Analysis of the current distribution status and exploration investment of global copper resources

Copper is a non-renewable metal mineral resource that was included in the strategic minerals catalogue by the Ministry of Natural Resources （formerly the Ministry of Land and Resources） in 2016. It is one of the metal minerals that China relies heavily on external supply. This paper introduces the distribution of global copper resources, types of copper deposits, large copper mining companies, and investment in copper exploration. The world’s copper resources are mainly distributed in Chile, Australia, Peru and other countries. The main types of copper deposits are porphyry. Large copper mining companies account for a higher proportion of global copper production. In the past decade, the trend of global copper exploration investment has been “W” shaped. Latin America is the region with the highest investment in copper exploration in the world. The budget for copper exploration at the mine stage has exceeded the budget for any other stage for the first time in the past decade. The proportion of copper exploration budget at the mine stage may remain high in the next few years.