What Country Produces The Most Diamonds? Top 10 Countries!

Diamonds are rare – that is why they are so expensive. Yet, they are not equally rare in all countries.

A few lucky ones are blessed with generous diamond deposits and made it to the top 10 diamond-producing countries list.

For example, Russia delivers almost the third of all the world’s diamonds. South Africa and Congo have immense diamond deposits and produce diamonds at a mass scale, too.

Many other countries are not as lucky.

So, let’s find out what country produces the most diamonds!

What Country Produces The Most Diamonds? Top 10 List

Russia produces the most diamonds in the world. It delivered about 23,000,000 carats in 2020, or around 30% of all the diamonds produced that year.

Botswana is close behind with about 16,000,000 carats of diamonds produced in 2020. Canada and South Africa have the highest diamond production growth rates. In 2020, these countries produced 13,000,000 carats and 7,700,000 carats respectively.

Here is the detailed Top 10 list of diamond-producing countries in the world:

1. Russia

With 23,000,000 carats of gem-quality diamonds delivered in 2020, Russia is the world’s number one producer of diamonds . It has a long productive history of diamond production, too.

The first diamonds in Russia were found in the 18th century. These precious stones have been mined and traded in Russia since 1947.

Russia has been considered one of the top diamond-producing countries since 2009. It is the number one exporter by volume, too.

In 2014, Russia mined approximately 39,000,000 carats. In 2018, the production increased to 43,000,000 carats.

The largest Russian miner is a group of companies named ALROSA. It delivers the most significant portion of Russia’s total diamond output.

2. Botswana

Botswana was the second-largest global producer of diamonds in 2020 and the biggest diamond producer in Africa.

Diamond mining in Botswana was officially launched in 1971, but the research began twenty years earlier. Nowadays, diamonds constitute around 25% of Botswana’s GDP and 60% of this country’s exports.

Last year, Botswana’s diamond production grew by 6%. It was the fastest growth rate among all the top 10 diamond-producing countries.

Diamonds from Botswana (and Africa in general) are typically of higher quality, larger, and more valuable than those mined in Russia.

That is why Botswana ranked first by the market value of diamond production in 2020 (see the table further below).

3. Canada

Canada takes up third place on the world’s list of top diamond-producing countries.

It might be surprising, since Canada extracted only about 10.6 million carats of diamonds in 2013. Yet, that number rose to 23 million carats in 2018.

In 2020, Canada produced about 13,000,000 carats. However, with new diamond deposits recently discovered in the Arctic, this country has the potential to become the leading diamond-producing country in the future.

Canadian diamond mining began in 1998 in the Northwest Territories. The first mine to open was Ekati; Diavik, Snap Lake, and Victor mines followed soon. There are new mines that are currently in different stages of development.

Canadian mines are run by reputable diamond companies such as Dominion Diamond, De Beers, Rio Tinto, and Stornoway Diamonds.

Canadian diamonds are tremendously popular and highly valued. Western buyers prefer Canadian gems since they are not deemed “blood diamonds” like their African counterparts. It goes in favor of the future Canadian diamond industry.

4. Angola

Angola produced about 8,500,000 carats of gem-quality diamonds in 2018, which earned it fourth place on the list of top ten diamond-producing countries.

Diamonds and oil are the most crucial resources this African country has.

The exploitation of diamonds began over a century ago while Angola was a Portuguese colony. Angola has extensive diamond reserves that guarantee stable diamond production in years to come as well.

The biggest diamond mine in Angola is the Lulo Mine, owned by Lucapa Diamond Company.

5. South Africa

South Africa produced about 7,700,000 carats of gem-quality diamonds in 2020 and earned fifth place on my list.

It was one of the first countries to enter massive diamond production and contribute to diamonds becoming a mainstream commodity.

South Africa’s diamond mining industry might need some improvements since numerous diamond mines in this country have aged. It also needs to work on environmental protection regulations and worker interests.

6. DR Congo

DR Congo produces about 3,700,000 carats of diamonds on average. It is also a well-known copper, cobalt, tin, tantalum, and gold producer.

By volume of production, DCR ranks sixth in the world. Most of the production in DR Congo is based on its informal sector, made up of 700,000 artisanal miners rather than the mining companies.

The only commercial diamond mining company in DCR is a Belgian company Sibeka (MIBA). De Beers is responsible for placing almost a third of Congo’s diamonds on the market.

The greatest adversary of the DCR diamond industry is the constant political turmoil. If not for that, DR Congo could live up to its full potential in producing diamonds.

Vast areas are waiting to be explored, and a lot can be done in the mining industry.

7. Namibia

Namibia produced about 1,900,000 carats of diamonds in 2020. Namibia’s diamonds are mined offshore in 140 meters deep water.

Diamond mining in Namibia has a very long tradition. It began over a century ago, in 1908.

8. Lesotho

Even though a tiny kingdom, Lesotho boasts quite an impressive diamond production. In 2020, this small South African country produced about 1,100,000 carats of diamonds.

Moreover, Lesotho is home to a record-breaking mine called the Letseng mine, which yields the world’s highest average “dollar per carat.”

9. Australia

Australia is relatively new in this list of the top 10 diamond-producing countries. It does not have a very long history of diamond mining.

The biggest Australian mine is called Argyle. It is an underground mine in Western Australia owned by Rio Tinto. Thanks to this mine, Australia has a steady production of natural colored diamonds.

The Merlin Diamonds Ltd’s Merlin mine is renowned for extremely valuable white diamonds. Australia’s largest diamond was found in this very mine. It weighed an amazing 104.73 carats.

Australia also has a Kimberley Diamonds mine. It used to produce yellow diamonds, but is currently closed and in search of a new operator.

10. Tanzania

Tanzania’s Williamson Diamond Mine is the home of the first diamond mined outside South Africa. It is also the only relevant diamond producer in this country.

The market value of diamond production by major countries in 2020

Which Country Has The Most Diamonds? Worldwide Diamond Reserves

Worldwide diamond reserves are estimated to be around 1.2 billion carats. Russia has the most diamonds – approximately 1.1 billion carats. Botswana holds the second-largest diamond reserves – about 300 million carats.

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Not all of these diamonds are of gem quality, though. Only about 20% of all mined diamonds are cut and polished and turned into diamond gemstones worthy of jewelry-making enterprise.

About a half of diamonds mined around the globe end up being used in the industry, mostly for cutting, grinding, and drilling purposes.

The most significant companies that produce rough diamonds are ALROSA and De Beers. They hold more than half of the entire world’s production of rough diamonds.

Dominion Diamond Mines, Petra Diamonds, and Rio Tinto follow closely.

What Country In Africa Produces the Most Diamonds?

African countries deliver about 47% of the total world’s diamond production. Botswana produces the most diamonds of them all and is responsible for approximately 17% of the global diamond production.

It is followed closely by DR Congo, which delivers around 12% of total global production.

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Final Words

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