Major producers of silver in the world -Point to ponder .

1. Peru produced 118.5 million ounces of silver in 2008, 17.6% of world production of silver. The four largest mines of Peru produce 47.2% of the silver of the country, 55 million ounces of silver produced in 2008. The production of silver has almost doubled since 1998 from 65 million ounces of silver to 118 million ounces of silver (3 685 tonnes of silver).
These four mines primarily produce zinc, gold, copper and even molybdenum. The production of silver is an associate production. Peru is the largest producer in the world of silver, the second largest producer of copper, the third largest producer of zinc, lead the fourth and fifth gold. His first producer of silver is the result of the high level of the four other productions.

2. Mexico is the second largest producer of silver. In 2008, Mexico produced 96.4 million ounces of silver (3 000 tonnes of silver). Mexico is to silver production that South Africa was to gold production. Mexico has lost its position as leading producer of silver in favor of Peru in 2002. Mexico is also the 6th producer of zinc and lead producer 5th.

3. Silver production in China is 83.5 million ounces of silver in 2008 (2600 tonnes of silver). China is the 3rd producer of silver in the world. The main reason is probably the most important Chinese production of zinc. Indeed, China is by far the largest producer of zinc in the world. China is also the 1st largest producer of lead and gold.

4. Chile has produced 64.3 million ounces of silver (2 000 tonnes of silver) last year which gives him the rank of fourth largest producer of silver. This large production of silver is closer to its position as the world's largest producer of copper.

5. Australia is the fifth largest producer of silver in the world with a production of 57.8 million ounces of silver (1 800 tonnes of silver). Australia is also the 2nd largest producer of zinc and lead, 4th largest gold and 5th place for copper. Australian production of silver is only a by-product of these metals.

6. The majority of the production of silver from Poland which is the 6th largest producer of silver with 41.7 million ounces of silver (1300 tonnes of silver) comes to 90% of one copper mine.

The 7th and the 8th largest producer of silver are the USA with 40.5 million ounces of silver (1 260 tonnes of silver) and Canada with 25.7 million ounces of silver (800 tons of silver). They both were the world's leading producers of silver in the early 1970s, are both below their level of production time.











The production of silver depends on ¾ of the mine production of copper, zinc, lead and gold. The production of silver depends on the prices of these metals that the price of silver itself!

The production of silver increased while production of copper, zinc, lead and gold increased. The fact that the first five silver producing countries are also the leading producer of copper, zinc, lead and gold is not a coincidence but geology. I have already broached the subject of production of gold and zinc, there are two unknown copper and lead. I write about these two metals in the coming months to give you all the pieces of the production silver in the world.



Dr Thomas Chaize