This map from the team at Kylar Mack is a treasure trove of information about precious metals. The Kylar Mack team focused their passion for jewelry on the precious metals that comprise it to show us where in the world we can find the most gold, silver, and other precious metals. If you’re wondering where in the world your prized necklace or ring might have its origins, this map could offer a few hints.
To create this map, the team looked at the amount of each metal mined between 2000 and 2023 in every location. Overall, the U.S. Department of the Interior estimates that to our knowledge, there are 244,000 metric tons of gold worldwide. Out of the known gold, its believed that 187,000 tons have been mined, and the remaining 57,000 is still underground. While this might not sound like a lot of gold remains, The U.S. had a massive Gold Rush in the previous century, but you might still find a little gold today in the deserts of Nevada, the American River in California, and Alaska’s Yukon River. The largest gold mine in the world is the Witwatersrand Basin in South Africa, which is estimated to last another 80 years. Overall though, the map shows us that the most gold has been mined in China with Australia right behind.
Here are the countries that have yielded the most gold:
- China: 7,868 (metric tons)
- Australia: 6,678
- United States: 5,682
- Russia: 5,351
- South Africa: 5,096
Silver is not as highly sought after as gold, but it’s still incredibly valuable. There’s actually a silver shortage currently because of its use in solar panels.
These are the countries that yield the most silver:
- Mexico: 105,400 (metric tons)
- Peru: 81,567
- China: 71,620
- Australia: 39,773
- Chile: 30,444
