World Mineral Production 2010–2014
BGS international work
The latest edition of this annual publication from the British Geological Survey (BGS) is now available to download. This volume contains mineral production statistics for the five year period from 2010 to 2014, for more than 70 mineral commodities, by country worldwide.
It is the latest publication from the World Mineral Statistics dataset which began in 1913. The information contained in the dataset, and associated publications, is compiled from a wide range of sources: home and overseas government departments, national statistical offices, specialist commodity authorities, company reports, and a network of contacts throughout the world.
The database compilers aim for integrity and accuracy in the data and, for quality control purposes, participate in international specialist groups, and maintain close links with other mineral statistics providers in Europe and North America. The data provides essential mineral intelligence for:
- security of supply issues
- economic analyses
- environmental issues
- sustainable development planning
- regulation and policy issues
- commercial strategic planning
The data are available in the following formats:
- Annual publication of "World Mineral Production" and its predecessors, which can be downloaded in pdf from our World Archive
- MS Excel for years from 1970 via our data download tool
- The most recent editions are available to purchase in hard copy from the BGS online shop
- One off reports such as those shown lower down this page, available for download in pdf
World Mineral Production 2008-2012 Centenary Edition
This volume, released in 2014, is the 'Centenary Edition' because the World Mineral Statistics dataset that underpins this publication is continuous from 1913 to the present day, containing mineral production data by commodity, by country, in each of those years. The dataset also contains import and export data for a large number of the commodities for the majority of the last century.
Although there have been many changes over the past century, some of which are described within the Centenary Edition, the rationale for collating, analysing and publishing these statistics has remained similar throughout: "to present as comprehensively and accurately as possible factual data about the world mineral industry's activities, which are essentially the end-product of geology and a measure of the unceasing contribution of the geological sciences to man's material welfare and progress" (Preface to the 1977 edition of World Mineral Statistics).
"Resources of most minerals are sufficient to meet demand for the foreseeable future but the uncertainties that surround the geographic patterns of production and trade make the availability of reliable statistics an essential tool for the analysis of activity in this sector." (Preface to the 1995 edition of World Mineral Statistics).
The process of collection, management and delivery of data has evolved and been refined in response to the changing global political, economic, technological and social conditions but these statements remain true today. As the global economy recovers, mankind will need minerals in increasing quantities and, consequently, these statistics remain as important today as they have always been.
World Mineral Statistics archive
The World Mineral Statistics archive contains all previous editions of World Mineral Production together with all editions of its predecessor publications World Mineral Statistics (1970 to 2002), Statistical Summary of the Minerals Industry (1942 to 1971), and Mineral Statistics of the British Empire and Foreign Countries (1913 to 1947). These predecessor publications also contain import and export data for many of the mineral commodities in addition to mineral production.
In addition, data from 1970 to present can be downloaded in MS Excel format.
Mineral Information and Statistics for the BRIC countries
The term 'BRIC', used to refer to the four countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China, has become almost synonymous with the rise of emerging economies in the global market. This report aims to present production and trade data for each of the four countries between 1999 and 2008, relating to the majority of economically important mineral commodities. It provides some analysis of the 10 year trends and includes a synopsis of the main physiographic, geological and demographic features of each country. In addition, the extent and locations of the major reserves, producing districts and deposits are described, together with some indications of where expansions to these are expected in the near future.
For statistics relating specifically to Europe, please consult our European Mineral Statistics page.
African Mineral Production
African Mineral Production 2001–2005 (1.2Mb) is a World Mineral Statistics regional report containing five–year production tables for all countries in Africa. Also available in hard copy from the BGS online shop.
China and South East Asia Mineral Production
China and South East Asia Mineral Production 2001–2005 (432kb) is a World Mineral Statistics regional report containing five-year production tables, and short commentaries, for 12 countries in this region. Also available in hard copy from the BGS online shop.
South American Mineral Production
South American Mineral Production 1997-2006 is a World Mineral Statistics regional report containing te–year mineral production tables, and short commentaries, for all countries in South America. Also available in hard copy from the BGS online shop.