Mining production in South Africa plummeted by 12.7% year-on-year in August 2026, following a revised 7% decline in the prior month. This marked the fourth consecutive month of downturn and the steepest annual drop since October 2022, primarily due to reduced output from PGMs (-22.5%); iron ore (-16.2%) and coal (-11.7%). Significant declines were also recorded for diamonds (-41.1%); nickel (-32.2%); other metallic minerals (-12.5%); other non-metallic minerals (-11.2%); copper (-7.3%) and gold (-5.7% ). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, mining production shrank by 5.4%, after decreasing by 1.9% in the previous month. Mining production slumped by 5.2% in the three months ended August 2026 compared with the previous three months. source: Statistics South Africa

Mining production in South Africa decreased 12.70 percent in August of 2026 over the same month in the previous year. Mining Production in South Africa averaged -0.04 percent from 1981 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 127.50 percent in April of 2021 and a record low of -51.60 percent in April of 2020. This page provides - South Africa Mining Production- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news. South Africa Mining Production YoY - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on October of 2026.

Mining production in South Africa decreased 12.70 percent in August of 2026 over the same month in the previous year. Mining Production in South Africa is expected to be 2.40 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the South Africa Mining Production YoY is projected to trend around 2.00 percent in 2027 and 1.80 percent in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-09-10 09:30 AM
Mining Production YoY
Jul -7.5% -4.3% -2.8% -6.2%
2026-10-13 09:30 AM
Mining Production YoY
Aug -12.7% -7% -3.0%
2026-11-12 09:30 AM
Mining Production YoY
Sep -12.7% 1.3%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Bankruptcies 227.00 239.00 Companies Aug 2026
Changes in Inventories 8848.00 -17673.00 ZAR Million Jun 2026
Electricity Production 18816.00 19416.00 Gigawatt-hour Aug 2026
Gold Production YoY -5.70 -7.30 percent Aug 2026
Manufacturing Production YoY -4.30 1.10 percent Aug 2026
Manufacturing Production MoM -3.10 2.20 percent Aug 2026
Mining Production YoY -12.70 -7.00 percent Aug 2026


South Africa Mining Production YoY
In South Africa, the index of the volume of mining production is a statistical measure of the change in the volume of production. Coal is the most important sector and accounts for 24 percent of total mining production, followed by PGMs (23 percent); gold (16 percent); iron ore (12 percent); other non-metallic minerals (6 percent); diamonds (4 percent); manganese ore and chromium ore (3 percent each); other metallic minerals, building materials and nickel (2 percent each), and copper (1 percent).
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
-12.70 -7.00 127.50 -51.60 1981 - 2026 percent Monthly
NSA

News Stream
South Africa Mining Sector Plunges Further in August
Mining production in South Africa plummeted by 12.7% year-on-year in August 2026, following a revised 7% decline in the prior month. This marked the fourth consecutive month of downturn and the steepest annual drop since October 2022, primarily due to reduced output from PGMs (-22.5%); iron ore (-16.2%) and coal (-11.7%). Significant declines were also recorded for diamonds (-41.1%); nickel (-32.2%); other metallic minerals (-12.5%); other non-metallic minerals (-11.2%); copper (-7.3%) and gold (-5.7% ). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, mining production shrank by 5.4%, after decreasing by 1.9% in the previous month. Mining production slumped by 5.2% in the three months ended August 2026 compared with the previous three months.
2026-10-13
South Africa Mining Output Falls More Than Expected
Mining production in South Africa plunged by 7.5% year-on-year in July 2026, after an upwardly revised 4.3% drop in June and worse than analysts' forecasts of a 2.8% slump. The latest decline extended South Africa’s mining downturn to three consecutive months and was the sharpest since February 2025. The industry continues to face structural constraints, including logistics bottlenecks, high operating costs, ageing mines and weaker demand for some commodities like iron ore and coal. Output declined across almost all categories, with platinum group metals (PGMs) (-13.5%), coal (-7.5%) and iron ore (-8%) making the largest negative contributions. On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, mining production shrank by 1.9%, after a downwardly revsied 0.1% increase in the month before. Mining production slipped by 5.5% in the three months ended July 2026 compared with the previous three months.
2026-09-10
South Africa Mining Output Shrinks for 2nd Month
Mining production in South Africa fell by 4.4% year-on-year in June 2026, following a downwardly revised 5.1% drop in May. The largest negative contributors were PGMs, down 8.4% and weighing 2.4 percentage points, followed by coal (-6.6%; -1.7 points) and iron ore (-10.2%; -1.5 points). Conversely, output increased for manganese ore (13.3% vs 10.1%); chromium ore (8.6% vs 10.3%); gold (6.2% vs -4.4%) and building materials (2.5% vs -8.8%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, mining production rose by 0.3%, rebounding from a 5.2% decline in the preceding month. Mining activity shrank by 2.7% in the second quarter of 2026 compared with the first quarter of 2026.
2026-08-13