The Argentine mining sector is increasingly becoming a core part of the country’s exports. According to a report by consulting firm Aleph Energy, mining exports totaled US$744 million in June, 9% of the country’s total exports.
The total figure for the first six months of 2026 is US$4.7 billion (9.7% of total exports), a record for the country during that period.
Growth is driven by a combination of higher lithium volumes, rising international prices, and the sustained contribution of precious metals. Gold remained the leading export, but lithium solidified its position as the second-largest mining commodity and set a record for that month.
The new investment landscape is also beginning to reshape the sector’s outlook. Projects approved under the Incentive Regime for Large Investments (in Spanish, RIGI) show that mining, energy, oil, and gas account for virtually all investor interest recorded so far, with major initiatives related to lithium, copper, gold, and silver.
“Argentina has world-class geological resources, particularly in copper, lithium, gold, and silver, in an international context where the energy transition is driving growing demand for critical minerals,” Roberto Cacciola, president of the Argentine Chamber of Mining Companies (CAEM), told Herald sister publication Ámbito.
