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Rare earths, or rare earth elements (REEs), are a group of 17 metallic chemical elements that are essential to many modern technologies. Despite the name, they are not actually rare in the Earth’s crust; they are called “rare” because they are difficult and costly to extract and refine in usable form.

What elements are included

Rare earths consist of:

• 15 lanthanides (from lanthanum to lutetium)

• Plus scandium and yttrium, which have similar chemical properties

Why rare earths are important

Rare earth elements are critical for high-tech and clean-energy applications, including:

• Smartphones, laptops, and TVs

• Electric vehicles (motors and batteries)

• Wind turbines

• Military and aerospace systems

• Medical imaging equipment

• Magnets, lasers, and semiconductors

For example:

• Neodymium and dysprosium are used in powerful permanent magnets

• Europium and terbium are used in display screens

• Lanthanum is used in camera lenses and batteries

Why they matter geopolitically

• Mining and processing rare earths is environmentally challenging

• China dominates global rare earth processing and supply chains

• Many countries, including Canada and the U.S., consider rare earths strategic minerals for economic and national security

Key takeaway

Rare earths are strategic, technology-enabling elements that underpin modern electronics, clean energy, and defense industries, even though they are not truly rare in nature.