Foreign mining investment reaches record USD 24.849 billion

Cumulative foreign direct investment in Argentine mining reached USD 24.849 billion in March 2026, the highest point in the series tracked by the Central Bank. The amount surpassed the USD 22.049 billion registered in the previous quarter.

The stock doubled in two years, from USD 12.402 billion in March 2024, and nearly tripled compared to September 2019, when it totaled USD 8.361 billion. In early 2017, cumulative foreign investment in the sector hovered around USD 6 billion.

Mining and quarrying operations concentrated much of the expansion: rising from just over USD 1 billion in 2017 to surpassing USD 13 billion in the latest figures. Metal mineral extraction and mining support services also grew significantly.

During the first quarter of 2026, USD 2.799 billion in net foreign direct investment flowed into the sector, the largest quarterly inflow in the series. The figure was 36% higher than the previous record, registered in the second quarter of 2024, with USD 2.055 billion.

Investment performance coincided with record exports. Mining sales abroad totaled USD 4.742 billion between January and June 2026, a year-over-year increase of 74.8% and more than double the first half of 2024.

Gold accounted for nearly 61% of exports for the period. Lithium ranked second, representing approximately one-quarter of the total, while silver maintained its position as the third leading mineral export. The report attributes the results primarily to elevated international prices, despite prospects for lower production and higher costs for gold and silver.