Key Highlights
- Nevada Gold Mines in the United States topped the 2026 ranking with about 2.6 million ounces.
- Uzbekistan's Muruntau complex came second, with output up 4% on 2024.
- Russia's Olimpiada mine held third place, despite a 6% dip.
- Kazzinc in Kazakhstan was the biggest climber, moving from seventh to fourth.
- The Grasberg mine in Indonesia nearly halved its output after a deadly 2026 mudslide.
- Two African mines, Kibali in the DR Congo and Ahafo in Ghana, make the top ten.
- Blagodatnoye in Russia is a new entry, with output up 47%.
- The top ten mines together produced roughly 11 million ounces in 2026, by our arithmetic.
- China was the largest gold-producing country in 2026, with around 10% of global output.
- Rankings change every year, so always check which year the data covers.
Gold has fascinated people for thousands of years, yet most of it still comes from a surprisingly small group of huge mines.
Whether you are buying jewellery, holding gold as an investment, or simply curious about where the metal comes from, it helps to know which sites do the heavy lifting. Industry data for 2026 shows global mine output reached a record 3,672 tonnes, or about 107 million ounces, according to figures cited by MINING.COM.
In this guide, we walk through the largest gold mines in the world by 2026 production, covering where each one sits, who owns it, and what changed over the past year.
We also explain why older rankings look different and which numbers we left out because the sources did not agree.
Top 10 Gold Mines in the World
| Rank | Mine | Country | 2026 Output (koz) | Change vs 2024 | Owner / Operator |
| 1 | Nevada Gold Mines | United States | 2,595 | -3% | Barrick (61.5%), Newmont (38.5%) |
| 2 | Muruntau | Uzbekistan | 1,708 | +4% | Navoi Mining and Metallurgy Company |
| 3 | Olimpiada | Russia | 1,357 | -6% | Polyus |
| 4 | Kazzinc Consolidated | Kazakhstan | 947 | Up from 7th place | Glencore holds a 70% stake |
| 5 | Grasberg | Indonesia | 937 | -50% | Freeport-McMoRan (48.76%), PT Mineral Industri Indonesia (51.24%) |
| 6 | Almalyk Complex | Uzbekistan | 750 | Flat | Almalyk Mining and Metals (state-owned) |
| 7 | Blagodatnoye | Russia | 736 | +47% | Polyus |
| 8 | Detour Lake | Canada | 693 | +3% | Agnico Eagle |
| 9 | Kibali | DR Congo | 673 | -2% | AngloGold Ashanti (45%), Barrick (45%), SOKIMO (10%) |
| 10 | Ahafo | Ghana | 664 | -17% | Newmont (90%), Ghana government (10%) |
The Largest Gold Mines in the World
1. Nevada Gold Mines (United States)
Nevada Gold Mines leads the 2026 ranking with about 2.6 million ounces, though that was 3% below its 2024 output. It is a joint venture between Barrick (61.5%) and Newmont (38.5%), formed after the two companies swapped a hostile takeover bid for a friendlier deal in 2019. The complex brings together several underground and open-pit mines in Nevada.
The partnership has become strained lately. Newmont has issued a notice of default, claiming Barrick has diverted resources from the joint venture to its own Fourmile project. Older rankings also put this site at or near the top, although they describe its size differently.
2. Muruntau (Uzbekistan)
Muruntau came second in 2026 with roughly 1.7 million ounces, a 4% rise on the year before. The complex is run by state-owned Navoi Mining and Metallurgy Company and uses open-pit and heap-leach methods.
The pit is one of the deepest open-pit operations in the world. An older industry profile describes it as more than 3.3 km long and 2.5 km wide, and nearly 600 m deep, with the mine accounting for over 80% of Uzbekistan's gold output at that time.
Navoi has been preparing a stock market listing that could value the business at around $20 billion, though the timing has been pushed back.
3. Olimpiada (Russia)
Olimpiada sits in Krasnoyarsk Krai in Siberia and produced 1.36 million ounces in 2026, down 6% from the year before. It is the largest operation owned by Polyus, and the open pit is known for handling extreme cold and complex sulphide ore.
The mine began production in 1996. An older profile said it accounted for more than half of Polyus's total gold output, and its ore goes through three processing plants with a combined capacity of around 13 million tonnes a year.
4. Kazzinc Consolidated (Kazakhstan)
Kazzinc is the big climber of 2026, jumping from seventh place to fourth with about 947,000 ounces. It is not a gold-only operation, since copper is part of its output as well. Its ownership has made headlines.
Glencore, which holds a 70% stake, scrapped plans to sell it in 2024 after potential buyers in China did not match its valuation. Late last year, the company said it would open its metal sales to rival traders, and it tendered its entire 2026 copper production as a first step.
5. Grasberg (Indonesia)
Grasberg fell from third place to fifth in 2026, producing about 937,000 ounces, roughly half of its 2024 total. The drop followed a deadly mudslide in September 2026 that killed seven workers and shut the operation down.
Freeport-McMoRan declared force majeure on its Indonesian shipments, and portions of the complex have been restarting in stages. The company aims to return to normal operations by the end of 2027. Grasberg is also one of the world's largest copper mines.
An older profile notes that a Dutch geologist discovered the deposit in 1936.
6. Almalyk Complex (Uzbekistan)
Almalyk ranks sixth with about 750,000 ounces, almost exactly the same as in 2024. This state-owned industrial giant also produces more than 90% of Uzbekistan's copper, which makes it one of the country's most important industrial assets.
It is a good example of a mine known as much for its base metals as for its gold.
7. Blagodatnoye (Russia)
Blagodatnoye makes its debut in the top ten in seventh place, with about 736,000 ounces. Output rose 47% from 2024, driven by a new processing mill, Mill-5, which expanded capacity, and by higher-grade ore.
Blagodatnoye is another Polyus asset, which means the company operates two of the ten largest mines.
8. Detour Lake (Canada)
Detour Lake, in Ontario, climbs to eighth from eleventh place, producing about 693,000 ounces, up 3%. It is run by Agnico Eagle, which is Canada's largest gold miner.
The company reported record 2026 reserves and a sharp rise in annual profit, which allowed it to lift its dividend.
9. Kibali (DR Congo)
Kibali is ninth with 673,000 ounces, down 2%. The mine sits near the town of Doko, close to the Ugandan border, and is jointly held by AngloGold Ashanti and Barrick, with 45% each. The state-owned SOKIMO holds the remaining 10%.
Barrick has described Kibali as Africa's largest gold mine and says it has found significant additional orebodies that could extend its life well beyond the current 10-year plan.
10. Ahafo (Ghana)
Ahafo completes the top ten with about 664,000 ounces, but its output fell 17% from 2024. The company says the drop came mostly from a planned, temporary dip linked to a wider shift in operations, not from equipment or operational failures.
Newmont owns 90% of the mine, and the Ghana government owns the other 10%. Ahafo does not appear in the other top-ten lists we reviewed, so it is one of the newer names in this conversation.
How Gold Mine Rankings Are Measured
Most figures in this article come from MINING.COM's 2026 ranking, which uses S&P Global data and measures output in thousands of ounces. Rankings shift from year to year because mines expand, pause, or get hit by accidents, so the year matters as much as the number. Two other sources we reviewed use older data.
Agincourt Resources ranked mines using 2021 figures, and Wikipedia's list uses 2022 production. Their top lists look quite different. For example, Olimpiada tops the Wikipedia list, while Nevada Gold Mines leads the 2026 ranking.
It also helps to know the difference between production and reserves. Production is how much gold a mine yields in a given year.
Reserves are the estimated gold still in the ground that can be mined economically. A mine can be a top producer for years while its reserves run down, or it can rank lower today but have a long life ahead.
Where Gold Production Stands Globally
According to the World Gold Council, gold mining happens on every continent except Antarctica. Its country-level data for 2026 points to China as the largest producer, accounting for around 10% of global output.
Global mine production hit a record 3,672 tonnes in 2026, which is roughly 107 million ounces. By our arithmetic, the ten mines in the 2026 ranking added up to around 11 million ounces, or roughly a tenth of that global figure.
Prices have been just as dramatic. Gold reached an all-time high near $5,600 per ounce in January 2026, then fell sharply in the months that followed amid market stress, and mining company shares dropped with it.
This is general information, not investment advice, so check current prices and speak with a qualified financial adviser before making any decisions.
Other Mines Worth Knowing
A few mines just outside the top ten deserve a mention. Canadian Malartic in Quebec produced about 643,000 ounces and is Canada's largest open-pit gold mine.
Pueblo Viejo in the Dominican Republic produced 632,500 ounces, and the site is reported to be the first gold deposit worked by the Spanish in the Americas, around 1505.
Kumtor in Kyrgyzstan produced about 592,000 ounces, but its history includes a 1998 cyanide spill and a 2021 nationalisation. Newmont's Lihir mine in Papua New Guinea sits inside an extinct volcanic crater and produced about 585,000 ounces.
Fekola in Mali, run by B2Gold, entered the ranking for the first time in 2026, with output up 35%. Boddington in Western Australia became the world's first open-pit gold mine to run an autonomous haul truck fleet, according to MINING.COM.
The largest gold mines in the world tell a story of enormous deposits, shifting ownership and a fast-moving market. Nevada Gold Mines, Muruntau and Olimpiada top the 2026 ranking, but the list changes as mines expand, pause or face setbacks.
If you follow the gold supply, always check the year behind each number, and look for the latest data from the World Gold Council and S&P Global-based rankings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the largest gold mine in the world?
Nevada Gold Mines in the United States ranks first, with about 2.6 million ounces. The answer depends on the year and the measure used, so older lists may show a different leader.
Is there any gold mine in India among the largest?
None of the sources we reviewed list an Indian mine among the largest gold mines in the world. The top ten are spread across the United States, Uzbekistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Canada, the DR Congo and Ghana.
How much gold do the largest gold mines produce each year?
The top ten mines together produced roughly 11 million ounces in 2026, by our arithmetic. Individual mines ranged from about 664,000 ounces to around 2.6 million ounces.
Why do different websites show different top gold mines?
Most differences come down to the year of the data and the source used. A mine that ranked first in one year may slip in the next, and some sources count multi-site complexes differently.
Which country produces the most gold?
China was the largest gold-producing country in 2026, with around 10% of global output, according to the World Gold Council.
