How Much Silver Has Been Mined?
About 1.83 million tonnes of silver have been mined in all of history, by our count from US Geological Survey figures to 2025 (an estimate that could be off by 10% either way, mostly because of the centuries before 1900). That would make a cube about 56 metres on each side, worth about $3.1 trillion at today's price. 62% of it was mined since 1950 and a third since 2000; mines now add about 26,000 tonnes a year. Unlike gold, much of that silver is gone for good, used up in photography, electronics, solar panels and other products.
World silver mine production, 1900–2025
tonnesYearly output: USGS Data Series 140 (1900–2021) and Mineral Commodity Summaries 2024–2026 (2022–2025); 2025 is a USGS estimate. Total: USGS Open-File Report 2004-1251 (Butterman and Hilliard, 2005) (total world silver mine production from prehistory through 2001 is estimated at about 1.26 million t) plus the yearly figures since; our calculation.
By decade
| Decade | Mined (t) | Per year | Of all-time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s (2020–2025) | 151,476 | 25,246 | 8.3% |
| 2010s | 260,000 | 26,000 | 14.2% |
| 2000s | 199,700 | 19,970 | 10.9% |
| 1990s | 156,500 | 15,650 | 8.5% |
| 1980s | 130,600 | 13,060 | 7.1% |
| 1970s | 97,940 | 9,794 | 5.3% |
| 1960s | 79,950 | 7,995 | 4.4% |
| 1950s | 68,350 | 6,835 | 3.7% |
| 1940s | 61,850 | 6,185 | 3.4% |
| 1930s | 70,350 | 7,035 | 3.8% |
| 1920s | 71,930 | 7,193 | 3.9% |
| 1910s | 61,200 | 6,120 | 3.3% |
| 1900s | 55,310 | 5,531 | 3.0% |
USGS yearly figures; shares of the all-time total are our calculation.
Before 1900
| Period | Mined (t) | Of all-time |
|---|---|---|
| 1493–1599 | 22,834 | 1.2% |
| 1600s | 37,234 | 2.0% |
| 1700s | 57,034 | 3.1% |
| 1800–1849 | 32,722 | 1.8% |
| 1850–1899 | 119,352 | 6.5% |
| Before 1493 | ≈ 100,800 | 5.5% |
1493–1899: Annual Report of the Director of the Mint, 1900 (Soetbeer's estimates to 1885), converted from troy ounces; early centuries are rough reconstructions. Before 1493: USGS estimates about 8% of all silver mined to 2001 came before the Americas were reached.
How big is that?
Silver is lighter than gold (10.5 grams per cubic centimetre), so the 1.83 million tonnes would make a cube about 56 m on each side, roughly the height of an 18-storey building. One year's mine output (26,000 t) is a 13.5 m cube.
Shared out among everyone alive today, it comes to about 223 grams each, worth about $374 at today's price.
Mined is not the same as available
Most silver ever mined has been used: in coins that were later melted, in photographic film, mirrors, electronics and solar cells. Much of it is spread too thinly to recover. The Silver Institute counted about 79,300 tonnes (2,550 million oz) of identifiable bullion stocks at end-2018: identifiable above-ground stocks (bullion in vaults, ETPs, government and exchange stocks) (source). That is only around 5% of all the silver ever mined.
The USGS puts the silver "discovered to date" at 1,740,000 tonnes (USGS), which matches our running total around 2021.
Silver supply
How Much Silver Has Been Mined? FAQ
How much silver has been mined in total?
About 1.83 million tonnes in all of history, by our count from US Geological Survey estimates (1.26 million tonnes up to 2001, plus yearly mine production since). The figure is uncertain by perhaps 10%, mostly because of pre-1900 output.
How much silver is mined each year?
About 26,000 tonnes (835.9 million oz) in 2025, a USGS estimate. The record was in 2016. See silver production by country for who mines it.
When was most silver mined?
Recently. About 62% of all silver ever mined came out of the ground after 1950, and about 33% after 2000. Spanish America (Potosí, Zacatecas) dominated from the 1500s to the 1800s.
How much would all the silver ever mined be worth?
About $3.1 trillion at today's price of $52.20 an ounce. Most of that silver no longer exists as metal that could be sold, so the figure is theoretical.
How big would all the silver ever mined be?
A cube about 56 metres on each side. Silver is about half as dense as gold, so the same weight takes up almost twice the space.
Sources: U.S. Geological Survey (Data Series 140, Mineral Commodity Summaries 1996–2026, Open-File Reports; public domain); Silver Institute (single figure quoted); Annual Report of the Director of the US Mint, 1900. Running totals, shares, years of output, cube sizes and dollar values are Corgano's calculations; dollar values use the live silver price. Researched November 2026.
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@misc{corgano2026howmuchsilverhas, author = {{Corgano}}, title = {How Much Silver Has Been Mined?}, howpublished = {\url{https://silverprice.corgano.com/how-much-silver-has-been-mined}}, year = {2026}, note = {Corgano Silver Price, accessed 2026-11-04}}