Gold Production 50 Years by Country (1973-2023)
- Mining Visuals
- 2 hours ago
- 1 min read
Gold's allure is timeless, but where we find it has changed dramatically. Just 50 years ago, South Africa was the undisputed king, digging up nearly two-thirds of the world's gold. Watch the animation – you'll see South Africa's long reign.
But the gold map was about to be redrawn. As South Africa's deep mines became tougher and costlier, its dominance faded. See how the rankings change dramatically? China surged from a minor player to the world's top producer by 2007. Russia, Australia, Canada, the US, and nations across West Africa also rose to prominence.
The result? Gold production is no longer concentrated but spread across the globe. And thanks largely to new technologies unlocking tougher deposits, the total amount of gold mined worldwide has more than doubled compared to 50 years ago.
This animation captures that incredible 50-year shift. It’s a visual story of geology, technology, and economics reshaping the global quest for gold. What you see isn't just changing numbers, but a world transformed.
Source: ourworldindata.org and World Gold Council
