Prospector Trails
Mining by country/Africa
The DR Congo is the world's largest mine producer of cobalt, tantalum. It is in the world top three for copper (#2), niobium (#3). The story below follows its minerals from the ground to the economy, the export ports and the mines.
01 · What it digs
The DR Congo mined 74% of the world's cobalt in 2025, ranking #1. Across the 34 minerals we track it holds a share of at least 0.5% in 5.
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries, mine stage, latest year per mineral. Columns on the globe: every producer of cobalt.
02 · Mining in the economy
Mineral rents came to 29% of DR Congo's GDP in 2021, higher than 100% of the countries the World Bank reports; ores and metals made up 76% of its merchandise exports in 2024. GDP was $91bn in 2025.
World Bank WDI: mineral rents (NY.GDP.MINR.RT.ZS) and ores and metals exports (TX.VAL.MMTL.ZS.UN). The globe shades every country by mineral rents.
03 · Six years of output
Mine production, cobalt, tantalum, copper, tin, USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2022 to 2026 (each year as last reported).
04 · Where it goes
Its largest mineral export line in the trade data is copper: $17.3bn in 2024, led by China ($13.7bn), China ($2.5bn), China ($1.1bn).
CEPII BACI bilateral trade, by value; arcs run from DR Congo to the buyer.
05 · Jurisdiction
The World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators put DR Congo at -1.66 on rule of law in 2025, higher than 5% of countries. These are perception-based estimates on a scale from −2.5 to +2.5; they describe the operating environment, not any company.
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators. The globe shades every country by rule of law.
06 · Mines and projects
11 mines in the DR Congo have output figures in open mine databases; the largest by reported output are below. Listed companies hold 17 projects here, shown as dots.
What the DR Congo mines: cobalt (74% of world output, #1), tantalum (52% of world output, #1), copper (14% of world output, #2), tin (9.3% of world output, #5). Mineral rents are 29% of GDP. Below: 17 projects held by listed companies and 11 mines from open mine databases.
DR Congo in numbers: the infographic
| Mineral | World share | World rank | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cobalt | 74% | 1 | 2025 |
| Tantalum | 52% | 1 | 2025 |
| Copper | 14% | 2 | 2025 |
| Tin | 9.3% | 5 | 2025 |
| Niobium | 0.9% | 3 | 2025 |
| Project | Company | Minerals | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bisie Tin Complex (Alphamin Bisie Mining SA) | Alphamin Resources | Tin | Producing |
| Mpama North (Bisie) | Alphamin Resources | Tin | Producing |
| Mpama South (Bisie) | Alphamin Resources | Tin | Producing |
| TiTan alluvial tin-tantalum project and plant (Lubule prospect) | Tantalex Lithium Resources | Tantalum, Tin | Producing |
| Manono Lithium Tailings Project (Manono-Kitotolo tailings, PER 13698) | Tantalex Lithium Resources | Lithium, Tantalum, Tin | Development |
| Manono Tailings - C dump coarse | Tantalex Lithium Resources | Lithium, Tantalum, Tin | Development |
| Manono Tailings - G dump coarse | Tantalex Lithium Resources | Lithium, Tantalum, Tin | Development |
| Manono Tailings - G dump fines | Tantalex Lithium Resources | Lithium, Tantalum, Tin | Development |
| Manono Tailings - I dump coarse | Tantalex Lithium Resources | Lithium, Tantalum, Tin | Development |
| Manono Tailings - K dump | Tantalex Lithium Resources | Lithium, Tantalum, Tin | Development |
| Bisie North Project (Kalayi tin, Mont Agoma Cu-Zn-Sn) | Rome Resources | Copper, Silver, Tin, Zinc | Exploration |
| Bisie Ridge / regional exploration (Alphamin licences) | Alphamin Resources | Tin | Exploration |
| Manono Tailings - E dump coarse | Tantalex Lithium Resources | Lithium, Tantalum, Tin | Exploration |
| Manono Tailings - H dump coarse | Tantalex Lithium Resources | Lithium, Tantalum, Tin | Exploration |
| Manono Tailings - H dump fines | Tantalex Lithium Resources | Lithium, Tantalum, Tin | Exploration |
| PR13348 exploration licence (north of Pegmatite Corridor) | Tantalex Lithium Resources | Lithium, Tantalum, Tin | Exploration |
| Pegmatite Corridor Exploration (PR12447 and PR12448, incl. Kakodi pegmatite) | Tantalex Lithium Resources | Lithium, Tantalum, Tin | Exploration |
| Mine | Minerals | Operator | Latest published output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frontier | Copper | 47,508 t (2010) | |
| Kamoto Copper Company (KCC) / Katanga Mining Complex | Cobalt, Copper | Kamoto Copper Company | 17,100 t (2019) |
| Kibali | Gold, Copper, Silver | Barrick (Kibali Goldmines) | 22.9 t (2018) |
| Kinsenda | Copper | 31,059 t (2019) | |
| Kinsevere | Copper | 79,711 t (2018) | |
| Kipoi | Copper | 9,896 t (2019) | |
| Kolwezi | Copper | 53,235 t (2018) | |
| Lonshi | Copper | 327,000 t (2010) | |
| Mutanda | Cobalt, Copper | Mutanda Mining | 25,100 t (2019) |
| Ruashi | Cobalt, Copper | Metorex / Jinchuan Group | 5,070 t (2019) |
| Tenke Fungurume (TFM) | Cobalt, Copper | Tenke Fungurume Mining | 16,014 t (2015) |
Cobalt minesCopper minesLithium minesNiobium minesSilver minesTantalum minesTin minesZinc mines
World shares: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries, latest year per mineral. Mineral rents, exports and governance: World Bank WDI and WGI. Trade: CEPII BACI. Projects: listed companies' announcements.