The Mining Chamber of Mexico (Camimex) included a profile of Mexican mining in its Sustainability 2024 report.

Internationally, Mexico is among the main producers of 23 minerals, some of them strategic for the energy transition.

These minerals include silver, fluorspar, lead, cadmium, zinc, barite, gold, copper, manganese and wollastonite.

Mining is one of the five industries that contribute the most to Mexico’s industrial GDP, with a share of 8.63% in 2023, representing 2.75% of the national GDP and 4.5% including the value chain.

These are the investments in Mexico’s mining-metallurgical sector, in millions of dollars:

• 2018: 4,897
• 2019: 4,657
• 2020: 3,533
• 2021: 4,810
• 2022: 5,265
• 2023: 4,960

Mexican mining profile

In 2023, five minerals contributed 86.1 percent of total national mineral-metallurgical production, namely gold (29.7 percent), copper (29.2 percent), silver (18.4 percent), zinc (5.6 percent) and molybdenum (3.2 percent).

It is an essential sector of the economy, as it is the primary base for more than 70 industries and a supplier of critical minerals for the technological and energy transition.

Below is data on investment in mineral exploration in Mexico, in millions of dollars:

• 2018: 596
• 2019: 536
• 2020: 338
• 2021: 392
• 2022: 572
• 2023: 453

Pedro Rivero, president of Camimex, projected that Mexico will attract investments in the mining-metallurgical sector for 5 billion dollars in 2024 and 3.8 billion dollars in 2025.

Camimex also estimates that investments in mining exploration will be 500 million dollars in 2024 and 400 million dollars in 2025.

Mining in Mexico generates 416,875 direct jobs. In addition, it creates 2.6 million permanent indirect jobs. Wages in this sector are 33% higher than the national average.

In 2024, Camimex reported that it groups more than 90% of the country’s mining and metallurgical production value. Its main goal is to promote the growth of a sustainable industry.

The average age of workers in companies affiliated to Camimex is 37.7 years. On the other hand, the average length of service is 8.1 years. In addition, in 2023, the average schooling of employees reached 13.1 years, which exceeds high school. This figure is three years above the national average of 10.1 years.

According to IMSS data, in 2023, the average salary in the mining sector was 716.46 pesos per day. This represented an increase of 11.3% compared to the average recorded in 2022.