Largest copper companies
This article lists the world’s leading copper mining companies ranked by their mined copper output for the 2024 calendar (or 2023/24 fiscal) year. Production figures refer to contained copper in concentrate or cathode produced directly from company-owned mines and joint-venture interests.
Methodology
Data for 2024 were taken from each company’s publicly released production report, annual report, or audited financial statements. When companies report in fiscal years, the figure corresponding most closely to calendar 2024 is used. All tonnages are rounded to the nearest thousand tonnes (kt).
2024 ranking
| Rank | Company | Headquarters | Mined copper in 2024 (kt) |
Major operations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Freeport-McMoRan | United States | 1,900 | Grasberg JV (Indonesia); Cerro Verde (Peru); Morenci (USA) |
| 2 | BHP | Australia | 1,865 | Escondida JV & Spence (Chile); Antamina JV (Peru); Olympic Dam (Australia) |
| 3 | Codelco | Chile | 1,329 | Chuquicamata, El Teniente, Radomiro Tomic (Chile) |
| 4 | Zijin Mining | China | 1,070 | Kamoa-Kakula & Kolwezi (DRC); Čukaru Peki (Serbia); Julong (China) |
| 5 | Southern Copper | Mexico | 974 | Buenavista del Cobre (Mexico); Toquepala & Cuajone (Peru) |
| 6 | Glencore | Switzerland | 952 | Katanga & Mutanda (DRC); Mount Isa (Australia); Collahuasi JV (Chile) |
| 7 | Anglo American | United Kingdom | 773 | Collahuasi JV & Los Bronces JV (Chile); Quellaveco (Peru) |
| 8 | KGHM Polska Miedź | Poland | 730 | Lubin & Polkowice-Sieroszowice (Poland); Sierra Gorda JV (Chile) |
| 9 | Antofagasta | United Kingdom | 664 | Los Pelambres, Centinela JV, Antucoya JV, Zaldívar (Chile) |
| 10 | First Quantum Minerals | Canada | 431 | Kansanshi & Sentinel (Zambia); (Cobre Panamá suspended in Dec 2023) |
MMG Limited, a 68% owned subsidiary of China Minmetals, reported 399 kt of mined copper in 2024.[1] Minmetals’ other copper assets operated outside MMG contributed an estimated 30 kt in 2024, according to the group’s year-end operational briefing.[2] Taken together, the total of roughly 430–435 kt would edge China Minmetals just above First Quantum's 431 kt, meaning China Minmetals could arguably rank tenth if its mined-copper interests were consolidated.
Since at least 2004 the production levels of copper Codelco has stagnated or declined, with a significant decline from 2021 to 2023.[3][4] The tonnage of copper produced in 2023 was 72% of that of 2004 and the decline affects all of Codelcos mining divisions,[3] but originated from geomechanical problems compromising the stability of three mines; El Teniente, Chuquicamata and Ministro Hales.[4]
See also
References
- ^ "Fourth-Quarter Production Report 2024" (PDF). MMG Ltd. 23 January 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
- ^ "China Minmetals – 2024 Operational Highlights". China Minmetals Corp. 23 January 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
- ^ a b Anuario de estadisticas del cobre y otros minerales [Yearbook: Copper and Other Mineral Statistics: 2004 2023] (Report). Comisión Chilena del Cobre. 2024.
- ^ a b Lagos, Gustavo (2023-11-22). A look at Codelco (PDF) (Report).