Rhodium Soars 15% in 2025 and Is Worth 80% More Than Gold: Understand Why the Rare Metal Is Crucial for Green Technologies

Written by Bruno Teles

Published on 10/04/2025 at 15:35

Ródio vale US$ 5.400 a onça em 2025, 80% mais que o ouro. Metal raro (0,000037 partes por milhão) é crucial para catalisadores automotivos e redução de CO2. Entenda alta de 15% e domínio da África do Sul.

Be the first to react!

Priced at US$ 5,400 an Ounce, Metal Used in Automotive Catalysts Is 1,000 Times Rarer Than Gold. South Africa and Russia Dominate 90% of Global Production.

The rhodium, the most expensive metal in the world, has seen a rise of 15% in 2025 and is now worth US$ 5,400 an ounce — 80% more than gold. Essential for reducing pollutant gas emissions, it is a key component in the race for sustainable technologies. With reserves concentrated in South Africa and Siberia, its scarcity (0.000037 parts per million in the Earth) explains the record appreciation.

Why Is Rhodium 1,000 Times Rarer Than Gold?

According to the Royal Society of Chemistry, rhodium exists in 0.000037 parts per million in the Earth’s crust, compared to 0.0013 for gold. Extracted as a byproduct of nickel and copper refining, only 405 tons are exported annually by South Africa, the largest global producer.

Rhodium Price vs. Gold: Quotation Hits US$ 6,000 and Attracts Investors

With only 0,000037 parts per million in the Earth's crust (1,000 times rarer than gold), it is found almost exclusively as a byproduct of nickel and copper refining, limiting its extraction to a few countries, such as South Africa and Russia. — With only **0.000037 parts per million** in the Earth’s crust (1,000 times rarer than gold), it is found almost exclusively as a byproduct of nickel and copper refining, limiting its extraction to a few countries, such as South Africa and Russia.

In March 2025, the metal reached US$ 6,000 an ounce (Trading Economics), driven by demand for automotive catalysts. Compared to gold (average of US$ 3,000), rhodium’s appreciation is propelled by:

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Atomic Number 45 and Resistance That Defies Corrosion

Discovered in 1803 by William Wollaston, rhodium (symbol Rh) has:

Atomic Number 45 (45 protons/electrons);
Atomic mass of 102.9 u;
Corrosion resistance even at 600°C;
Hardness superior to platinum, used in metal alloys.

Russia and South Africa: The Giants Behind 90% of Global Rhodium

Russia extracts the metal from a single deposit in Siberia, while South Africa accounts for 75% of global production. Geopolitics directly affects the market: sanctions on Russia in 2023 explained part of the 30% increase during that period.

With the green transition, rhodium is expected to maintain its status as the most valuable metal on the planet. Its application in low-carbon technologies and geological scarcity suggest new highs — and a challenge: how to ensure supplies without predatory mining.

Rhodium Soars 15% in 2025 and Is Worth 80% More Than Gold: Understand Why the Rare Metal Is Crucial for Green Technologies

Priced at US$ 5,400 an Ounce, Metal Used in Automotive Catalysts Is 1,000 Times Rarer Than Gold. South Africa and Russia Dominate 90% of Global Production.

Why Is Rhodium 1,000 Times Rarer Than Gold?

Rhodium Price vs. Gold: Quotation Hits US$ 6,000 and Attracts Investors

Atomic Number 45 and Resistance That Defies Corrosion

Russia and South Africa: The Giants Behind 90% of Global Rhodium

A village with 115 inhabitants wants new residents: it offers a house, a job, up to 44 thousand euros in benefits, almost free rent, an annual grant of 8 thousand euros for 3 years, and a 20 thousand euro incentive for businesses in the mountains of Italy.

NASA is offering US$ 750,000 to people from anywhere in the world who solve a problem that could decide survival on Mars: creating food for astronauts without relying on resupply from Earth.

While countries spend billions to draw water from the sea, a Nobel-winning scientist creates a container-sized machine that extracts up to 1,000 liters per day from dry air and uses ultrasound to release water in minutes, even in the middle of the desert.

Belgium will sink 23 giant concrete caissons, each weighing 22,000 tons, in the North Sea to build the world’s first artificial energy island 45 km off the coast, forming offshore electrical walls.

New microwave that can replace three appliances hits the market: Sharp launches 3-in-1 model that combines air fryer, convection oven, and heating in 0.9 cubic feet for small kitchens

While Brazil has been discussing bullet trains for 16 years, China delivers 5 new high-speed lines in 2026, surpasses 50,000 km of HSR, and moves 1 billion passengers in a single year.

With an 88-meter wingspan, a capacity of 250 tons, six engines, and 32 wheels, the Ukrainian giant became the greatest symbol of extreme air transport and one of the most impressive machines in aviation history.

Cheap used cars can turn into a headache: 7 models up to R$ 50,000 that seem like a good deal, but can wipe out your savings at the mechanic’s

Mangroves hide a billion-dollar water cleanup, remove 960 thousand tons of nitrogen per year, and reveal an environmental power that many people hadn’t even imagined existed.

The delivery of a 15 m² container studio apartment, furnished with a bed, nightstand, wardrobe, slatted panel headboard, custom-designed kitchen, and a corner shower enclosure in the bathroom. The client will use the house on weekends.

A 60 m² container house with three bedrooms, including a master suite and two children’s bedrooms. The team’s assembly took five business days, and the structure came pre-finished from the factory.

What’s worth buying in Paraguay in 2026 reveals an absurd difference in electronics, with MacBook over R$ 11 thousand cheaper and PS5 for half the price.

Rhodium Soars 15% in 2025 and Is Worth 80% More Than Gold: Understand Why the Rare Metal Is Crucial for Green Technologies

Priced at US$ 5,400 an Ounce, Metal Used in Automotive Catalysts Is 1,000 Times Rarer Than Gold. South Africa and Russia Dominate 90% of Global Production.

Why Is Rhodium 1,000 Times Rarer Than Gold?

Rhodium Price vs. Gold: Quotation Hits US$ 6,000 and Attracts Investors

Atomic Number 45 and Resistance That Defies Corrosion

Russia and South Africa: The Giants Behind 90% of Global Rhodium

A village with 115 inhabitants wants new residents: it offers a house, a job, up to 44 thousand euros in benefits, almost free rent, an annual grant of 8 thousand euros for 3 years, and a 20 thousand euro incentive for businesses in the mountains of Italy.

NASA is offering US$ 750,000 to people from anywhere in the world who solve a problem that could decide survival on Mars: creating food for astronauts without relying on resupply from Earth.

While countries spend billions to draw water from the sea, a Nobel-winning scientist creates a container-sized machine that extracts up to 1,000 liters per day from dry air and uses ultrasound to release water in minutes, even in the middle of the desert.

Belgium will sink 23 giant concrete caissons, each weighing 22,000 tons, in the North Sea to build the world’s first artificial energy island 45 km off the coast, forming offshore electrical walls.

New microwave that can replace three appliances hits the market: Sharp launches 3-in-1 model that combines air fryer, convection oven, and heating in 0.9 cubic feet for small kitchens

While Brazil has been discussing bullet trains for 16 years, China delivers 5 new high-speed lines in 2026, surpasses 50,000 km of HSR, and moves 1 billion passengers in a single year.

With an 88-meter wingspan, a capacity of 250 tons, six engines, and 32 wheels, the Ukrainian giant became the greatest symbol of extreme air transport and one of the most impressive machines in aviation history.

Delayed FGTS will offer online consultation starting in June, and workers will be able to track pending amounts through the Regularize Portal without leaving home, in a change that promises to speed up forgotten deposits.

BRICS powerhouse, partner of China, Brazil, and Russia, could become the 4th largest air market on the planet by 2030, driven by 280 million inhabitants, 17,000 islands, and an explosion in demand for flights and modern airports.

The bridge connecting Brazil and Paraguay has a colossal structure, 1,294 meters over the Paraguay River, and 90% of the works completed, but customs bottlenecks, lack of resources, and obstacles between 4 countries still threaten the operation of the 2,400 km Bioceanic Route.

A ship becomes central to Petrobras’s billion-dollar contract, and a Santa Catarina shipyard will build four R$ 11 billion subsea vessels to operate in deep waters starting in 2030.

Brazil becomes the ‘country of inequality’ with the rich’s earnings growing almost 3 times more than the poor’s, and the wage gap reaching 13.8.

Cheap used cars can turn into a headache: 7 models up to R$ 50,000 that seem like a good deal, but can wipe out your savings at the mechanic’s

Mangroves hide a billion-dollar water cleanup, remove 960 thousand tons of nitrogen per year, and reveal an environmental power that many people hadn’t even imagined existed.

The delivery of a 15 m² container studio apartment, furnished with a bed, nightstand, wardrobe, slatted panel headboard, custom-designed kitchen, and a corner shower enclosure in the bathroom. The client will use the house on weekends.

A 60 m² container house with three bedrooms, including a master suite and two children’s bedrooms. The team’s assembly took five business days, and the structure came pre-finished from the factory.

What’s worth buying in Paraguay in 2026 reveals an absurd difference in electronics, with MacBook over R$ 11 thousand cheaper and PS5 for half the price.