Copper mine production worldwide 2010-2021

The total worldwide copper mine production amounted to an estimated 21 million metric tons in 2021. Global copper production has seen steady growth over the past decade, rising from 16 million metric tons in 2010.

Copper: an essential metal

As an excellent conductor of electricity, copper finds its way into a wide variety of end uses ranging from construction to electronic equipment. Between 2010 and 2020, global consumption of refined copper experienced near-continuous growth. Almost 25 million metric tons of refined copper was consumed in 2020.

Chile: the global leader in copper mining

Thanks to its rich mineral deposits, four of the world’s leading copper mines in terms of reserve volume are located in Chile. With a capacity of over 1.5 million metric tons in 2020, Chile’s Escondida mine is the world’s largest copper mine based on capacity. Escondida also ranks as the number one copper mine based on reserves and production output, thus giving it the distinction of being the leading copper mine in the world overall. Escondida and Northern Chile’s Colahuasi mine are the world’s top two leading copper mines based on production. Peru, Chile’s neighbor to the north, also has several of the world’s leading copper mines.