• Connect with us
    • Information
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Careers
      • Partnerships
      • Advertise With Us
      • Authors
      • Browse Topics
      • Events
      • Disclaimer
      • Privacy Policy
    • Australia
      North America
      World
    Login
    Investing News NetworkYour trusted source for investing success
    • North America
      Australia
      World
    • My INN
    Videos
    Companies
    Press Releases
    Private Placements
    SUBSCRIBE
    • Reports & Guides
      • Market Outlook Reports
      • Investing Guides
    • Button
    Resource
    • Precious Metals
    • Battery Metals
    • Base Metals
    • Energy
    • Critical Metals
    Tech
    Life Science
    Gold Market
    Gold News
    Gold Stocks
    • Gold Market
    • Gold News
    • Gold Stocks
    1. Home>
    2. ResourcePrecious MetalsGold Investing>
    Loading...
    0

    Three Nations Control Nearly Half of Global Mining Footprint, ICMM Data Shows

    Giann Liguid
    Sep. 03, 2025 10:30AM PST

    ICMM's initiative aims to correct the long-standing absence of reliable, standardized data on the industry.

    Digital map of China with network connections highlighted in blue.
    an orange dump truck driving down a dirt road
    ran / Adobe Stock

    The world’s mining industry may be spread across more than 150 countries, but new data reveals that almost half of all large-scale mining and processing facilities are concentrated in just three: China, Australia, and the United States.

    The International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) on Wednesday (September 3) released its Global Mining Dataset report, a sweeping compilation of 15,188 mines and processing plants that it says is the most comprehensive public record of the sector to date.


    According to ICMM, 45 percent of all mines, smelters, refineries, and steel plants are clustered in China, the US, and Australia: an uneven distribution that has significant implications for supply chains and the pace of the clean energy transition.

    “ICMM's foundational Dataset shows that over 75 percent of national economies have at least some connection to large-scale mining or mineral processing,” said Rohitesh Dhawan, ICMM’s president and CEO.

    “Having a global view of the location, type, commodity and footprint of these facilities is essential to inform the right public and policy debates for this critical sector. With minerals and metals at the heart of the energy transition and geopolitical shifts, robust, global, industry-wide data has never been more critical.”

    The dataset identifies 12,876 mines, 1,980 standalone processing facilities, and 332 co-located sites where extraction and processing happen together.

    While operations stretch across more than 151 countries, ICMM’s analysis shows that China in particular dominates the processing stage of the supply chain. The dataset records 426 metallurgical facilities in China — by far the largest number worldwide — compared with 120 in the US, 87 in India, and 65 in Brazil.

    That asymmetry between mining and refining presents a challenge facing local supply chains. While resource deposits are scattered globally, the industrial capacity to convert ores into usable metals is more centralized and heavily tilted toward China.

    Europe, for instance, suffers from this vulnerability. Despite having strong demand from its automotive, aerospace, and electronics industries, the continent’s mining base has shrunk. The dataset shows a greater density of metallurgical facilities in Europe compared with mines.

    This imbalance is not limited to Europe. Across the globe, many economies have significant mineral deposits but lack the facilities to process them. This structural gap cements the dominance of China which has invested heavily in refining capacity and controls much of the midstream in critical mineral supply chains.

    Coal remains dominant

    Although the dataset highlights the role of critical minerals in the energy transition, it also shows that coal remains the single most common mined commodity by number of facilities.

    Coal accounts for 42 percent of all mines, followed by gold at 17 percent, copper at 12 percent, and iron ore at 9 percent.

    The prevalence of coal mines contrasts with global climate goals, but also reflects the legacy infrastructure of energy systems and the uneven pace of transition.

    Overall, Asia hosts the largest number of coal, copper, and iron ore mines, while North and Central America contain the highest number of gold mines.

    Playing the long game

    ICMM officials stressed that the release of the dataset is just a first step in a multi-year effort to improve transparency and support evidence-based policymaking in the sector. Alongside the full dataset, which draws on proprietary sources, ICMM published a public version covering 8,508 facilities.

    Dhawan said the council hopes the data will “continue to expand and improve through partnerships” while building on key sustainability indicators in the coming months.

    More crucially, industry observers have long criticized the scarcity of comprehensive, public data on the sector. Without standardized information, they argue, it is difficult to evaluate the social and environmental impacts of mining or even craft effective regulations.

    ICMM’s initiative, though still limited by licensing restrictions on some proprietary datasets, represents one of the most ambitious attempts to date to assemble a global picture of the industry. The council said it would work with partners to expand the dataset and incorporate indicators on sustainability performance.

    Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time news updates!

    Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

    From Your Site Articles
    • Top 4 Largest Lithium Reserves by Country ›
    • Lithium Market Update: Q2 2025 in Review ›
    • Gold Price Soars Past US$3,500 to New High as Market Eyes September Rate Cut ›
    https://x.com/giannliguid
    https://www.linkedin.com/in/giannliguid/
    The Conversation (0)

    Go Deeper

    AI Powered
    Copper ore in foreground, with world map showing countries in copper on black background.

    Top 5 Copper Reserves by Country

    Excavator scooping coal at coal-mining operation.

    How to Invest in Coal Stocks

    Giann Liguid

    Giann Liguid

    Writer

    Giann Liguid is a graduate of Ateneo De Manila University with an AB in Interdisciplinary Studies. With a diverse writing background, Giann has written content for the security, food and business industries. He also has expertise in both the public and private sectors, having worked in the government specializing in local government units and administrative dynamics.

    When he is not chasing the next market headline, Giann can most likely be found thrift shopping for his dogs.

    Latest News

    Option to acquire 888km2 Au/Cu project in WA

    Walker Lane Resources Ltd. Announces the Commencement of Drilling by Coeur Silvertip Holdings on its Silverknife Property, British Columbia

    NevGold Starts Drilling And Identifies Additional Stibiconite Outcrops at Gold-Antimony Limo Butte Project

    Flagship Commences Review of Anglo Dataset at 1Moz+ Pantanillo Gold Project, Chile

    Ex-Reunion Gold Team Joins & New Targets Defined

    More News

    Outlook Reports

    Resource
    • Precious Metals
      • Gold
      • Silver
    • Battery Metals
      • Lithium
      • Cobalt
      • Graphite
    • Energy
      • Uranium
      • Oil and Gas
    • Base Metals
      • Copper
      • Nickel
      • Zinc
    • Critical Metals
      • Rare Earths
    • Industrial Metals
    • Agriculture
    Tech
      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Cybersecurity
      • Gaming
      • Cleantech
      • Emerging Tech
    Life Science
      • Biotech
      • Cannabis
      • Psychedelics
      • Pharmaceuticals

    Featured Gold Investing Stocks

    Prince Silver

    PRNC:CC

    Triumph Gold

    TIG:CA

    Horizon Minerals

    HRZ:AU

    Alice Queen

    AQX:AU

    Pinnacle Silver and Gold

    PINN:CC

    1911 Gold

    AUMB:CC
    More featured stocks

    Browse Companies

    Resource
    • Precious Metals
    • Battery Metals
    • Energy
    • Base Metals
    • Critical Metals
    Tech
    Life Science
    MARKETS
    COMMODITIES
    CURRENCIES
    ×
    Giann Liguid
    Giann Liguid

    Writer

    Giann Liguid is a graduate of Ateneo De Manila University with an AB in Interdisciplinary Studies. With a diverse writing background, Giann has written content for the security, food and business industries. He also has expertise in both the public and private sectors, having worked in the government specializing in local government units and administrative dynamics.

    When he is not chasing the next market headline, Giann can most likely be found thrift shopping for his dogs.

    Full Bio

    Follow

    Learn about our editorial policies.