Copper: Production
Why a few Andean and African mines set supply
What this tab covers Who produces it and how much: world output over recent years, the top producing countries with their shares, USGS world figures for 2024 and 2025, and the largest producing companies globally and in India.Mine output is spread widely. Chile supplied 24% in 2024, DR Congo 14% and Peru 12%, giving an HHI of 1,089, which counts as unconcentrated. World mine output rose about 9% between 2020 and 2024, to 22.9 million tonnes. Refining tells a different story. USGS puts China at 12.4 of the world's 27.6 million tonnes of refined copper in 2024, about 45%, rising to about 48% in 2025. China mines only 8% of the world's copper, so it imports concentrate on a vast scale. In 2025, concentrator shutdowns and falling ore grades cut output at several US mines.
Copper · WMD
2020 21.1 m 2021 21.4 m 2022 22.0 m 2023 22.4 m 2024 22.9 m World production, tonnes (World Mining Data 2026).Top producers 2024
Chile 24.0% DR Congo 13.5% Peru 11.9% China 8.0% United States 4.6% Russia 4.6% Indonesia 4.4% Zambia 3.6% Concentration: HHI 1,089, unconcentrated.USGS estimate
World, 2024 23,000 thousand metric tons, Cu content (mine) World, 2025e 23,000 thousand metric tons, Cu content (mine)Largest producers by company, global
- BHP: 2.02 Mt Cu (group production) (FY2025 (to June 2025))
- Freeport-McMoRan: 1.53 Mt Cu (3,383 Mlb consolidated production) (2025)
- Codelco: 1.44 Mt Cu (own mines plus shares in El Abra, Anglo American Sur and Quebrada Blanca) (2025)
- Zijin Mining: 1.09 Mt Cu (mined) (2025)
- Glencore: 0.85 Mt Cu (own-sourced) (2025)
- CMOC: 0.74 Mt Cu (2025)
- MMG: 0.51 Mt Cu (2025)
Largest producers by company, India
- Hindalco (Birla Copper, Dahej): 420 kt copper cathode (FY2026)
- Vedanta (Sterlite Copper, Silvassa refinery): 149 kt copper cathode (FY2025)
- Kutch Copper (Adani Enterprises), Mundra: 50 kt refined copper (approximate, industry estimate) (FY2026)
- Hindustan Copper: 3.67 Mt ore (27.4 kt metal in concentrate) (FY2026)