- Copper producing countries led by Chile at 5.3 million tonnes in 2025
- Democratic Republic of Congo climbs to second on copper mine output
- Peru holds third place despite a slight year-on-year decline
- China ranks fourth in mining but dominates global refining capacity
- United States re-enters the critical minerals list as a copper producer
- Indonesia and Kazakhstan tie for ninth after Grasberg supply disruption
- Global mine output holds flat near 23 million tonnes overall
The world’s copper producing countries mined an estimated 23 million tonnes of copper in 2025, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Mineral Commodity Summaries published in February 2026 — essentially flat against 2024 despite mine shutdowns, ore grade declines, and a supply disruption at one of the world’s largest complexes. With copper demand accelerating from grid buildout, EV adoption, and data centre power infrastructure, and copper price pressure building through 2025, understanding which countries actually control supply has become a live procurement question rather than a background statistic.
How We Ranked the Top 10 Copper Producing Countries
This ranking uses 2025 estimated mine production (copper content, in thousand metric tons) from the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries, February 2026 edition — the earliest comprehensive government source for global mineral output and the same benchmark CMN uses across its country-level Top 10 rankings. Figures marked as USGS estimates should be treated as provisional until finalized in next year’s edition; do not read them as confirmed final-year output. Reserve figures and refinery production are cited separately where they materially change the strategic picture, most notably for China. Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026.
1. Chile
Chile mined an estimated 5.3 million tonnes of copper in 2025, roughly 23% of global supply, retaining its position as the world’s largest copper producing country by a wide margin. Production slipped from 5.51 million tonnes in 2024, partly reflecting disruptions at Codelco’s El Teniente. BHP’s Escondida — the largest copper mine in the world — anchors national output, alongside Codelco, Antofagasta, and Anglo American assets. Chile also holds the largest copper reserves of any country, at an estimated 180 million tonnes, meaning its top ranking looks durable well beyond 2026. See CMN’s Chile critical minerals hub for the wider mineral picture, including Chile’s lithium position.
2. Democratic Republic of Congo
The DRC produced an estimated 3.2 million tonnes of copper in 2025, up from 2.99 million tonnes in 2024, cementing its position as the fastest-growing major copper producing country. The Kamoa-Kakula complex, a joint venture between Ivanhoe Mines and Zijin Mining, is the primary growth engine, though its Phase 3 ramp-up was slowed by a 2025 seismic and flooding event. The DRC’s copper and cobalt output are structurally linked — most DRC copper mines produce cobalt as a byproduct — which means the export quota regime covered in CMN’s cobalt coverage has direct relevance for copper buyers too. See the DRC critical minerals hub for supply chain detail.
3. Peru
Peru produced an estimated 2.7 million tonnes of copper in 2025, just below 2024’s 2.74 million tonnes, holding third place among copper producing countries. Freeport-McMoRan’s Cerro Verde remains the country’s largest single operation, with Anglo American’s Quellaveco and Southern Copper’s Tia Maria contributing meaningfully to national output. Most Peruvian copper concentrate is exported to China, Japan, South Korea, and Germany rather than processed domestically — a pattern that holds across most of the top 10 and underlines the mining-versus-refining gap discussed below.
4. China
China mined an estimated 1.8 million tonnes of copper in 2025, ranking fourth by mine output but first by a wide margin in refining, processing roughly 14,000 kt of refined copper — more than six times the DRC’s refined total. Zijin Mining’s Qulong copper-molybdenum-silver-gold mine in Tibet is China’s largest domestic copper operation. The gap between China’s modest mining share and its dominant refining share is the defining structural feature of the global copper supply chain: raw concentrate mined across South America, Africa, and Australia still flows disproportionately through Chinese smelters before reaching finished product.
5. Russia
Russia produced an estimated 1.3 million tonnes of copper in 2025, a sizeable increase from 1.02 million tonnes in 2024. The rise reflects Phase 1 output ramping at Udokan Copper’s Udokan mine in Siberia, which targets up to 135,000 tonnes annually at full Phase 1 capacity. Udokan has pivoted toward exporting concentrate rather than domestic refining after fire-related delays to its hydrometallurgical plant, adding Russian copper to global concentrate markets even as sanctions complicate Western buyer access.
6. United States
The United States produced an estimated 1.0 million tonnes of copper in 2025, a 5% decline from 2024, ranking sixth among copper producing countries — a position confirmed directly in USGS’s own 2026 summary. Arizona accounts for roughly 70% of domestic output, led by Freeport-McMoRan’s Morenci mine. Copper’s addition to the U.S. Final 2025 List of Critical Minerals, published in the Federal Register in November 2025, marks a significant policy shift: net import reliance rose to an estimated 57% of apparent consumption in 2025, making US copper supply security a live policy question for the first time at this scale.
7. Zambia
Zambia produced an estimated 940,000 tonnes of copper in 2025, up from 823,000 tonnes in 2024 and continuing a rebound from 2023’s 712,000-tonne low. First Quantum Minerals’ Kansanshi mine and Barrick’s Lumwana are the country’s principal assets, with the government’s full acquisition of Mopani Copper Mines in 2021 adding state-owned capacity to the mix. Zambia’s copper endowment sits alongside significant cobalt resources, giving it a similar dual-mineral profile to the DRC.
8. Australia
Australia produced an estimated 730,000 tonnes of copper in 2025, down slightly from 765,000 tonnes in 2024. BHP’s Olympic Dam in South Australia is the country’s flagship operation, though Glencore’s long-running Mount Isa complex in Queensland closed in July 2025 after 70 years of production. Australia’s modest mining rank understates its long-term significance: the country holds the second-largest copper reserves in the world, and its stable regulatory environment makes it a favoured destination for Western supply chain diversification capital.
9. Indonesia
Indonesia produced an estimated 710,000 tonnes of copper in 2025, down sharply from 1.01 million tonnes in 2024 after a fatal ingress incident at the Grasberg Block Cave in September 2025 forced a partial shutdown. Grasberg — a joint venture between Freeport-McMoRan and Indonesian state enterprise MIND ID — is not expected to return to full production until 2027, with a projected 600,000-tonne output loss through the end of 2026. This single event is the main reason Indonesia’s ranking dropped this cycle.
10. Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan produced an estimated 710,000 tonnes of copper in 2025, tying Indonesia for ninth by raw tonnage and rounding out the top 10 by reserve-adjusted ranking. KAZ Minerals’ Aktogay mine is the country’s largest single asset. Kazakhstan’s National Development Plan, released in February 2024, targets a 40% increase in mineral production by 2029 through expanded exploration and co-financing incentives — positioning the country for a possible climb up this ranking in future cycles. Mexico, at an estimated 690,000 tonnes, narrowly missed the top 10 this year.
Top 10 Copper Producing Countries — Summary
| Rank | Country | 2025e Mine Output (kt Cu) | Global Share | Key Asset |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chile | 5,300 | ~23% | Escondida (BHP) |
| 2 | DRC | 3,200 | ~14% | Kamoa-Kakula (Ivanhoe/Zijin) |
| 3 | Peru | 2,700 | ~12% | Cerro Verde (Freeport) |
| 4 | China | 1,800 | ~8% | Qulong (Zijin) |
| 5 | Russia | 1,300 | ~6% | Udokan (Udokan Copper) |
| 6 | United States | 1,000 | ~4% | Morenci (Freeport/Sumitomo) |
| 7 | Zambia | 940 | ~4% | Kansanshi (First Quantum) |
| 8 | Australia | 730 | ~3% | Olympic Dam (BHP) |
| 9 | Indonesia | 710 | ~3% | Grasberg (Freeport/MIND ID) |
| 10 | Kazakhstan | 710 | ~3% | Aktogay (KAZ Minerals) |
For a company-level view of who operates these assets rather than which countries host them, see CMN’s Top 10 Copper Mining Companies ranking.
The Outlook for Copper Producing Countries in 2026
Three developments could reshuffle this ranking before next year’s update. Indonesia’s recovery trajectory at Grasberg is the biggest swing factor — full production isn’t expected until 2027, so Indonesia’s 2026 output is likely to stay depressed rather than rebound to 2024 levels. The DRC’s copper output is increasingly entangled with its cobalt export quota system, meaning policy decisions aimed at cobalt could have knock-on effects for copper supply given how frequently the two are co-produced. And in the United States, new mine capacity coming online in Arizona following copper’s addition to the critical minerals list could modestly lift domestic output, though it would take a substantial expansion to move the US out of sixth place. Longer term, the structural story remains the mining-refining gap: see the IEA’s Critical Minerals analysis for how concentrated refining capacity — not mine location — increasingly determines supply chain risk.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
Which country produces the most copper?
Chile is the world’s largest copper producing country, accounting for an estimated 23% of global mine output in 2025 at roughly 5.3 million tonnes, according to USGS data.
What criteria determines the copper producing countries ranking?
This ranking uses 2025 estimated mine production (copper content, in thousand metric tons) from the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries, the earliest comprehensive government source for annual global mineral output data.
Is the United States among the top copper producing countries?
Yes. The US ranks sixth among copper producing countries, with an estimated 1.0 million tonnes of mine production in 2025, and copper was added to the US Final 2025 List of Critical Minerals in November 2025.
Why is the Democratic Republic of Congo rising in copper output?
The DRC’s copper production is climbing quickly, driven largely by the Kamoa-Kakula complex, and is closely tied to its cobalt sector since most DRC copper mines produce cobalt as a byproduct.
Could Indonesia’s ranking among copper producing countries change in 2026?
Indonesia’s output fell sharply in 2025 after an incident at the Grasberg mine, and full recovery isn’t expected until 2027, meaning its ranking is likely to stay depressed through 2026 rather than rebound.
