GLOBAL TRENDS IN ARTISANAL AND SMALL-SCALE MINING (ASM): A REVIEW OF KEY NUMBERS AND ISSUES

Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) has grown rapidly, with 40.5 million people directly engaged by 2017, often as a poverty-reduction strategy. While ASM provides a significant portion of global gold, sapphire, diamond, tantalum, and tin supplies, it is characterized by high informality (70-80%) and severe environmental and health risks, most notably the release of approximately 1,400 tonnes of mercury annually. The document advocates for inclusive formalization, the use of ethical certification schemes, and cooperation between ASM and large-scale mining (LSM) to improve sustainability and livelihoods.

• ASM has seen explosive growth in participation, with the number of people directly engaged rising from 6 million in 1993 to 40.5 million in 2017, far exceeding the 7 million people employed in industrial mining as of 2013.
• Despite low productivity, ASM is a critical global supplier of minerals: it produces 20% of gold, 80% of sapphires, 20% of diamonds, 26% of tantalum, and 25% of tin.
• The sector causes significant environmental and health damage, including respiratory illnesses from drilling and the release of an estimated 1,400 tonnes of mercury per year in 2011, which can cause irreversible brain damage.
• High levels of informality—affecting 70% to 80% of small-scale miners—trap communities in poverty and exclude them from legal protections, necessitating formalization through accessible legal frameworks, streamlined licensing, and access to finance.
• Ethical certification schemes like Fairmined and Fairtrade Gold aim to professionalize the sector, but critics argue they may only benefit already affluent cooperatives and rely too heavily on Western ethical consumption trends.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2014). GLOBAL TRENDS IN ARTISANAL AND SMALL-SCALE MINING (ASM): A REVIEW OF KEY NUMBERS AND ISSUES. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/igf-asm-trends-summary.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. GLOBAL TRENDS IN ARTISANAL AND SMALL-SCALE MINING (ASM): A REVIEW OF KEY NUMBERS AND ISSUES. 2014. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/igf-asm-trends-summary.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=GLOBAL TRENDS IN ARTISANAL AND SMALL-SCALE MINING (ASM): A REVIEW OF KEY NUMBERS AND ISSUES |date=2014 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/igf-asm-trends-summary.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2014global, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{GLOBAL TRENDS IN ARTISANAL AND SMALL-SCALE MINING (ASM): A REVIEW OF KEY NUMBERS AND ISSUES}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2014}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/igf-asm-trends-summary.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }