Online Reporter
Farirai Machivenyika
Senior Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S mining sector maintained a strong growth trajectory in the third quarter of 2025, with official statistics showing a sharp rise in overall mineral production, propelled by a spectacular boom in lithium output.
The latest Index of Mineral Production (IMP), released yesterday by the Zimbabwe National Statistical Agency (ZimStat), climbed to 200 for the July-to-September period.
This represents a robust 18,2 percent increase compared to the index value of 169,2 recorded in the same quarter of 2024.
Sequentially, the sector grew by 4,1 percent from the 192,1 index points posted in the second quarter of this year.
The data, compiled from administrative records provided by the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, highlights lithium as the engine of the sector’s expansion.
The lithium production index skyrocketed to 3 592,6 in the third quarter, marking an extraordinary year-on-year surge of 64,5 percent from the 2 184,1 index value in the third quarter of 2024.
On a quarterly basis, however, lithium output moderated, showing an 8,7 percent decrease as production volume settled at 568 964 metric tonnes, down from 623 356 metric tonnes in the preceding quarter.
Gold, a traditional mainstay of the economy, also delivered a powerful performance.
Its production index rose to 205,2 reflecting a substantial 31,2 percent annual increase from the third quarter of 2024 and a healthy 14,4 percent rise from the previous quarter of this year.
The positive trend extended across several other key minerals. Platinum output registered a 7,8 percent year-on-year gain and a strong 16,4 percent quarterly increase.
Nickel production followed suit, growing 15,4 percent compared to the same period last year and surging 31,6 percent from the second quarter of 2025.
Copper output saw a marginal annual increase of 0,6 percent, with production volume edging up slightly to 3 567 metric tonnes.
Amid the broad upswing, two commodities bucked the positive trend.
Diamond production experienced a significant contraction, with its output index falling 22,7 percent year-on-year and collapsing by 53 percent compared to the second quarter of 2025.
Coal production also recorded a slight annual decline.
The sustained upward momentum in the mining index, now tracking consistently higher since 2019, underscores the sector’s critical role as a pillar of the national economy.
Peter Tanyanyiwa