Industry data
Mining industry statistics
The numbers behind Australian mining: the people who work in it and what they earn, what the industry adds to the economy, the minerals and energy Australia exports, the mines and businesses behind it, what they spend on new equipment and exploration, and the safety record. Each figure links to the agency that published it and shows the period it applies to.
Reviewed 29 October 2026
Key figures
- 304.2 thousand people whose main job is in mining, seasonally adjusted, from the ABS Labour Force Survey
- 3,224.20 dollars a week average weekly ordinary time earnings for full-time adult employees in mining, before tax
- $253,839 million gross value added by the mining industry
- $403,149 million resource and energy export earnings, as published by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources
- 8,755 mining businesses trading
- $15,650 million spent by private mining businesses on new equipment, plant and machinery
People working in mining
How many people work in mining, where they live and what they earn. The headline count and the state figures come from the ABS Labour Force Survey, which asks people about the industry of their main job. A separate ABS estimate counts the people working for mining businesses, from business survey and tax data. These estimates use different methods and refer to different dates. Earnings come from the ABS survey of average weekly earnings. Mining here includes oil and gas extraction, exploration and mining support services.
304.2 thousand
people whose main job is in mining, seasonally adjusted, from the ABS Labour Force Survey
Seasonally adjusted. People whose main job is in the mining industry, from the ABS Labour Force Survey. The ABS notes there may be some shifts in detailed series following its Labour Force modernisation.
Link to this figure241,403
people working for mining businesses at the end of June, an ABS estimate from business survey and tax data
People working for mining businesses in the last pay period ending in June, including working proprietors and partners. An ABS estimate from business survey and tax data. It differs from the Labour Force Survey count, which asks people about their main job. The two estimates use different methods and refer to different dates.
Link to this figure3,224.20 dollars a week
average weekly ordinary time earnings for full-time adult employees in mining, before tax
Original estimate. Ordinary time earnings are pay for award, standard or agreed hours, before tax and other deductions, without overtime or amounts salary sacrificed. Up from 3,174.50 dollars in May 2025. The ABS notes that average weekly earnings do not describe the earnings of the average person.
Link to this figure2,083.70 dollars a week
average weekly ordinary time earnings for full-time adult employees across all industries, before tax
Original estimate, on the same basis as the mining figure.
Link to this figure146.4 thousand
people working in mining who live in Western Australia, an original estimate from the ABS Labour Force Survey
Original estimate, not seasonally adjusted. People are counted in the state where they live, which may differ from where they work.
Link to this figure| State or territory | People employed |
|---|---|
| Western Australia | |
| Queensland | |
| New South Wales | |
| South Australia | |
| Victoria | |
| Tasmania | |
| Northern Territory |
Thousands of people. Original estimates, not seasonally adjusted. People are counted in the state or territory where they live, which may differ from where they work. Smaller estimates are subject to higher sampling error. The Australian Capital Territory, at 0.2 thousand, is left out because its estimate is too small to show.
Link to this chart| Year | People employed |
|---|---|
| 2016 | |
| 2017 | |
| 2018 | |
| 2019 | |
| 2020 | |
| 2021 | |
| 2022 | |
| 2023 | |
| 2024 | |
| 2025 | |
| 2026 |
Thousands of people, seasonally adjusted. The August figure for each year is shown. Seasonally adjusted figures can be revised in later releases.
Link to this chartSize of the mining industry
What mining adds to the Australian economy and what mining businesses earn. The gross value added figures come from the ABS national accounts. Sales and service income and industry value added come from the ABS Australian Industry release, which measures value added in a different way. Dollar figures are in current prices, so changes over time include changes in prices.
$253,839 million
gross value added by the mining industry
Current prices. Gross value added is the value of what the industry produces, less the goods and services used up in producing it. The figure for 2024-25 was $251,960 million.
Link to this figure$445,515 million
sales and service income of mining businesses
Income from selling goods and services, including rent, leasing, hiring and royalties, in current prices. Down 9.1% on 2023-24. The ABS notes that its mining estimates largely reflect businesses reporting for the 2024 calendar year.
Link to this figure| Part of the industry | Industry value added ($m) |
|---|---|
| Metal ore mining | |
| Oil and gas extraction | |
| Coal mining | |
| Exploration and other mining support services | |
| Non-metallic mineral mining and quarrying |
Millions of dollars, current prices. Industry value added is the ABS estimate of the value of an industry's output less the materials and expenses used to produce it. It is related to, but different from, gross value added in the national accounts. Industry value added for all of mining was $260,571 million, down 16.0% on 2023-24. The ABS notes that its mining estimates largely reflect businesses reporting for the 2024 calendar year. The parts may not add exactly to the total because of rounding.
Link to this chartResource and energy exports
What Australia earns from its resource and energy exports, from the Resources and Energy Quarterly published by the Office of the Chief Economist in the Department of Industry, Science and Resources. The figures are actual export earnings for the financial year in current prices, not the forecasts the publication also makes. It reports metallurgical coal and thermal coal separately.
$403,149 million
resource and energy export earnings, as published by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources
Actual, in current prices. Of this, resources earned $261,442 million and energy $141,706 million, as published. The figure for 2024-25 was $385,933 million.
Link to this figure$118,727 million
iron ore export earnings, as published by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources
Actual, in current prices. The figure for 2024-25 was $116,326 million.
Link to this figure$69,658 million
gold export earnings, as published by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources
Actual, in current prices. The figure for 2024-25 was $46,895 million.
Link to this figure$55,361 million
liquefied natural gas (LNG) export earnings, as published by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources
Actual, in current prices. The figure for 2024-25 was $64,625 million.
Link to this figure$37,709 million
metallurgical coal export earnings, as published by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources
Actual, in current prices. The figure for 2024-25 was $39,314 million.
Link to this figure$29,624 million
thermal coal export earnings, as published by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources
Actual, in current prices. The figure for 2024-25 was $31,993 million.
Link to this figure$9,909 million
lithium export earnings, as published by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources
Actual, in current prices. Revenue from spodumene concentrate, lithium hydroxide and other lithium products. The figure for 2024-25 was $4,812 million.
Link to this figureMines in Australia
How many mines Geoscience Australia shows on its national map of Australian mines, and the commodities the operating mines produce. The map records whether each mine was operating, being developed or under care and maintenance when it was compiled. Its commodity types cover minerals and coal, and oil and gas fields are not among them.
539
mines on Geoscience Australia's national mines map, including those being developed or under care and maintenance as well as those operating
Operating mines were operational as at December 2025. Developing mines have a positive feasibility study, have started development or have received all approvals. Mines under care and maintenance have known resources and have stopped producing, but the site is kept safe and stable and could restart.
Link to this figure| Commodity type | Operating mines |
|---|---|
| Coal | |
| Precious metals: gold, silver | |
| Iron ore | |
| Base metals: copper (zinc, lead, molybdenum, silver, gold) | |
| Base metals: zinc, lead (copper, silver) | |
| Heavy mineral sands: titanium, zirconium | |
| Bauxite | |
| High-purity elements: aluminium, silicon | |
| Battery and alloy metals: lithium, tantalum | |
| Fertiliser elements: phosphorus, potassium | |
| Magnesium | |
| Tin, tungsten | |
| Battery and alloy metals: nickel (cobalt, copper, platinum group elements, scandium) | |
| Manganese | |
| Uranium | |
| Base metals: copper, gold, uranium, silver | |
| Heavy mineral sands: titanium, zirconium, rare earth elements | |
| Rare earth elements |
Geoscience Australia's counts of operating mines for each commodity type it uses on the map, with the commodity names written out. Mines being developed and mines under care and maintenance are not included. Graphite and vanadium had no operating mines on the map.
Link to this chartMining businesses
How many mining businesses are trading, how many joined and left the count over the year, and what kinds of mining they do, from the ABS count of actively trading businesses. It counts businesses, not mines.
8,755
mining businesses trading
Actively trading businesses in ANZSIC division B, mining, including unincorporated businesses and trusts as well as companies. Up 1.1% on a year earlier. The ABS counts businesses in its profiled population, and other businesses only if they are actively remitting GST.
Link to this figure1,036
mining businesses joined the ABS count of trading businesses
Includes 707 business births, such as new ABN registrations, and 329 other entries, such as reactivated ABNs and businesses that started remitting GST again.
Link to this figure941
mining businesses left the ABS count of trading businesses
Includes 710 cancellations, such as cancelled ABNs, and 231 other exits, such as businesses that stopped remitting GST. Not every exit is a closure.
Link to this figure| Type of mining | Businesses |
|---|---|
| Mineral exploration | |
| Other mining support services | |
| Other construction material mining | |
| Other non-metallic mineral mining and quarrying | |
| Gold ore mining | |
| Petroleum exploration | |
| Gravel and sand quarrying | |
| Oil and gas extraction | |
| Coal mining | |
| Iron ore mining | |
| Mineral sand mining | |
| Other metal ore mining | |
| Copper ore mining | |
| Nickel ore mining | |
| Silver-lead-zinc ore mining | |
| Bauxite mining |
ANZSIC classes in the mining division, from the June 2025 edition, the latest with class detail. The ABS may slightly perturb class counts to protect confidentiality, and later editions revise them, so the classes may not add exactly to the division total.
Link to this chartInvestment in equipment and buildings
What mining businesses spend on new equipment, plant and machinery, and on new buildings and structures, from the ABS survey of private new capital expenditure. Buildings and structures include mine development, such as sinking shafts and preparing open cut sites. Used assets are not counted unless they are newly imported into Australia.
$15,650 million
spent by private mining businesses on new equipment, plant and machinery
Actual spending by private businesses over the financial year, in current prices. Includes plant, machinery, vehicles, electrical apparatus, office equipment, and furniture, fixtures and fittings that are not part of a building. The figure for 2024-25 was $14,333 million.
Link to this figure$39,196 million
spent by private mining businesses on new buildings and structures
Actual spending by private businesses over the financial year, in current prices. Includes mine development. Land and previously occupied buildings are not included.
Link to this figure$54,846 million
total new capital expenditure by private mining businesses
Buildings and structures plus equipment, plant and machinery, as published by the ABS. Actual spending, current prices.
Link to this figure17.0%
growth in quarterly spending on equipment, plant and machinery by mining businesses, after removing price changes and seasonal swings
Chain volume measure, seasonally adjusted. Up 5.4% on the March quarter 2026.
Link to this figure| Financial year | Spending ($m) |
|---|---|
| 2015-16 | |
| 2016-17 | |
| 2017-18 | |
| 2018-19 | |
| 2019-20 | |
| 2020-21 | |
| 2021-22 | |
| 2022-23 | |
| 2023-24 | |
| 2024-25 | |
| 2025-26 |
Millions of dollars, current prices, so changes include changes in prices. Actual spending by private mining businesses.
Link to this chartExploration
What private companies spend looking for new mineral and petroleum deposits and testing known ones, from the ABS survey of mineral and petroleum exploration. Mineral exploration here leaves out exploration for petroleum, which is counted separately.
1,142.9 million dollars
spent on mineral exploration in the quarter
Seasonally adjusted. Up 3.9% on the March quarter 2026. Covers exploration for minerals other than petroleum, on both new and existing deposits.
Link to this figure17.9%
rise in mineral exploration spending compared with a year earlier
Seasonally adjusted.
Link to this figure565.6 million dollars
spent exploring for gold in the quarter
Original estimate, not seasonally adjusted. Up $107.9 million, or 23.6%, on the March quarter 2026.
Link to this figure583.7 million dollars
spent on petroleum exploration in the quarter
Seasonally adjusted. Up 24.1% on the March quarter 2026. Covers onshore and offshore exploration.
Link to this figureSafety
Workers killed in the mining industry and serious workers' compensation claims, from Safe Work Australia's national work health and safety statistics. Fatality figures count workers who died from injuries sustained in the course of a work activity, and leave out deaths from disease, natural causes and suicide. Annual fatality counts can vary widely, and Safe Work Australia says they should be interpreted with caution.
7
mining industry workers died from injuries sustained at work
Worker fatalities from traumatic injury. Safe Work Australia updates past years' counts as coroners' reports and investigations are finalised.
Link to this figure2.3 per 100,000 workers
worker fatality rate in mining
Traumatic injury fatalities per 100,000 workers.
Link to this figure1.5 per 100,000 workers
worker fatality rate across all industries, for comparison
Traumatic injury fatalities per 100,000 workers, all industries.
Link to this figure3,200
serious workers' compensation claims in mining, a preliminary count
Accepted workers' compensation claims involving one or more weeks away from work, excluding fatalities and specific duty statuses. Rounded as Safe Work Australia publishes it. Preliminary, and subject to revision as further claims are finalised.
Link to this figure14.0 claims per 1,000 jobs
serious claims incidence rate in mining, a preliminary rate
Claims per thousand filled jobs covered by workers' compensation schemes. Preliminary.
Link to this figure10.7 claims per 1,000 jobs
serious claims incidence rate across all industries, a preliminary rate, for comparison
Claims per thousand filled jobs covered by workers' compensation schemes. Preliminary.
Link to this figureCommon questions
How many people work in mining in Australia?
304.2 thousand people had their main job in mining, according to the ABS Labour Force Survey. A separate ABS estimate from business data puts the number of people working for mining businesses at 241,403 . These estimates use different methods and refer to different dates.
Which state has the most mining jobs?
Western Australia. Counting people working in mining by the state they live in, the ABS Labour Force Survey puts 146.4 thousand in Western Australia, followed by Queensland and then New South Wales. The state chart above shows every state and the Northern Territory.
How much do mine workers earn in Australia?
Full-time adult employees in mining earned average weekly ordinary time earnings of 3,224.20 dollars a week before tax, compared with 2,083.70 dollars a week across all industries. These are averages across employees, not the pay of a typical worker, and they leave out overtime.
How big is the mining industry in Australia?
Mining produced $253,839 million in gross value added, which was 9.2% of the value added by all industries, according to the ABS national accounts. Mining businesses earned $445,515 million in sales and service income, and 241,403 people worked for mining businesses, by the same ABS business estimate.
How many mines are there in Australia?
Geoscience Australia's national mines map shows 539 mines in total. That count is not only working mines: it includes mines being developed and mines under care and maintenance as well as operating mines. Of Geoscience Australia's commodity groups, coal has the most operating mines, followed by precious metals (gold and silver), then iron ore. The map does not cover oil and gas fields.
What are Australia's biggest mining exports?
Australia's resource and energy exports were worth $403,149 million , according to the Department of Industry, Science and Resources. Iron ore exports were worth $118,727 million , gold $69,658 million , liquefied natural gas $55,361 million , metallurgical coal $37,709 million , thermal coal $29,624 million and lithium $9,909 million .
How many mining companies are there in Australia?
8,755 mining businesses were trading, counting businesses of every legal form, not only companies. Over the year, 1,036 joined the ABS count of trading businesses and 941 left it. In the ABS class detail, which is a year older than the count above, mineral exploration was the largest class in the mining division.
How much do mining companies invest in equipment?
Private mining businesses spent $15,650 million on new equipment, plant and machinery, out of $54,846 million in total new capital expenditure. In the June quarter, after removing price changes and seasonal swings, their spending on equipment, plant and machinery was up 17.0% on a year earlier.
How much is spent on mineral exploration in Australia?
1,142.9 million dollars was spent on mineral exploration in the June quarter, seasonally adjusted, up 17.9% on a year earlier. Before seasonal adjustment, exploration for gold cost 565.6 million dollars .
How many people die in mining in Australia?
7 mining industry workers died from traumatic injuries sustained at work, a rate of 2.3 per 100,000 workers , compared with 1.5 per 100,000 workers across all industries, according to Safe Work Australia. Annual fatality counts can vary widely from year to year.
Using these figures
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How these figures are put together
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Sources
- Australian Bureau of Statistics: Labour Force, Australia, September 2026. ABS Labour Force Survey. Table 020, employed persons by industry division of main job, and Table 021, employed persons by state, territory and industry division of main job, quarterly data for August 2026, released 15 October 2026. Updates: Monthly. Seasonally adjusted industry figures are quarterly, for February, May, August and November. Retrieved 29 October 2026.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics: Average Weekly Earnings, Australia, May 2026. ABS Average Weekly Earnings survey of employers. Table 10g, full-time adult ordinary time earnings by industry, original, released 13 August 2026. Updates: Twice a year. The November 2026 release is due 25 February 2027. Retrieved 29 October 2026.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics: Australian System of National Accounts, 2025-26 financial year. Table 5, gross value added by industry, released 23 October 2026. Updates: Annual. The ABS lists the next release date as unknown. Retrieved 29 October 2026.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics: Australian Industry, 2024-25 financial year. ABS Economic Activity Survey and Australian Taxation Office business activity statement data. Data cube 81550DO005 (Mining industry), released 19 June 2026. The ABS notes that estimates for the mining industry largely reflect calendar year reporting for 2024. Updates: Annual. The ABS lists the next release date as unknown. Retrieved 29 October 2026.
- Department of Industry, Science and Resources (Office of the Chief Economist): Resources and Energy Quarterly, September 2026. Vol. 15, no. 3, referring to developments and data up to 20 September 2026. Actual export values for 2025-26 in current prices, from Tables 1.1, 3.3, 4.2, 5.2, 6.1, 9.1 and 14.1, drawing on ABS international trade data. Updates: Quarterly. Retrieved 29 October 2026.
- Geoscience Australia: Australian Operating Mines Map 2025 and its dataset. Australian Operating Mines Map 2025, twenty-seventh edition, January 2026 (eCat 150821), showing mines by status as at December 2025. Counts from the About sheet of the dataset that accompanies the map. Updates: Annual. Retrieved 29 October 2026.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics: Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits, July 2022 to June 2026 (data cube 1). ANZSIC division B, mining, released 18 August 2026. Updates: Annual. Industry class detail for June 2026 is due 18 December 2026. Retrieved 29 October 2026.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics: Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits, July 2021 to June 2025 (data cube 2). ANZSIC classes in the mining division, released 16 December 2025. Updates: Annual. Industry class detail is released each December. Retrieved 29 October 2026.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics: Private New Capital Expenditure and Expected Expenditure, Australia, June 2026. ABS Survey of New Capital Expenditure, private businesses only. Table 17 and the release page, released 27 August 2026. Updates: Quarterly. The September quarter 2026 release is due 26 November 2026. Retrieved 29 October 2026.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics: Mineral and Petroleum Exploration, Australia, June 2026. ABS surveys of private organisations engaged in exploration in Australia and Australian waters. Tables 2 and 5 and the release page, released 31 August 2026. Updates: Quarterly. The September quarter 2026 release is due 30 November 2026. Retrieved 29 October 2026.
- Safe Work Australia: Key Work Health and Safety Statistics Australia 2026, October 2026. Work-related Traumatic Injury Fatalities dataset (worker fatalities, 2025 calendar year) and the National Data Set for Compensation-based Statistics (serious claims, 2024-25, preliminary). Updates: Annual. Fatality counts for past years are updated as coroners' reports and investigations are finalised, and the latest year of claims data is preliminary. Retrieved 29 October 2026.
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