The Largest Uranium Mines in the World: Top 10, Mapped
60-second answer: McArthur River/Key Lake in Saskatchewan, Canada, is the world's largest uranium mine by output. It produced 7,808 tonnes of uranium (tU) in 2024, about 13% of world mine supply, per the World Nuclear Association's mine table (updated October 23, 2026). Cigar Lake, also in Saskatchewan, was second at 6,501 tU (11%), and Husab in Namibia third at 4,437 tU (7%). The ten largest mines produced 37,156 tU between them, 62% of the 2024 world total. Kazakhstan hosts five of the ten, all in-situ leach operations. 2024 is the latest full year WNA publishes by mine. See every site on the uranium mines map.
The top 10 uranium mines by 2024 output
The table ranks mines by 2024 production, the latest year in the WNA World Uranium Mining Production table. Figures are real (as reported to WNA) and on a 100% basis. The Mlbs column is our conversion at about 2,600 lb U₃O₈ per tU.
| Rank | Mine | Country | Owner / operator | Method | 2024 output | Share of world |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McArthur River / Key Lake | Canada | Cameco (operator), Orano | Underground | 7,808 tU (~20.3 Mlbs U₃O₈) | 13% |
| 2 | Cigar Lake | Canada | Cameco (operator), Orano | Underground | 6,501 tU (~16.9 Mlbs) | 11% |
| 3 | Husab | Namibia | Swakop Uranium (CGN) | Open pit | 4,437 tU (~11.5 Mlbs) | 7% |
| 4 | Karatau (Budenovskoye 2) | Kazakhstan | Kazatomprom, Uranium One | ISL | 3,299 tU (~8.6 Mlbs) | 6% |
| 5 | Inkai, sites 1–3 | Kazakhstan | Kazatomprom, Cameco | ISL | 2,992 tU (~7.8 Mlbs) | 5% |
| 6 | Akdala and South Inkai 4 | Kazakhstan | Uranium One, Kazatomprom | ISL | 2,803 tU (~7.3 Mlbs) | 5% |
| 7 | Olympic Dam | Australia | BHP | By-product / underground | 2,693 tU (~7.0 Mlbs) | 5% |
| 8 | Moinkum and Tortkuduk | Kazakhstan | Orano, Kazatomprom (Katco) | ISL | 2,388 tU (~6.2 Mlbs) | 4% |
| 9 | Rössing | Namibia | CNNC | Open pit | 2,205 tU (~5.7 Mlbs) | 4% |
| 10 | Khorassan 1 | Kazakhstan | Kazatomprom, Uranium One | ISL | 2,030 tU (~5.3 Mlbs) | 3% |
Source: WNA, World Uranium Mining Production, updated October 23, 2026 (2024 data). WNA reports Akdala with South Inkai, and Moinkum with Tortkuduk, as combined lines; we keep them combined.
For context, the top two mines alone produced 14,309 tU in 2024, which is Canada's entire national output for the year (per the same WNA table).
Profiles of the five largest
1. McArthur River / Key Lake (Canada)
McArthur River is an underground mine in Saskatchewan's Athabasca Basin, and Key Lake is the mill 80 km south that processes its ore. Cameco owns 69.805% of McArthur River and Orano 30.195%; Key Lake is owned 83.333% by Cameco and 16.667% by Orano (per Cameco). Cameco says the two have produced 583 million pounds together and describes McArthur River as the world's largest high-grade uranium mine (Cameco operations page, as of December 31, 2025).
Output has run below plan. Cameco cut 2025 McArthur River/Key Lake guidance from 18 Mlbs to 14–15 Mlbs (100% basis) in August 2025 and reported 15.1 Mlbs for the year. Its 2026 plan is 14.0–16.5 Mlbs. Track each revision on the guidance tracker.
2. Cigar Lake (Canada)
Cigar Lake is an underground mine 480 meters below surface, mined with a jet-boring method Cameco developed for the deposit. Its ore is trucked to Orano's McClean Lake mill. Since July 2, 2026, Cameco owns 57.418% and Orano 42.582%, after the two bought TEPCO Resources' 5% stake (Cameco, July 2, 2026).
Cameco reported 19.1 Mlbs from Cigar Lake in 2025 and guides 17.5–18.0 Mlbs for 2026 (100% basis). Production paused in mid-2026 during an acid-plant outage at McClean Lake and resumed in July, per Cameco's July 14, 2026 release. Quarterly dried-and-drummed figures are on the Cigar Lake site page.
3. Husab (Namibia)
Husab is an open-pit mine in Namibia's Erongo region. Swakop Uranium operates it; Taurus Minerals (CGN Uranium Resources and the China-Africa Development Fund) holds 90% and Namibia's state-owned Epangelo Mining 10%, per our Husab site page. Husab mines low-grade ore at scale: our database lists a grade of 0.045% U₃O₈, against 6.9% at McArthur River.
4. Karatau (Kazakhstan)
Karatau mines block 2 of the Budenovskoye deposit by in-situ leach. Kazatomprom and Uranium One, a Rosatom subsidiary, each hold 50%, per our Karatau site page. It was the largest ISL mine in WNA's 2024 table.
5. Inkai, sites 1–3 (Kazakhstan)
JV Inkai is owned 60% by Kazatomprom and 40% by Cameco, per Cameco's disclosure cited on the Inkai site page. It reported 8.4 Mlbs in 2025 and 2.8 Mlbs in the second quarter of 2026 (100% basis).
Why Kazakhstan's ISL mines dominate the list
In-situ leach (ISL, also called in-situ recovery or ISR) pumps a leaching solution through a sandstone aquifer and brings uranium to the surface in solution, with no pit or shaft. It accounted for 55% of world mine production in 2024 (per WNA). Read how ISR uranium mining works for the process.
Kazakhstan produced 23,270 tU in 2024, 39% of world supply, ahead of Canada at 24% and Namibia at 12% (per WNA). Its output is spread across many wellfields, so no single Kazakh mine matches the Canadian pair. Canada works the other way: two high-grade underground mines carry most of the country's output. Country totals are on uranium production by country.
The largest undeveloped uranium deposits
New supply has come from existing mines. The 2026 Red Book (OECD-NEA/IAEA, published September 2026) found that production rose in 2023–2024 through restarts and expansions, and that no new uranium mining project began production. The deposits below are the largest undeveloped ones in our database, ranked by disclosed resources.
| Deposit | Country | Owner | Disclosed size | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imouraren | Niger | Imouraren SA (Orano majority, State of Niger) | 171,426 tU reserves (~445.7 Mlbs U₃O₈), as of Dec 31, 2023 | Permit withdrawn by Niger June 19, 2024; in arbitration |
| Arrow (Rook I) | Canada | NexGen Energy | 337.4 Mlbs U₃O₈ total resources, inclusive of reserves (256.7 Mlbs measured and indicated) | Federal environmental assessment |
| Etango-8 | Namibia | Bannerman Energy | 207 Mlbs U₃O₈ resources | Development |
| Wheeler River (Phoenix, Gryphon) | Canada | Denison Mines (~95% effective) | 134.7 Mlbs U₃O₈ resources (Phoenix + Gryphon, 100% basis, per Denison NI 43-101) | Permitting |
Imouraren figures are from Orano's 2025 Annual Activity Report, which removed the deposit from Orano's own reserves after the permit withdrawal. Arrow and Wheeler River figures are from the NI 43-101 technical reports cited on the NexGen stock page and the Denison stock page.
Arrow is the deposit most often called the largest undeveloped. NexGen describes it as the largest undeveloped high-grade uranium deposit in the world, and the grade qualifier matters: Imouraren holds more uranium at far lower grade. Of Arrow's 337.4 Mlbs, 209.6 Mlbs are measured, 47.1 Mlbs indicated and 80.7 Mlbs inferred. NexGen's feasibility case is a mine of up to 30 Mlbs a year, which would be larger than McArthur River's 2024 output if built.
Two listed developers own the largest Canadian undeveloped deposits: NexGen Energy (NXE) owns Arrow, and Denison Mines (DNN) is the majority owner of Wheeler River. Neither owns a top-10 producing mine.
See every mine on the map
The uranium mines map plots 74 mine and mill sites, 40 of them operating, alongside reactors and fuel-cycle facilities. Each pin links to a site page with cited production, resources, grade and ownership. For US operations specifically, see uranium mining in the US.
Which listed companies own the largest mines
Three listed companies own or co-own 8 of the 10, per the owners WNA lists for each mine.
- Cameco (CCJ): McArthur River/Key Lake, Cigar Lake and Inkai (40%). WNA ranks it the second-largest producer in 2024 at 10,193 tU (17% of world).
- Kazatomprom (NATKY): all five Kazakh mines on the list (Karatau, Inkai, Akdala and South Inkai 4, Moinkum and Tortkuduk, Khorassan 1). It was the largest producer in 2024 at 12,463 tU (21%, per WNA). See the Kazatomprom stock guide.
- BHP: Olympic Dam, where uranium is a by-product of copper. The mine produced 2,693 tU in 2024 (5% of world), per WNA.
The other two mines, Husab and Rössing in Namibia, are owned through Chinese state groups (CGN and CNNC, per WNA). Orano and Uranium One, a Rosatom subsidiary, co-own several of the Canadian and Kazakh mines alongside Cameco and Kazatomprom. Compare listed miners on the uranium stocks screener.
Frequently asked questions
What is the largest uranium mine in the world? McArthur River/Key Lake in Saskatchewan, Canada, operated by Cameco. It produced 7,808 tU in 2024, about 13% of world mine output, per the World Nuclear Association. Cigar Lake, also in Saskatchewan, was second at 6,501 tU.
Which country has the largest uranium mines? Canada has the two largest individual mines by output. Kazakhstan has the most mines in the top 10 (five) and the largest national output, 23,270 tU in 2024 or 39% of world supply (per WNA).
Who owns Cigar Lake and McArthur River? Cameco operates both. Since July 2, 2026, Cigar Lake is owned 57.418% by Cameco and 42.582% by Orano. McArthur River is owned 69.805% by Cameco and 30.195% by Orano, and the Key Lake mill 83.333% by Cameco and 16.667% by Orano.
What is the largest undeveloped uranium deposit? By tonnes, Imouraren in Niger, with 171,426 tU of reserves as of end-2023 per Orano, though Niger withdrew its operating permit in June 2024. Among high-grade deposits, NexGen's Arrow in Saskatchewan is the largest, at 337.4 Mlbs U₃O₈ of total resources.
Where can I see a map of uranium mines? The Yellowcake Analytics uranium mines map shows 74 mine and mill sites worldwide, with production, ownership and a source for each figure. It also plots reactors and fuel-cycle facilities, and is free to embed from the widgets page.
Informational only, not investment advice. Every figure links to its primary source so you can check it yourself.