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What Countries Mine Silver?

Industrial and decorative uses, photography, jewelry and silverware account for approximately 95 percent of the world's annual use of silver, according to the Silver Institute, a nonprofit international association representing the silver industry. Although 30 percent of silver is mined from primary silver mines, most of the world's silver is extracted as a byproduct of the mining of other metals, such as gold. According to the Mineral Information Institute, silver is mined in 56 countries on every continent except Antarctica.

Americas
- According to the Silver Institute, approximately half of the world's silver is mined in the Americas.
  
  Mexico was the world's largest producer in 2010, producing 128.6 million ounces of silver. The United States ranked seventh, mining 38.6 million ounces in 2010. Other countries in the Americas among the top 20 producers were Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Argentina, Canada and Guatemala. Smaller-scale mining of silver is also found in Brazil, Columbia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.
Asia
- Historically, Anatolia in modern-day Turkey was the first major source of the world's mined silver. In 2010, the top producer of silver in Asia was China. Producing 99.2 million ounces of silver in 2010, China ranked third in the world. Other countries in Asia among the world's top 20 producers were Kazakhstan, Turkey, India, Indonesia and Iran. Other Asian countries that mine silver include Armenia, Burma, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Oman, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and Tajikistan.
Europe
- Historically, Greece and Spain were major sources of silver before the exploration and development of mines in the Americas. In 2010, Poland, Russia and Sweden were among the top 20 sources of silver in the world. Poland was Europe's biggest producer, ranking eighth and producing 37.7 million ounces. Silver mining on the continent also occurs in Bulgaria, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Serbia and Spain.
Oceania
- Australia was the world's fourth-largest source of silver in 2010, behind Mexico, Peru and China. Almost all of the country's silver mines are underground, mechanized operations. As of May 2011, there were approximately 34 silver mines in Australia. A quarter of Australia's mine output is refined silver, which is mainly sent to Japan. New Zealand also mines silver as a byproduct of gold mining in Coromandel, Waihi and Otago. Papua New Guinea is also home to silver mining.
Africa
- Morocco was the 14th-largest producer of silver in the world and the largest in Africa in 2010. Among the world's top 20 sources of silver was South Africa, which ranked 20th. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, silver is also mined on a smaller scale in Algeria, Congo (Kinshasa), Ethiopia, Ghana, Morocco, Namibia, Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

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