Copper
Essential for electrical wiring, motors, electronics, and renewable energy infrastructure. Demand is rising with electrification of transportation and power grids.
Where Copper sits among tracked minerals
Share of global output from the #1 producing country, across all 20 minerals PlainCountries tracks
24.6% 19th of 20 higher than 1 of 20 tracked minerals
Top-producer share of global output, bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more tracked minerals. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2024 · 2023 data year
Global Production Overview
Production by Country (2023)
| Rank | Country | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chile | 24.6% |
| 2 | DR Congo | 11.8% |
| 3 | Peru | 12.3% |
| 4 | China | 8.6% |
| 5 | United States | 5.0% |
| 6 | Russia | 4.0% |
| 7 | Australia | 3.9% |
| 8 | Indonesia | 4.3% |
| 9 | Mexico | 3.4% |
| 10 | Kazakhstan | 2.8% |
Click a country name to view its full profile. Production share percentages are calculated from USGS estimated global production.
Nearby Base Metals by leader share
Next read: Tin · All minerals
How diffuse Copper mine supply is
Copper is comparatively diffuse versus this desk's high-concentration minerals, per the figures above. Copper is a base-metal row: large-volume industrial use means a shift at a major mine can move prices even when the metal is not geologically scarce. Essential for electrical wiring, motors, electronics, and renewable energy infrastructure. Demand is rising with electrification of transportation and power grids. Global mine production in 2023 was about 22.0 Mt.
USGS does not publish a single net-import-reliance percentage for Copper in this release; use the country production table and the linked country profiles for exposure context. Leading producers are Chile, DR Congo, Peru, China, United States. Diffuse supply usually dampens single-country shock risk, but unit differences and reporting lags still matter when comparing rows.
Peer hop by leader-share distance: Tin. Open any country name in the table for population, GDP, and the rest of that country's mineral slate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which country produces the most Copper?
Chile is the world's leading producer of Copper, accounting for approximately 25% of global mine production in 2023.
How is Copper used?
Essential for electrical wiring, motors, electronics, and renewable energy infrastructure. Demand is rising with electrification of transportation and power grids.
What is global Copper production?
Global mine production of Copper was approximately 22.0 Mt in 2023, measured in thousand metric tons.
How reliant is the US on imported Copper?
US import reliance data for Copper is not published as a single percentage in this release. Refer to the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries for current estimates.
Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2024 (U.S. Geological Survey, National Minerals Information Center). Source: USGS National Minerals Information Center, data year 2023. Values are USGS estimates and may include revisions. US import reliance data from USGS.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.