Mining by country

Mining in Hong Kong

Mining in Hong Kong: the public figures we hold so far. The World Bank puts mineral rents close to zero (2021) and ores and metals at 2% of merchandise exports (2025). No world production share, mine or listed company project is recorded here yet.

Mineral rents0%of GDP, 2021. Higher than 0% of countries.
Ores and metals2%of merchandise exports, 2025.
Governance, World Bank WGI 2025
  • Rule of law+0.94above 81% of countries
  • Political stability+0.78above 70% of countries
  • Regulatory quality+1.62above 96% of countries
  • Control of corruption+1.64above 93% of countries
Estimates from −2.5 to +2.5; the bar sits at the country's score.

Mining in Hong Kong at a glance

First recorded mining
1860s. Lead discovered at Lin Ma Hang in the 1860s; the lower 'Portuguese' workings were operated in the nineteenth century. Source: Civil Engineering and Development…
Main mines
Ma On Shan (iron), Lin Ma Hang (lead-zinc), Needle Hill (tungsten), West Brother (graphite) Source: Civil Engineering and Development…

Mining employment from the ILO usually counts all of mining and quarrying, often with oil and gas; national shares of GDP and exports are as each source defines them.

History of mining in Hong Kong

What the ground holds. tungsten (wolframite), lead, zinc, copper, iron (magnetite), graphite, silver, granite and offshore sand. Source: Civil Engineering and Development…

How prospectors changed the worldThe full mining timeline

Mining elsewhere in Asia

ChinaIndonesiaJapanKazakhstanSouth KoreaIndiaTurkeyMongoliaPhilippinesVietnam

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.

Keep exploring

Stories from Hong Kong and its minerals

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All mining storiesThe world runs on rockAll mineralsMining by country

Cover photos from Wikimedia Commons: The Big Hole by Rudolph Botha, CC BY-SA 3.0.