Kipushi: a zinc operation in DR Congo
Kipushi is an underground mine producing zinc in Kipushi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, near the border with Zambia, DR Congo. The sources report 203,168 tonnes of zinc in concentrate produced for CY2025; the basis is whole mine (Kipushi concentrator), as reported by Ivanhoe (62% holder). In zinc content, whole-operation output for CY2025 is 203,168 tonnes: about 1.6% of world zinc output in 2025; it is one of 22 operations on this site whose output can be stated in zinc content.
Who owns and operates it?
| Owner | Interest | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Ivanhoe Mines | 62% | 18 February 2026 |
| Gécamines | 38% | 18 February 2026 |
How much does it produce?
| Period | Output | Basis | Where in the source |
|---|---|---|---|
| CY2025 | 203,168 tonnes of zinc in concentrate produced | whole mine (Kipushi concentrator), as reported by Ivanhoe (62% holder) | PDF p.8, table "Summary of quarterly production data from Kipushi", row "Zinc in concentrate produced (tonnes)", column FY 2025; also Ivanhoe results release, section "Kipushi Mine" · Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. |
How the zinc-content figure is worked out. Ivanhoe prints 203,168 tonnes of zinc in concentrate produced by the Kipushi concentrator in 2025 and states that metal reported in concentrate is before treatment losses or payability deductions. Ivanhoe reports the mine's production in full, although it holds 62%. World mine production of zinc in 2025 was 13,000,000 tonnes (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026).
Status: operating, as of 18 February 2026.
- Ivanhoe reports sales of 171,275 tonnes of zinc net of payability in 2025; the sales figure is not used.
- The figure is reported by a joint-venture holder (Ivanhoe, 62%) for the whole mine.
How does it compare?
Other zinc operations on this site: Red Dog, Antamina (zinc), Mount Isa (zinc), McArthur River (zinc), Rampura Agucha, Sindesar Khurd, Zawar mines, Rajpura Dariba, Kayad, Garpenberg, Tara, Neves-Corvo (Somincor). See where zinc comes from for the country totals, the country page for DR Congo.
Sources
- Ivanhoe Mines Ltd.: Ivanhoe Mines Issues 2025 Fourth Quarter and Annual Financial Results (18 February 2026) (company results release, CY2025). Opened 4 November 2026; used: sections "Kipushi Mine" (operations review, ownership, guidance note).
- Ivanhoe Mines Ltd.: Ivanhoe Mines Provides 2025 Production Results, 2026 Production Guidance (15 January 2026) (company production release, CY2025). Opened 4 November 2026; used: PDF p.8 (Kipushi quarterly production table).
- U.S. Geological Survey: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Zinc (government statistical summary, 2025 (world and country mine production)). Opened 3 November 2026; used: world and country mine production table.
Method and limits
- Reported, not estimated. Output is the figure the operator or owner published, in the unit it used. This site does not estimate output where none is published.
- Shares. A share divides output in zinc content by the USGS world or country total for 2025. Where the operator's year is a fiscal year or the unit is a concentrate or a carbonate equivalent, the share is approximate or not given.
- Whole operation or owner's share. The basis column says which. A joint venture's output is never counted twice.
- Partial list. Only operations with a published figure are listed, so the rank is among those on this site, not among every zinc mine. Shares of a country's output mix periods and bases, so treat them as indicative.
- Made with AI assistance, checked against sources. The facts were gathered from the documents above by AI-assisted research and re-checked against those documents by a second, independent pass; the page text is generated from the data. No professional review took place. How the site is made. To report an error, contact us; fixes are logged on the corrections page.