According to statistics from the US Geological Survey, in 2022, global gold production increased 0.32% year on year to 3,100 tons. Among them, the three major gold producers are China, Australia, and Russia, with an annual output of more than 300 tons. In addition to South Africa, Africa's position in the global gold production sector is also improving. West African countries such as Ghana, Mali, and Burkina Faso are becoming more and more important, and their gold production has stabilized at the top 20 levels in the world.

Top 10 mining companies' production

For mining companies that produce gold, according to statistics from institutions such as Rufter and Jintuo, the 10 largest gold producers in the world in 2022 are:

Newmont Newmont, Barrick Gold, Agnico Eagle Mining, AngloGold Ashanti, Polar Polyus, Kaneda Gold Fields, Kinross Gold, Newcrest, Freeport-McMoran Freeport-McMoRan, Zijin Mining.

Chinese mining companies break into the top ten

Of these 10 mining companies, 3 are from Canada, 2 are from the US, 2 are from South Africa, 1 Russian company, 1 Australian company, and 1 Chinese company.

The US gold company Newmont produced 185.3 tons of gold in 2022, the highest in the world. The company owns the world's largest gold mine located in Nevada, USA. China's mining giant Zijin Mining ranked in the top ten with 55.9 tons of gold production.

Stock price performance: half up and half down

On December 4, the spot gold price broke through 2,100 US dollars per ounce, a record high. The stock prices of gold-related companies have also generally risen pleasantly. However, judging from the scope of the whole year, not all of these 10 mining companies can rise high in the secondary market. Companies whose stock prices rose and fell during the year each accounted for half.

Newmont's stock price, which is the world's largest producer, has fallen 18.23% so far this year, making it the biggest drop among the top ten companies. In November of this year, it acquired Newcrest, the seventh-ranked Australian mining company in the list, for approximately $16.81 billion.

The biggest increase in stock prices so far this year is for Russian mining companies Polar, with an increase of 37.94%. Despite severe blockages in Russian gold trade in 2022, the market seems to be still optimistic about this Russian company and the Russian gold industry.

Market capitalization comparison: The largest is 7 times the smallest

Among these 10 companies, the largest market capitalization is Freeport-McMoran, which ranked second to last. As of December 4, the market capitalization was 53.931 billion US dollars. The US company mentioned in its 2022 earnings report that Grasberg, the second-largest gold mine in the world in Indonesia, is developing a new Kucing Liar deposit. The deposit is expected to produce more than 2.72 million tons of copper and 170 tons of gold between 2028 and 2041.

The smallest market capitalization is Kinross from Canada. Its market capitalization is 7.276 billion US dollars, and its market capitalization is only 14% of Freeport-McMorland. The company's business is mainly gold and silver mining. Gold production is growing rapidly. Production in 2022 is up 35% compared to 2021.