Argentine mining production grew by 3.7% year-on-year in July and accumulated a 7.7% increase in the first seven months of 2026, driven by unconventional oil, lithium, and salt extraction
On the other hand, the sector of minerals for the manufacture of chemical products expanded by 9.8% year-on-year in July 2026 and achieved a remarkable cumulative increase of 46.9% for the year. The undisputed star in this field is lithium carbonate and other lithium minerals, whose activity increased by 10.8% year-on-year and 49.7% cumulatively in the first seven months of the year. In terms of physical volume, 9,431.7 tons of lithium carbonate were processed in July 2026, marking a growth of 15.9% year-on-year and a cumulative increase of 44.3% so far in 2026.
Likewise, in this same technical group, calcite/calcium carbonate recorded a year-on-year increase of 5.6% in July 2026, while boron minerals showed a cumulative increase of 24.6% in the first seven months of 2026.
The dynamism favored by the government framework also extended to other key inputs and minerals:
In the field of metallic minerals, the group composed of other metallic minerals (which includes iron, copper, lead, zinc, and molybdenum) showed a remarkable jump of 79.3% year-on-year in July 2026 and a cumulative increase of 14.1% for the year.
Mining
The category of extraction and agglomeration of coal, peat, and exploitation of mines and quarries n.e.c. rose by 17.9% year-on-year in July 2026. Here, peat stands out, with a surge of 53.8% in the month and a 31.2% cumulative for the year, as well as pumice and feldspar, which climbed 65.7% year-on-year.
In construction materials and industrial inputs, common construction sand grew by 5.3% year-on-year in July and a 19.3% cumulative; gravel, crushed stone, and/or rubble rose by 9.0% in the month and a 17.9% cumulative; and rocks for unclassified crushed stone recorded a cumulative increase of 2.9%.
Additionally, kaolin and bentonite noted a year-on-year growth of 3.3% in July, while the extraction of gypsum maintained a cumulative advance of 9.5% in the first seven months of the year.
The mining production in Argentina under Javier Milei recorded a notable increase of 3.7% in July 2026 compared to the same month of the previous year. With this result, the sector accumulates a solid increase of 7.7% during the first seven months of the year compared to the same period of 2025. The official figures correspond to the Mining Industrial Production Index (IPI minero) prepared by the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INDEC).
Throughout the first seven months of 2026, the activity has shown outstanding dynamism, sustained by the impetus of strategic projects in various regions and by the constant contribution to the overall national economy. Mining thus reaffirms itself as one of the segments with the greatest potential for foreign currency generation and the creation of skilled jobs in Argentine territory.
The president, Javier Milei
The field of crude oil and natural gas extraction and support services showed a year-on-year increase of 3.4% in July 2026, along with a cumulative increase of 5.8% so far this year.
In particular, total crude oil extraction reached 4,473.3 thousand mÂł, driven by a marked year-on-year increase of 12.7% in July 2026 and a positive cumulative of 16.7% between January and July 2026. The main pillar of this expansion was unconventional crude oil, which soared an impressive 26.1% year-on-year in the month of July and accumulated a rise of 33.7% in the seven-month period, reaching an extracted volume of 3,160.4 thousand mÂł.
On the side of unconventional natural gas, production climbed to 3,435.7 million mÂł during July 2026. This represented a year-on-year increase of 3.8% and a significant cumulative increase of 7.5% in the first seven months of the year, contributing to maintain a positive balance of natural gas at an 0.8% annual cumulative.
The grouping of non-metallic minerals and industrial rocks showed extraordinary performance, registering a year-on-year spike of 19.7% in July 2026 and accumulating a strong increase of 33.7% in the period from January to July 2026.
INDEC Data
Within this category, salt extraction achieved a true historical record with a year-on-year growth of 78.9% in July 2026 and an accumulated variation that reached 99.2% in the first seven months of the year. Meanwhile, brine or saturated salt solution experienced a year-on-year surge of 81.7% in the month and a 102.7% cumulative, while the production of pure sodium chloride recorded a cumulative increase of 21.8%.
