What world events mean for platinum — the exporters, the routes, and the retail endpoint.
Platinum
We don't have an honest retail series for this yet — platinum reaches consumers inside catalytic converters and jewelry, never as a priced retail good.
US scope. We show a retail endpoint only when a published BLS series measures it honestly.
Circle size ∝ share of world exports — country area does not imply volume
17.5% of world platinum exports · 2024 trade value
Top 3 exporters: 41% of world exports.
Hong Kong accounts for 17.5% of the world's exported platinum by value — a disruption here travels through the buyers and companies below.
See who depends on it ↓catalytic converters · exhaust treatment systems
A platinum supply shock would likely first appear in futures and cash bids — timing and size are not established in our sources.
Critical exporters & importers
2024 vintage · annual data, 1–2y lagTop exporters
Hong Kong
17.5% of world exports
South Africa
12.9% of world exports
United Kingdom
10.6% of world exports
Italy
6.2% of world exports
United States
5.3% of world exports
Next tier: Japan (3.6%), Belgium (3.3%), Germany (3.3%)
Top importers
22.8% of world imports62.7% from South Africa
13.3% of world imports70.5% from South Africa
12.8% of world imports28.7% from South Africa
9.5% of world imports85.8% from South Africa
7.3% of world imports57.5% from South Africa
An importer is “critical” here by share of world platinum imports; the per-exporter dependency underneath is what makes a shock travel. 2024 vintage · annual data, 1–2y lag — annual data, 1–2y lag.
Market stress data as of Sep 24, 2026 from the commodity supply-risk monitor.