M. Garside
Research lead covering energy, chemicals & resources
BHP - statistics & facts
BHP, formerly known as BHP Billiton, was formed as a result of the 2001 merger between BHP (Broken Hill Propriety Company Limited) and Billiton, is one of the world’s leading producers of several commodities, including copper, iron ore, metallurgical coal, and uranium. BHP also has interests in oil, natural gas, and coal. The multinational company is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, and is one of the most valuable Australian brands.
BHP's key company figures
With operations located mainly in Australia and the Americas, BHP is both an extractor and processor of minerals, oil, and natural gas. In 2021 the reported an annual revenue of BHP amounted to approximately 60.8 billion U.S. dollars, a slight increase from the company's previous record revenue of 59 billion U.S. dollars in 2008. Moreover, being one of the largest mining companies worldwide, BHP's market capitalization amounted to some 137.97 billion U.S. dollars as of November 2021, making it one of the leading global players in the mining sector. There were nearly 34,500 employees of BHP as of 2021 globally, with the greatest share of the employees working in in Australia.BHP company segments
There are four reportable segments of BHP: Iron Ore, Copper, Coal, and Petroleum. BHP also has a segment called 'Group and unallocated items' that includes the company's functions, other unallocated operations including potash, Nickel West, and legacy assets (which were previously disclosed as mines in the Petroleum segment), and consolidation adjustments. The most profitable of the segments as of the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021 was the Iron Ore segment, which generated a revenue of 34.5 billion U.S. dollars that year.BHP's bad press
Being a large global mining company, BHP is not free of controversy. In November 2015, a mine waste water dam in south-eastern Brazil that was jointly owned by BHP and Vale collapsed. It killed at least 17 people, injured more than 50 people, and caused devastating environmental damage to the surrounding area.
