Main Copper Producers Ranked: Countries, Firms, Canada

Chile is the largest copper-mining country, with an estimated 5.3 million tonnes of mined copper in 2025 out of a world total of about 23 million tonnes (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries, 2026). Among companies, BHP, Codelco, Freeport-McMoRan and Glencore are four large producers with full-year figures, each in the range of roughly 0.85 to 1.95 million tonnes a year. Canada ranks twelfth among countries at about 500,000 tonnes, and most of that comes from a handful of mines in British Columbia. This page ranks the main copper producers three ways, by country, by company and by Canadian mine, and says which basis each figure uses.

Main copper producers by country

Mine production means the copper contained in ore that is mined and processed, measured in thousand metric tonnes. The table uses the USGS estimates for 2025, which are preliminary and will be revised. Chile alone mined about 23% of the world total, and the top three countries together mined about 11.2 million tonnes, close to half.

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Mined copper by country

Thousand tonnes of contained copper, 2025 estimate

Shares are each country’s output divided by the USGS world total of 23,000 thousand tonnes. The ranking moves a little each year: Russia rose from 1,020 to 1,300 thousand tonnes between 2024 and 2025 in the same USGS table, while Indonesia fell from 1,010 to 710 after the Grasberg mud rush in September 2025 (see the Freeport section below). Mine output is different from refined output. China refines far more copper than it mines, an estimated 14 million tonnes of refined metal in 2025, because it imports concentrate from other countries.

Reserves tell a different story from output. USGS puts world copper reserves at 980 million tonnes, with Chile holding 180 million, Australia 100 million, Peru 85 million, and Congo (Kinshasa) and Russia 80 million each. Reserves are the part of identified resources that can be mined at a profit at current prices, so they move with price and cost. For a deeper look at how the deposits behind those numbers form, see our guide to copper deposit types and top countries.

▶ Follows copper from the Atacama Desert in Chile to the electric car. · 6:03

Copper producers by company: output compared

Company rankings are harder than country rankings because firms report on different bases. Some report only the share they own, some report 100% of mines they operate, some count fine copper and others count recoverable copper, and the reporting year differs. The table below shows four large producers, each as the company itself reports it, and the basis is stated in the last column.

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Large producers compared

Thousand tonnes of copper, each on its own reporting basis

The sources are BHP’s operational review for the year to 30 June 2026 (Form 6-K), the Freeport-McMoRan annual report on Form 10-K for 2025, Codelco’s results for 2025 and the Glencore full-year 2025 production report. Other large producers, such as Southern Copper, Rio Tinto and Zijin Mining, report on their own bases and are not in the table, so it is a comparison of four companies and not a complete league table.

How we chose and how to read the table

We included companies that publish a full-year copper figure in a filing or results release, and we took the number exactly as stated. We did not mix in analyst estimates. Two cautions apply. First, BHP’s year ends in June, so its figure covers a different twelve months from the others. Second, Escondida is a joint venture and BHP reports 100% of it, so BHP’s attributable copper is lower than the headline.

BHP

BHP produced 1,952.8 thousand tonnes of copper in the year to 30 June 2026, down 3% from 2,016.7 thousand tonnes a year earlier. Escondida in Chile supplied 1,261.2 thousand tonnes of that, and Copper South Australia 320.7 thousand tonnes.

Freeport-McMoRan

Freeport’s consolidated copper production fell from 4,214 million pounds in 2024 to 3,383 million pounds in 2025. The fall came mainly from Indonesia: the Grasberg minerals district produced 1,015 million pounds, against 1,800 million a year earlier, after a mud rush on 8 September 2025 killed seven workers and suspended mining. Its U.S. mines, led by Morenci, produced 1,304 million pounds in 2025.

Codelco

Codelco, Chile’s state-owned miner, reported own production of 1,334,445 tonnes of fine copper in 2025, 0.5% above 2024. El Teniente fell 13% to 310,000 tonnes after a fatal accident, while Radomiro Tomic rose 9.2% to 295,000 tonnes and Ministro Hales rose 25.1% to 153,000 tonnes.

Glencore

Glencore reported own-sourced copper of 851.6 thousand tonnes in 2025, against 951.6 thousand tonnes in 2024. The company said output in the second half was almost 50% above the first half.

Canadian copper mines ranked

Canada mined 514,582 tonnes of copper in concentrate in 2024, up 6.2% from 2023, and exported copper and copper products worth C$10.7 billion, according to Natural Resources Canada. British Columbia supplied about 48% of that, or 249 thousand tonnes, followed by Quebec at 23 thousand tonnes and Newfoundland and Labrador at 13 thousand tonnes. The rest, about 230 thousand tonnes, comes from other provinces, largely as a by-product of nickel, zinc and gold mining.

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British Columbia copper mines

Thousand tonnes of copper, 2025 (100% basis; pounds converted)

The mines below are the main British Columbia copper operations with published 2025 figures. Together they produced about 275 thousand tonnes, which is the sum of the company figures above, roughly half of the USGS estimate for all of Canada. Other Canadian copper comes from nickel, zinc and gold operations in Ontario, Manitoba, Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador, which report copper as a by-product and are not ranked here.

Pounds were converted at 453.6 tonnes per million pounds. Mount Milligan, near Fort St. James, is a copper-gold mine that Centerra Gold reports as 50.5 million pounds of copper and 147,581 ounces of gold in 2025 (Centerra’s fourth-quarter 2025 release). The other sources are Teck’s annual disclosure (Form 40-F), Taseko’s results release of 18 February 2026, Imperial Metals’ 2025 results and Hudbay’s fourth-quarter 2025 results.

Highland Valley Copper

Highland Valley, near Logan Lake, is Canada’s largest copper mine according to Natural Resources Canada. It produced 127,100 tonnes of copper in 2025 against 102,400 tonnes in 2024, mostly because it mined more higher-grade ore from the Lornex pit. Teck’s guidance for 2026 is 115,000 to 135,000 tonnes, with a mine life extension built into the ranges.

Teck is also at the centre of the largest corporate change in the sector. In September 2025 Teck and Anglo American agreed to combine as Anglo Teck. Teck’s shareholders approved the deal on 9 December 2025, the British Columbia Supreme Court issued its final order on 12 December, and Canada approved the merger under the Investment Canada Act on 15 December. As of Teck’s notice of 1 September 2026 the merger had not closed, because conditions to completion were still outstanding. China’s antitrust review was still pending in early October 2026, according to Reuters reporting.

Gibraltar

Gibraltar, in the Cariboo region, is run by Taseko. In 2025 it produced 98 million pounds of copper and 1.9 million pounds of molybdenum, with a cash cost (C1) of US$2.66 per pound. The first half was weak because of lower-grade ore, and second-half output was 46% higher. Taseko guides to 110 to 115 million pounds of copper from Gibraltar for 2026. Our earlier note on the mine is at Gibraltar mine trends.

Red Chris and Mount Polley

Red Chris, in the Golden Triangle of northwest British Columbia, produced 93.1 million pounds of copper and 92,429 ounces of gold in 2025 on a 100% basis, up 9% on 2024. Newmont’s guidance for 2026 is lower, at 60 to 66 million pounds, because the mining plan moves to lower-grade ore and stockpiles while stripping for the next open pit phase. Imperial says a feasibility study for a block cave expansion is expected in the second half of 2026. Imperial’s own 2025 copper, from its 30% of Red Chris plus all of Mount Polley, was 58.6 million pounds. Mount Polley produced 30.7 million pounds, and Imperial targets 19 to 21 million pounds in 2026. Red Chris is a joint venture: Newmont operates it and Imperial holds 30%.

Copper Mountain

Copper Mountain, near Princeton, produced 23,784 tonnes of copper in 2025 against 26,406 tonnes in 2024. Hudbay bought out the remaining 25% on 30 April 2025 and now owns all of it. Hudbay’s other Canadian copper comes from Snow Lake, Manitoba, where wildfires and a power outage affected 2025 gold and zinc output. The company’s consolidated 2025 copper output, including Peru, was 118,188 tonnes.

How Canada’s copper output has changed

Canadian mine output was 697,322 tonnes in 2015 and 514,582 tonnes in 2024, a fall of 26.2% over the decade, per Natural Resources Canada. The share of world supply fell with it. In 2024 Canada ranked twelfth with about 2% of mined copper, and the USGS estimate for 2025 keeps it at 500 thousand tonnes. Reserves explain part of the slow growth: Canada holds about 7 million tonnes, under 1% of the world total (USGS 2026), so it is a mid-sized producer by endowment as well as by output. Exploration spending is the lever that changes that over time, which we track in mineral exploration spending in Canada.

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Canadian mine copper output

Thousand tonnes of copper in concentrate, selected years

What could change the ranking next

• Anglo Teck. If the merger completes, Highland Valley moves into a group with Anglo American’s copper assets, which will change who appears in company tables. Mergers are a growing part of the sector; see mining deal trends.
• Grasberg restart. Freeport restarted the unaffected underground mines in late October 2025, and its guidance and sales for 2026 depend on the pace of the full restart.
• Grade decline. Red Chris and Mount Polley both guide lower for 2026 as their mining plans move to lower-grade ore and stockpiles, and Gibraltar needed a second half of better ore to recover from a weak first half in 2025.
• New supply. Taseko started copper cathode production at Florence Copper in Arizona in February 2026, and Taseko targets 30 to 35 million pounds from Florence in 2026, while guiding Gibraltar to 110 to 115 million pounds, up from 98 million in 2025.

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Three mines, 2024 versus 2025

Thousand tonnes of copper

Output tables are lagging indicators. Each of the changes above shows up in company reports one to four quarters after the event, and the USGS country estimates are revised the following year. Treat the tables on this page as a record of what was published, not a forecast.

Copper price and demand backdrop

USGS puts the average London Metal Exchange (LME) grade A cash price at 440 US cents per pound in 2025, about US$9,700 a tonne, up from 414.7 cents in 2024. That is an annual average from USGS, not a current quote, so check the LME or COMEX before you use any price. The same USGS report says the United States depended on imports for 57% of its apparent copper consumption in 2025, and that U.S. copper use is led by building construction at 42%, followed by electrical and electronic products at 23% and transportation at 18%. World reserves of 980 million tonnes against annual mine output of 23 million tonnes show why producers focus on grade, cost and permitting more than on the raw size of the resource.

Estimate how much copper a mine produces

Annual copper in concentrate is ore milled times head grade times recovery. Head grade is the average copper content of the ore fed to the mill, and recovery is the share of that copper the plant captures. Gibraltar reported second-half 2025 head grades of 0.24% copper with recoveries averaging 79%, which shows how modest grades are at large open pits. The calculator below turns your own numbers into tonnes, pounds and a gross value at a price you enter.

Where satellite data fits in copper exploration

Producers start as exploration targets. Copper porphyry systems leave surface clues such as iron-oxide staining, clay alteration and structural lineaments that multispectral satellites can map across large areas before drilling. Our guide to porphyry copper deposits covers the alteration zones, and the Golden Triangle exploration guide covers the district that hosts Red Chris. Farmonaut turns a licence boundary into a satellite-based mineral detection report, and results are exploration targets that sit ahead of any resource estimate. For a quote, use the mining query form or read how satellite mineral detection works, or contact us.

▶ Shows how satellite imagery and soil geochemistry are used on copper and gold targets in British Columbia. · 3:11

For a closer look at a related question, see our guide: Antimony Mining in Fairbanks, Alaska: Projects and Firms.

If this topic matters to you, read Countries Buying Gold: Top Central Bank Buyers Ranked next.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the largest copper producer in the world?

By country, Chile, with about 5.3 million tonnes in 2025 (USGS estimate). By company, BHP reported the largest copper output of the four companies compared above, 1,953 thousand tonnes in the year to 30 June 2026, though its figure counts 100% of Escondida.

Which countries are the main copper producers?

Chile, Congo (Kinshasa), Peru, China, Russia and the United States, in that order, per the 2025 USGS estimates. Together they mined about 15.3 million tonnes of the 23 million tonne world total.

Where does Canada rank in copper production?

Twelfth, with an estimated 500,000 tonnes in 2025, about 2% of the world total. Natural Resources Canada also ranked it twelfth for 2024.

What is the largest copper mine in Canada?

Highland Valley Copper in British Columbia, which produced 127,100 tonnes in 2025. Natural Resources Canada names it as Canada’s largest copper mine.

Which Canadian province produces the most copper?

British Columbia, with about 48% of national output in 2024 (249 thousand tonnes). Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador followed.

Who owns Red Chris?

Newmont operates the mine and holds 70%, and Imperial Metals holds the other 30%. Imperial reports its share of Red Chris separately from Mount Polley, which it owns outright.

Is Gibraltar mine in Ontario?

No. Gibraltar is a Taseko mine in British Columbia, and Taseko reports an effective interest of 100%.

What is the difference between mined and refined copper?

Mined copper is the metal contained in ore or concentrate produced by mines. Refined copper is metal that has been smelted and refined to cathode, and it includes recycled scrap. World refined output was 27.5 million tonnes in 2024 against 23 million tonnes mined, per Natural Resources Canada.

Why do company production figures differ between sources?

Companies report different bases: 100% of an operated mine, their ownership share, recoverable or payable copper, and calendar or financial years. Always check the basis line before comparing two numbers.

How many pounds of copper are in a tonne?

One metric tonne is 2,204.6 pounds, so 100 million pounds is about 45,360 tonnes. U.S. mines and prices are often quoted in pounds, and most other producers use tonnes.

Will the Anglo Teck merger change who produces Canadian copper?

It would change ownership of Highland Valley, not the mine’s output. As of Teck’s notice of 1 September 2026 the merger had not closed.