Top Ten biggest Diamond Mines in the world cover the largest contributors to the Diamond Industry. Approximately, 116 million carat diamonds are produced in the world every year. Most of these largest diamond mines are located in Russia, Africa, Canada, Botswana, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Russia has the majority of diamond reserves around the globe, producing around 42 billion carats of diamonds every year. Individual Companies and others in joint ventures with the government own some of them.
Top 10 Biggest Diamond Mines in the World
List of Top 10 Biggest Diamond Mines in the World 2024
The top ten diamond mines in the world, their location, and expected date of closure are listed in the table below.
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Name of the Mine
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Location
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Owner
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Operations Till (expected)
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Jwaneng Mine
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Kgalagadi District, Botswana
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Government of Botswana
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2036
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Kao Mine
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Butha-Buthe, Lesotho
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Namakwa Diamonds
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2034
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Orapa Mine
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Central District, Botswana
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Government of Botswana
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2036
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Venetia Mine
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Limpopo, South Africa
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Anglo American Plc
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2046
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Gahcho Kue Project
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Northwest Territories, Canada
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Mountain Province Diamonds
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2030
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Ekati Diamond Mine
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Northwest Territories, Canada
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Arctic Canadian Diamond
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2028
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Jubilee Mine
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Sakha (Yakutia) Republic, Russia
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ALROSA
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2030
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Diavik Diamond Mine
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Northwest Territories, Canada
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Rio Tinto
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2025
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Udachny Mine
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Sakha (Yakutia) Republic, Russia
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ALROSA
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2037
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Vladamir Grib Project
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Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia.
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Otkritie Holding
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2033
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Note: The above data is taken in reference with Mining Technology’s update and Statista’s update as on October, 2023.
Top 10 Biggest Diamond Mines in the World
Jwaneng Mines in Botswana
Jwaneng mines is located in Kalahari Desert, Botswana. This mine is owned by Debswana, a joint venture between De Beers and the Government of Botswana. It was discovered in the 1970s, but commercial operation began in 1982. It is one of the largest producers of diamonds by value.
Jwaneng is an open-pit mine, located on three kimberlite pipes which cover an area of 520,000 square meters at ground level. Annual production of the Jwaneng mine is approximately 9.3 million, which has increased to 13.5 million carat in 2022. This mine has economic significance and also the highest percentage of contribution in the global diamond market.
Kao in Lesotho
Kao mine is located in Lesotho, a country in Southern Africa. This mine is owned by Storm Mountain Diamond which is formed as a joint venture between Namakwa Diamond Limited and Lesotho Government. This mine was discovered in 1950s. The production of pink and purple diamond makes this mine very special.
Kao mine is open-pit mine, spread in an area of 19.8 hectares, located on cretaceous-age kimberlite pipes. Annual production of Kao mine was nearly 13.34 million carat diamond in 2022.
Orapa in Botswana
Opara Mines, located in Botswana, is the largest diamond mine in area, covering around 118 hectares of land. This mine is owned by Debswana, a joint venture between De Beers and Government of Botswana. The Orapa mine became operational in 1971.
Orapa mine has been a source of employment to over 3000 people. This mine is an open-pit mine with annual production of 10.8 million carat diamond which has been 8.85 million carat in 2022.
Venetia Mine in South Africa
Venetia Mines is located in Limpopo province in South Africa. The owner of this mine is De Beers and this mine is one of the remaining six mines in South Africa operated by De Beers. This mine became operational in 1992.
Venetia mine is the largest diamond mine of South Africa. It is an open-pit mine using the conventional method of mining. The annual production of this mine is 1.9 million carat which has been 5.83 million carat in 2022. Venetia Underground mining project will increase the life span of this mine over 21 years.
Gahcho Kue Mine in Canada
The Gahcho Kue mine is located in Tundra of Canada. It is a joint venture of De Beers Group and Mountain Province Inc. Commercially opened in 2016.
Gahcho Kue mine has its spread over an area of 1200 hectares. It is an open pit mine including kimberlite pipe. Annual production of Gahcho kue mine is around 4.5 million which has been 5.52 million in 2022. It has produced one of the biggest diamond of 157.4 carat.
Ekati Mines in Canada
Ekati Mine is located in 310 km northeast of Yellowknife and 200 km south of Artic circle. It is owned by Dominion Diamond Mines. Diamonds at this mine are found in 45 to 60 million old kimberlite pipe.
Ekati mine was discovered in early 1985 by two geologist Chuck Fipke and Stewart Bulson. It is expected to be operational till 2033. The annual production of this mine is approximately 7.5 million carats of diamond which had been 5 million in 2022.
Jubilee Mines in Russia
Jubiliee mine is located in Sakha, Russia also known as Yubileyny diamond mine. It is an open-pit mine owned by ALROSA, a Russian State-owned diamond company. It was discovered in 1982 in Sakha Region, Russia.
Jubilee mine is one of the largest diamond reserve in the world and has around 70 million carat reserved. Annual production of Jubilee mine is approximately 10 million carats which had been 4.99 million in 2022.
Diavik Mine in Canada
Diavik mine, located in Canada, includes four kimberlite pipes. The Diavik Diamond Mine is jointly owned by Rio Tinto (60%) and Dominion Diamond Mines (40%). Rio Tinto operates the mine on behalf of the joint venture.
This area for mining was discovered in 1992 but commercial operations began in January 2003. Initially, this mine had been constructed as open-pit mine but later, in March 2010, underground mining began.
Diavik is known for producing high-quality diamonds, including large, gem-quality stones. The mine’s production contributes significantly to Canada’s overall diamond output. In 2018, a yellow diamond of 552 carat was found in this mine, which had been claimed to be the largest diamond ever found in North America.
Diavik mine has its impact on regional economy by providing employment to approximately 1000. Annual production of Diavik Mine is estimated to be 7 million which had been 4.28 million carats in 2022.
Udachny Diamond Mine in Russia
The Udachny Diamond Mine, also known as Udachnaya, is one of the largest diamond mines in Russia and one of the deepest open-pit mines in the world. It is 640 meters deep.
This mine is located in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) in northeastern Russia, near the town of Udachny, which is about 20 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle.
Udachny mine is owned by Russian company ALROSA. This mine was discovered in 1955 but became commercially active in 1971. Since then it had been serving the diamond industry and the economy of Sakha.
It is estimated that there is a reserve of 225.8 million carat diamond in Udachny mine. The annual production in this mine is approximately 10.4 million carats.
Vladamir Grib Mine in Russia
Vladimir Grib Project is one of the largest surface mine in Russia, located at Arkhangelsk Oblast region in the northwest of Russia. This mine is operational since 2014. The owner of this diamond mine is AGD Diamonds, a subsidiary of the Russian oil company Lukoil.
The mine’s estimated reserve is approximately 98.5 million carats with annual production of 3.62 million carats. It is famous for producing gem-like diamonds and hence, finds its important place in the diamond industry.
Conclusion
In conclusion we can state that Russia is the largest diamond producer in the world and houses most of the brilliant diamond producing mines. Other important countries that contribute to diamond production are Canada and Africa. The diamond industry contributes significantly to the global economy and grants employment to a large mass. However, it is important to carry out sustainable mining activities in order to prevent gross damage to the environment and population living around these mines.
Also Read:
FAQs on Top 10 Largest Diamond Mines in the World
Which country produces best diamonds?
Russia produces the best diamonds in the world with highest volumes as per recent updates of 2023.
How many diamond mines are there in India?
There is only one operational diamond mine in India near Khajurao group of monuments, in Panna District of Madhya Pradesh.
Where are the five largest mines of the world located?
The five largest mines in the world are located in Russia, South Africa, Botswana and Canada.
Which is the biggest Diamond in the world?
The biggest diamond in the world is Cullinan Diamond, weighing 3106 carats. It was found in South Africa. The diamond was named after the owner of the mine Thomas Cullinan.
Which is the deepest diamond mine in the world?
Jwaneng Diamond mine is the deepest diamond mine, surrounded by Jwana Game Park. It has reached to the extent of 625 meter deep.
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