Mining production in South Africa rose 0.5 percent year-on-year in October 2018, following an upwardly revised 2.0 percent decline in the previous month and above market expectations of a 1.5 percent fall. It was the first gain in mining output since June, as production of nickel rebounded (8.8 percent vs 19.8 percent in September). Also, output increased further for platinum group metals (PGM) (21.4 percent vs 7.9 percent); diamonds (27.2 percent vs 10.6 percent); manganese ore (19.9 percent vs 16 percent) and chromium ore (9.4 percent vs 9.2 percent). Additionally, production fell less for coal (-1.3 percent vs -2.1 percent); gold (-15.1 percent vs -19.7 percent); other non-metallic minerals (-4.8 percent vs -3.8 percent); other metallic minerals (-9.1 percent vs -15.5 percent); building materials (-8.7 percent vs -12.3 percent) and copper (-22.8 percent vs -44.7 percent). On a monthly basis, mining output went up 3.3 percent, after rising 0.7 percent in September. Mining Production in South Africa averaged -0.05 percent from 1981 until 2018, reaching an all time high of 23.20 percent in October of 2013 and a record low of -17.40 percent in March of 2016.
Mining Production in South Africa is expected to be 0.60 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. Looking forward, we estimate Mining Production in South Africa to stand at -1.84 in 12 months time. In the long-term, the South Africa Mining Production is projected to trend around 1.20 percent in 2020, according to our econometric models.