The 7th edition of ICMM’s Mining Contribution Index (MCI) ranks countries by mining’s role in their economies, highlighting the need for strong governance to ensure sustainable development.
Role of Mining in National Economies: Mining Contribution Index (7th Edition, 2025)
9 October 2025
Mining’s economic contribution is vital to many countries, particularly those whose growth and livelihoods depend heavily on the sector. As the world decarbonises and demand for metals and minerals accelerates, understanding this relationship becomes ever more important.
- ICMM’s Mining Contribution Index (MCI) measures the relative importance of mining to national economies, ranking countries based on mining’s contribution to economic activity.
- The 7th edition, using 2022 data, shows that many low- and middle-income countries remain reliant on the sector, with mining rebounding strongly post-COVID due to higher commodity prices and demand for transition minerals. However, the findings also highlight that mining’s economic importance does not always equate to broader sustainable development progress, highlighting the importance of robust governance and responsible mining practices to turning economic gains into lasting progress.
- The Democratic Republic of the Congo topped the MCI, followed by Mali, Mongolia, Zimbabwe, and Mauritania.
- Twelve new entrants joined the top 25, with several countries — including Sierra Leone, Guinea, Panama, and Lesotho — rising more than 25 places.
- Rankings were more volatile due to the removal of mineral rents as an indicator and post-COVID rebounds in production and exports.
- 88% of the top 25 sit in the lower half of the SDG Index, demonstrating that mining dependence doesn’t always align with sustainable development.
- Eight of the top 10 countries are EITI implementing members, though governance progress remains uneven.
- Strong mineral resource governance and responsible mining practices are essential to turn economic gains into lasting, sustainable development.
- The MCI usually includes a fourth indicator in its scoring – mineral rents (as a % of GDP) which is usually published annually by the World Bank. As it was not available for 2022, the weighting of the remaining three indicators used to calculate the MCI ranking has increased, assigning these indicators more influence on the outcome of a country’s ranking compared with previous editions.
Role of mining in national economies reports
Role of Mining in National Economies: Mining Contribution Index (6th Edition, 2022)
This edition of ICMM's Mining Contribution Index synthesises into a single number the significance of the mining sector’s contribution to national economies.
Role of Mining in National Economies: Mining Contribution Index (5th Edition, 2020)
This edition of ICMM's Mining Contribution Index synthesises into a single number the significance of the mining sector’s contribution to national economies.
Role of Mining in National Economies: Mining Contribution Index (4th Edition, 2018)
This update to ICMM's Mining Contribution Index ranks countries according to the importance of mining to the national economy.
Role of Mining in National Economies: Mining Contribution Index (3rd Edition, 2016)
This edition shows the significant contribution of mining and metals to national economies and provides an update to ICMM's Mining Contribution Index.
Role of Mining in National Economies: Mining Contribution Index (2nd Edition, 2014)
This edition shows the significant contribution of mining and metals to national economies and provides an update to ICMM's Mining Contribution Index.
Role of Mining in National Economies: Mining Contribution Index (1st Edition, 2012)
This report looks at the contribution of mining and metals to national economies.
