Resilient operational and financial performance defines Rio Tinto’s year-end report card for 2025. The London- and Melbourne-headquartered mining major closed the year with solid gains across its aluminium value chain, proving that deliberate strategy and disciplined execution are all it takes to offset market volatility and operational challenges. Rio Tinto’s broad-based improvement in production despite intermittent quarterly softness was primarily built on three core pillars: operational excellence, disciplined project delivery, and capital control.
Rio Tinto Chief Executive Simon Trott said: “Our operations delivered exceptional production performance, both on a quarter-on-quarter and full year basis, as we leverage our strong foundation of operating excellence and project delivery across our portfolio.”
Aluminium value chain: Full-year gains outweigh Q4 softness
From bauxite production, the core raw material of aluminium, to the primary metal, Rio Tinto has achieved an uptick over the year. Despite a few quarterly intermittent drops, the company has emerged as a winner at the end of the year. As per the report published, Rio Tinto’s full-year bauxite production has increased by 6 per cent annually to reach a record high of 62.4 million tonnes versus 58.7 million tonnes in 2024.
In tandem with increased production, the company’s bauxite shipments also grew over the year, standing at 43.09 million tonnes.
Alumina production grew by 4 per cent over the year, reaching 7.6 million tonnes, within the range predicted for 2025 guidance between 7.4 and 7.8 million tonnes. Notably, Rio’s both bauxite and alumina production recorded growth for the full year despite a muted Q4. While bauxite output saw a decline over the quarter from 16.4 million tonnes to 15.4 million tonnes, alumina production remained restrained at 2 million tonnes compared to 1.9 million tonnes in Q3.