Distribution of global helium production by country 2016
The gas famous for making your voice sound different
Helium is an odorless, colorless, non-toxic, tasteless, inert, and monoatomic gas that has multiple uses. Commonly used for balloons, it is also used in airships, MRI scanners, rockets, and telescopes. In 2018, the United States produced the largest volume of helium worldwide. In that year, they produced 64 million cubic meters of helium, which was extracted from natural gas. Following the United States was Qatar, which produced 45 million cubic meters of helium. By end use, MRI scanners accounted for a 20 percent share of the global helium consumption in 2016.
Helium in the United States
Not only did the United States produce the largest quantity of helium worldwide in 2018, they also had the largest helium reserves. Reserves of helium in the United States amounted to an estimated 3.9 billion cubic meters as of 2018.