Leading mining companies in Chile 2020, by net sales

In 2020, Codelco was by far the leading company in the Chilean mining sector, generating more than 14 billion U.S. dollars in net revenue. Coldelco's divisions in Chuquicamata and El Teniente ranked fifth and seventh that year, respectively. Meanwhile, Minera Escondida – which operates the world's largest copper mine – ranked second, with 7.7 billion dollars of revenue.

Codelco: a global leader

Corporación Nacional del Cobre de Chile – also known as Codelco – is a Chilean state-owned mining company and the largest copper producer worldwide, accounting for roughly eight percent of the global copper output. Headquartered in Chile’s capital city Santiago, the company was founded in 1976. In 2021, Codelco’s revenue surpassed 21 billion U.S. dollars.

Chile’s mining sector

The mining industry in Chile is vital for the country's economy, accounting for a roughly 15 percent share of its gross domestic product (GDP) in 2021. Copper is by far the most important metal for the Andean country. As the largest copper mine producer worldwide, Chile’s annual copper output has remained above 5.5 million metric tons for most of the past decade. In addition to copper, Chile is also among the world’s largest producers of molybdenum and lithium.