Largest Diamond Mining Companies and Top Silver Miners

ALROSA of Russia is the largest diamond miner by volume: it reported 29.8 million carats for 2025 (ALROSA, July 2026). De Beers comes second at 21.7 million carats (Anglo American, February 2026), and Rio Tinto’s Diavik mine in Canada, at 4.43 million carats, closed in March 2026. On silver, Fresnillo plc led the companies below with 48.7 million ounces (Fresnillo, March 2026). This page ranks both groups on reported output, says which basis each company uses, and shows what changed in 2026.

A carat is 0.2 grams. A “Mct” is one million carats. For silver, “Moz” means million troy ounces, and one troy ounce is 31.1035 grams. Company figures are not always on the same footing, so each row below states its basis.

Largest diamond mining companies by carats produced

The table ranks the main producers that publish their own carat counts. All figures are the latest full financial year available, and each company’s source is linked in the text under the table.

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Diamond output of four producers, latest year

Million carats; ALROSA and De Beers 2025, Rio Tinto Diavik 2025 (100%), Petra year to June 2026

For scale, the Kimberley Process, the government-backed scheme that tracks rough diamonds, counted 98.8 Mct of world rough production in 2025, down from 107.9 Mct a year earlier (Kimberley Process figures, reported by GJEPC, July 2026). On that count De Beers’ 21.7 Mct is about 22% of the world total. That share is our own arithmetic, and the two bases differ slightly.

ALROSA: the volume leader

ALROSA is Russian and describes itself as the world’s leading natural diamond producer by volume. Its 2025 output was 29.8 million carats (ALROSA, 16 July 2026), a fall of about 10% on 2024, and Reuters put its share at around a third of world output (Reuters via Kitco, December 2025). The company works under Western sanctions and shut some low-margin sites that make under 1 Mct a year. Our page on the Mir diamond mine covers one of its best-known pits.

De Beers: second by volume, now for sale

Anglo American owns 85% of De Beers (Miningmx, July 2026). Its rough production fell 12% to 21.7 Mct in 2025, a cut the company tied to weak demand, with an average realised price of US$142 per carat (Anglo American Q4 2025 production report). Output in the fourth quarter alone was 3.8 Mct after maintenance stops at Jwaneng and Orapa in Botswana. Anglo American is selling the business. In late July 2026 its chief executive said talks were in their final stages but not exclusive to one buyer (Miningmx, 30 July 2026). The second-quarter 2026 report shows 7.8 Mct for the quarter and guidance of 21 to 26 Mct for the year (Anglo American Q2 2026 production report).

Rio Tinto: Diavik has closed

Diavik produced 4.43 Mct on a 100% basis in 2025, up 61% on 2024 on improved operational performance (GJEPC Solitaire, 2026). Production ended on 26 March 2026 after 23 years and more than 150 Mct, because the economic reserves were used up. Diavik was Rio Tinto’s last diamond mine, after Argyle in Australia closed in November 2020 (IDEX Online, March 2026). Older lists that still show Rio Tinto as an active diamond miner are out of date.

Petra Diamonds: Cullinan stays, Finsch is in rescue

Petra recovered 2.34 Mct in the year to 30 June 2026, 4% less than the year before (Cullinan 1.40 Mct, the rest from Finsch), and sold 2.29 Mct for US$206 million. Finsch entered business rescue, South Africa’s court-supervised process for companies in financial distress, (announced 29 May 2026), and its production is suspended. Net debt stood at US$322 million (Petra Diamonds, Q4 and FY 2026 update, July 2026). Cullinan, near Pretoria, was formerly known as the Premier mine. See also our page on the Premier mine. Cullinan’s average price rose to US$106 per carat in the year, while Finsch fell to US$64.

Lucara and the Karowe mine

Lucara is small by volume but known for very large stones. It sold 353,302 carats for US$159.7 million in 2025, which works out to about US$452 per carat on our arithmetic, and recovered 31 stones above 100 carats, three of them above 1,000 carats (Lucara, year-end 2025 results, March 2026).

Angola and Catoca

Angola produced about 15.2 Mct in 2025 at an average of US$101.94 per carat, with the Catoca and Luele kimberlites supplying roughly 90% of the national total (Miningmx, citing Angola’s mining regulator). The national figure is the clearest measure for Angola, so it appears with the countries below rather than in the company table.

Where the carats come from: Russia, Botswana and Angola

Russia mined 31.5 Mct in 2025, down 15.6% from 37.3 Mct, worth US$2.72 billion at about US$86 per carat. Botswana mined 15.5 Mct, down 14.5%, yet its value rose 45.5% to US$1.98 billion, or about US$128 per carat. Russia, Botswana and Angola together made close to 63% of world value (GJEPC Solitaire, Kimberley Process 2025 data, July 2026). Fewer carats at a higher price per carat is the pattern for the year: world value fell only 3.15%, to US$9.23 billion, while volume fell 8.4%.

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Rough diamond output, 2024 and 2025

Million carats; Kimberley Process totals, De Beers and Diavik from company reports

Industrial diamond: a different market

Gem and industrial stones are counted separately. The USGS estimates world natural industrial diamond mine output at 38 Mct in 2025, led by Russia (16 Mct), Congo (Kinshasa) (7 Mct), Botswana (5 Mct) and Zimbabwe (5 Mct). Natural stones are under 1% of all industrial diamond used, and about 97% of US apparent industrial consumption was synthetic (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Diamond). So the companies above matter mainly for gem-quality supply and for jewellery prices.

The largest diamonds ever found

The largest rough diamond on record is the Cullinan, 3,106 carats, found in 1905 at the Premier mine near Pretoria. Karowe in Botswana has since produced a 2,492-carat stone, the largest since Cullinan, plus the 1,758-carat Sewelo and the 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona (Miningmx on Lucara’s Karowe mine). Lucara found large stones intact because it uses X-ray transmission sorting, which spots big diamonds before the crusher can break them.

Largest silver mining companies by ounces produced

Silver is mostly a by-product. The USGS says it is mainly taken from lead-zinc, copper and gold mines, in that order, and that those polymetallic deposits hold more than two-thirds of world resources (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Silver). So the ranking mixes pure silver miners with copper and gold groups. Our page on lead-zinc ore explains why those mines carry so much silver.

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Silver output of eight producers, 2025

Million troy ounces; bases differ (attributable, group, mine total)

Sources: Fresnillo preliminary results, March 2026; KGHM Q4 2025 presentation; Newmont Q4 2025 operating statistics; Pan American Silver, January 2026; Glencore full-year 2025 production report; Coeur Q4 2025 results; Hecla 2025 results; First Majestic Q4 2025 results.

What the table shows

Fresnillo’s 48.7 Moz was down 13.5% from 56.3 Moz in 2024, mainly because mining stopped at the San Julián disseminated ore body and grades were lower. For 2026 it expects 42.0 to 46.5 Moz, and its first half came in at 22.0 Moz, 11.4% lower than a year before (Fresnillo interim results, 2026). Fresnillo is listed in London and its mines are in Mexico; older pages that call it a Mexican company are wrong on the listing. Pan American Silver took over MAG Silver in September 2025 and with it MAG’s 44% of Juanicipio, which added 2.5 Moz to its 2025 total. Peñasquito’s silver fell from 33 Moz to 28 Moz.

Polymetal International no longer appears in silver rankings built on Russian mines. After selling its Russian business, the company became Solidcore Resources, a Kazakhstan-focused gold and silver miner, as Interfax described it in September 2024 (Interfax). For a wider table that also covers gold and copper, see our comparison of gold, silver and copper miners by output. Other pages go deeper on the top ten silver producers, the best silver mines and silver mining firms and trends. If you track listed names, see silver mining stocks; that page is information only.

Which countries mine the most silver

The USGS puts 2025 world mine output at about 26,000 tonnes. Mexico leads with 6,300 tonnes, then Peru (3,600) and China (3,400), and the United States mined 1,100 tonnes at 4 silver mines plus 31 base- and precious-metal operations (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Silver). The Silver Institute, working with Metals Focus, put 2024 world mine production at 819.7 Moz and said Mexico’s output recovered as Peñasquito returned to full production (Silver Institute, World Silver Survey summary). Country estimates from the two bodies use different bases, so compare like with like.

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Silver mine output by country, 2025 estimate

Metric tons of contained silver; the eight largest producing countries

Output value calculator for diamond and silver miners

The calculator below turns an annual diamond and silver output into revenue at prices you choose, which is a quick way to size a company or a licence. Use the table above for realistic inputs: De Beers’ 2025 average realised price was US$142 per carat, Petra’s Cullinan averaged US$106 per carat in its year to June 2026, and Kitco showed a silver bid of US$56.98 per ounce on 15 October 2026.

▶ A short look at Farmonaut Mining Pro, which turns a licence boundary into a geological and economic picture. · 4:56

What satellite images add at a mine

Company reports tell you how many carats or ounces were recovered. Satellite images show the ground: pit growth, new waste dumps, stockpiles and tailings, and whether a pit has stopped working. That is how an analyst can check a closure such as Diavik or a suspended site such as Finsch against what the company says. Our page on drill and blast monitoring software covers the on-site side of monitoring.

For earlier stages, Farmonaut screens an area of interest from satellite data for silver and diamond-related targets. These are exploration targets that sit ahead of any resource estimate, and the screening is not an environmental clearance.

▶ Explains in three minutes what remote sensing is and how it is used in mining, without jargon. · 2:01

Frequently asked questions

Who is the largest diamond mining company in the world?

ALROSA, with 29.8 million carats in 2025, ahead of De Beers at 21.7 million carats. ALROSA is Russian and works under Western sanctions.

Who is the second-largest diamond miner?

De Beers, 85% owned by Anglo American. Its 2025 output was 21.7 million carats, and Anglo American is selling it.

Which country mines the most diamonds?

Russia, with 31.5 million carats in 2025, then Botswana at 15.5 million carats, per Kimberley Process figures. Angola produced about 15.2 million carats by its regulator’s count.

Is Rio Tinto still mining diamonds?

No. Diavik stopped producing on 26 March 2026, after Argyle closed in 2020.

What is the largest diamond ever found?

The 3,106-carat Cullinan, found in 1905. The largest since then is a 2,492-carat stone from Karowe in Botswana.

Who is the largest silver mining company?

Among the companies compared here, Fresnillo plc, with 48.7 million ounces attributable in 2025. KGHM follows at 43.3 million ounces, mostly as a by-product of copper.

Which country produces the most silver?

Mexico, at about 6,300 tonnes in 2025 on the USGS estimate, ahead of Peru and China.

Is Polymetal still a top silver miner?

Not under that name. It became Solidcore Resources and now operates in Kazakhstan after selling its Russian business.

Why does a diamond producer report carats and a silver producer ounces?

Diamonds are sold by weight and quality in carats, while silver is priced by the troy ounce. Silver output is often reported attributable, meaning the share the company owns, so check the basis before comparing.

Can satellites find diamonds or silver?

They can flag alteration and structure that often go with silver and kimberlite targets, but only drilling confirms a deposit.