Copper

The oldest known copper deposits are located on the island of Cyprus, and the Latin name "Cuprum" marked the starting point for the practical use of copper metals. Copper artifacts found in the Çatalhöyük excavations in our country push the known history of copper back to 7000 BC. 

In our country, a total of 5.4 million tons of metallic copper (1.59 billion tons of raw copper; 1.016 ppm-16.300 ppm) has been discovered by MTA (MTA, 2025). According to MAPEG (2025) data, there are 1.05 billion tons (average 3.23%) of reserves from copper mining licenses declared by companies. In addition, there are 915.6 million tons of reserves from licenses initially granted for copper mining and later continued as complex mining licenses (excluding other complex mining licenses).

Global copper reserves are projected to reach 980 million tons by 2025, with Chile holding the largest share at 18%, followed by Australia at 10%. Chile also ranks first in world copper production with 5.3 million tons, followed by Congo with 3.2 million tons and Peru with 2.7 million tons. World copper production is expected to rise to around 23 million tons by 2025.

In Turkey, 5.45 million tons of raw copper were produced in 2024. The provinces that produced raw copper in 2024, according to their production quantities, are: Sivas, Siirt, Adıyaman, Malatya, Kırşehir, Trabzon, Çorum, Adıyaman, Kastamonu, Bitlis, and Artvin.

Copper prices have been on an upward trend since 2021. The average copper price from January to December 2020 was US$6.170/ton, while the average price in 2021 was US$9.223/ton, and in 2022 it was around US$8.990/ton. The average for 2023 was around US$8.300/ton. The average price in 2024 was around US$9.030/ton, while in 2025 the average price reached US$10.114/ton. Turkey is an exporter of raw copper, meeting its own production demand, while it is an importer of copper intermediate and end products, and also an importer of recycled copper.

Date of Update: 18 May 2026