South Africa’s mining production fell 10.7% year on year in September 2026, according to figures released on Thursday, 12 November by Statistics South Africa. Diamond output recorded the steepest drop, at 63.1%, followed by iron ore (23.7%), coal (13.4%) and platinum group metals (9.9%).
The size of each mineral industry changes its contribution to the overall decline. Iron ore subtracted 3.4 percentage points from the mining production index and coal 3.3 points, compared with 2.9 points for platinum group metals and 1.1 points for diamonds. The sharpest percentage decline therefore came from a mineral that was not the biggest driver of the sector-wide fall.
In Year-on-year change in physical output (%)
Source: Statistics South Africa, P2041, September 2026 results, released 12 November 2026
| Annual change (%) | |
|---|---|
| Diamonds | -63.1 |
| Iron ore | -23.7 |
| Coal | -13.4 |
| Platinum group metals | -9.9 |
September’s rebound leaves a weak third quarter
Seasonally adjusted production rose 2.8% between August and September, following revised monthly declines of 4.8% in August and 2.1% in July. The recovery was not enough to offset weakness over the quarter. Mining output was 6.0% lower in the third quarter than in the second quarter of 2026.
Platinum group metals production fell 12.5% quarter on quarter, reducing overall mining output growth by 3.5 percentage points. Iron ore was down 6.5% and coal 3.5%, with each subtracting 0.9 percentage point from the quarterly result.
Mineral sales decline despite a monthly recovery
The value of mineral sales, measured at current prices, fell 4.1% from September 2025. Iron ore sales were down 23.1%, sales of platinum group metals fell 7.0%, and gold sales declined 4.5%. Coal was an exception, with sales up 6.2%.
On a seasonally adjusted basis, sales climbed 12.8% between August and September after falls of 7.6% in August and 13.7% in July. Sales value in the third quarter remained 15.6% below the previous quarter. Current-price sales reflect both volumes and prices, unlike the physical mining production index.