Saudi Arabia Logs 5,680 Mineral Sites and 2,925 Mining Licences in 2025
GASTAT data cited by Reuters show Saudi Arabia had 5,680 mineralisation sites at end-2025, up 29 on 2024, with gold, zinc and copper reserves reported.
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what happened
Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) counted 5,680 mineralisation sites by the end of 2025, according to Reuters, which cited the agency's Mineral Resources Statistics 2025 report. That is 29 more than a year earlier. Metallic deposits made up 43.03% of sites, non-metallic ones 53.98%, and mixed sites 2.99%.
Valid mining licences rose by 524 to 2,925 in 2025. Riyadh Region held 58.91% of them, the Eastern Region 15.62% and Makkah 11.73%. Gold reserves are estimated near 16.68 million oz, zinc at 1.85 Mt and copper at 0.72 Mt. Imports reached 30 million tonnes, or 57.62% of the total, while exports came to 22 million tonnes.
why it matters
For metals markets this is more a long-term supply signal than a near-term shock: a growing number of sites and licences could eventually expand potential gold, zinc and copper output. The figures describe reserves and resources rather than current production, so they alone do not set near-term prices. The kingdom remains a net importer of minerals by volume.
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- Saudi Arabia reports discovery of 5,680 mineral sites in 2025 — Reuters, 1 November 2026 at 13:48 UTC
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