Mining and metals advocacy group ICMM has reported that, at a time when global volatility continues to impact on the mining industry and profits remain under pressure, ICMM members paid a higher share of their earnings back to society.

ICMM notes that its ‘2025 Tax Contribution Report’ shows that, despite an 11.6% fall in total tax and royalty payments compared with 2023, the combined tax and royalty rate rose to 42.5%, reinforcing mining’s role as a cornerstone of public revenues in host countries.

Beyond tax contributions, ICMM says its members made substantial additional investments in employment, social and infrastructure development, delivering lasting benefits to communities throughout the mining lifecycle.

In 2025, the group notes, members recorded year-on-year increases across all key metrics.

This includes 582 000 jobs supported, $45.5-billion paid in wages and related payments, $217.4-billion paid to suppliers and $1.6-billion invested in community and social programmes.

“These results demonstrate that ICMM members are genuine and reliable partners to host countries and governments through thick and thin. We returned a higher percentage of lower profits while increasing our social and community investments across all key metrics. 

“It serves as a powerful reminder that in addition to minerals being critical to all human technologies, their responsible production is itself a powerful driver of development.

“The world will need significantly more mining in future, and ICMM members’ contributions in 2024 show how that can drive shared prosperity,” says ICMM president and CEO Rohitesh Dhawan.

ICMM says its members made a combined contribution of $37.1-billion in corporate income tax (CIT) and royalty payments.

Broken down, this total comprises $25.1-billion in CIT and $12.1-billion in royalties.

Since 2013, ICMM says its members have reported $398.2-billion in total CIT and royalty charges and $404.7-billion in total CIT and royalty payments.

Compared with total adjusted profits of $1.08-trillion reported over the same period, the ICMM says this translates to over $37 out of every $100 of profit earned being charged and paid in CIT and royalties.

“The results demonstrate the mining industry’s inherent cyclicality and the importance of mutually agreeable fiscal frameworks that balance public revenue needs with the capacity of companies to reinvest in social and economic development of communities they operate in,” the group says.