Chile

In 2024, Chile was the world’s leading producer of mined copper, accounting for 24% of world production; iodine, 66% of world production (excluding United States production); and rhenium, 36% of world production. The country was also estimated to be the world’s second-ranked producer of lithium, accounting for 22% of world production (excluding United States production); and the third-ranked producer of molybdenum, accounting for 15% of world production.  

Chile’s mineral sector was a significant part of the country’s economy, accounting for 7.2% of the total gross domestic product (GDP). The copper industry was the leading industry in the mineral sector, accounting for 5.8% of the country’s total GDP. The legal framework for mining in Chile is based on the country’s Organic Constitutional Law on Mining Concessions (law No. 18.097 of 1982) and the Chilean Mining Code (law No. 18.248 of 1983). The Ministerio de Minería [Ministry of Mining] oversees the country’s mineral sector. Most of the mining operations in Chile were State owned and privately owned. The state-owned Corporación Nacional del Cobre de Chile (CODELCO) continued to be the world’s largest copper producer in terms of the number of active projects or operations.