Iron ore mining in Western Australia
| Iron ore mining in Western Australia | |
|---|---|
Position of Western Australia within Australia highlighted | |
| Location | |
| State | Western Australia |
| Country | Australia |
| Regulatory authority | |
| Authority | Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety |
| Website | www |
| Production | |
| Commodity | Iron ore |
| Production | 861.3 million tonnes |
| Value | A$125.1 billion |
| Employees | 61,203 (FTE)[1] |
| Year | 2022–23 |
Iron ore mining in Western Australia, in the 2018–19 financial year, accounted for 54 percent of the total value of the state's resource production, with a value of A$78.2 billion. The overall value of the minerals and petroleum industry in Western Australia was A$145 billion in 2018–19, a 26 percent increase on the previous financial year.
Western Australia's iron ore output for 2020–21 was 838.7 million tonnes, the second-highest figure after 2017–18. The bulk of Western Australian ore went to China, which imported 82% of 2021 production, followed by Japan and South Korea, with 6% each. The state has the world's largest reserves of iron ore with 29% of the world's iron ore, followed by Brazil with 19%, Russia with 15% and China with 12%.
In 2020–21 the Western Australian Government received A$9.8 billion in royalties from the iron ore mining industry in the state. The remaining life of the Pilbara iron ore fields has been estimated as 65 years from 2021.