.11 billion U.S. dollars in 2018. The reported fiscal year ends on December 31.Compared to the earliest depicted value from 2014 this is a total increase by approximately 3.53 billion U.S. dollars. The trend from 2014 to 2018 shows, however, that this increase did not happen continuously.

According to the estimations from 2019, Mali had a significant mineral potential, with a diverse resource base compounded by rich deposits of gold, iron ore, bituminous shale (oil shale), phosphates, uranium, and others. According to governmental estimates, the country had 800 metric tons of gold deposits, two billion metric tons of iron, 5,200 metric tons of uranium, and ten million metric tons of manganese.

The net income of Canadian Natural Resources with headquarters in Canada amounted to 8.2 billion Canadian dollars in 2023. The reported fiscal year ends on December 31.Compared to the earliest depicted value from 2019 this is a total increase by approximately 2.8 billion Canadian dollars. The trend from 2019 to 2023 shows, however, that this increase did not happen continuously.

This statistic shows the estimated value of mineral resources in Mongolia as of 2013. In Mongolia's most promising mineral deposits, the value of copper is estimated to stand around 306 billion U.S. dollars.

In 2023, Nigeria exported around 5.8 million U.S. dollars worth of iron ore, increasing by nearly five times compared to the previous year. Since 2022, iron exports have grown significantly.

The revenue of Canadian Natural Resources with headquarters in Canada amounted to 35.97 billion Canadian dollars in 2023. The reported fiscal year ends on December 31.Compared to the earliest depicted value from 2019 this is a total increase by approximately 13.1 billion Canadian dollars. The trend from 2019 to 2023 shows, however, that this increase did not happen continuously.

The net cash of Canadian Natural Resources with headquarters in Canada amounted to 12.35 billion Canadian dollars in 2023. The reported fiscal year ends on December 31.Compared to the earliest depicted value from 2019 this is a total increase by approximately 3.52 billion Canadian dollars. The trend from 2019 to 2023 shows, however, that this increase did not happen continuously.