 In 2017, world production was estimated at 280 million tonnes, the top five producers (in million tonnes) being China (68.0), United States (43.0), India (26.0), Germany (13.0), and Canada (13.0).Salt is also a byproduct of potassium mining.Although it forms easily through the combination of its component elements sodium and chlorine

2Na(s) + Cl2(g) → 2NaCl (s)

in a combustive reaction that releases about 411 kilojoules of energy per mole of the compound it is practically never intentionally so created due to the violence of such a reaction unless to measure properties of such a reaction.