Of a total mining area of 43,494 km², 1,840.58 km² is held under exploration licences and 898.37 km² under mining leases, a combined 2,738.95 km² or roughly 6.3 percent. A further 4,469.182 km² is reserved as study areas. These figures were presented by Gilgit Baltistan's Secretary of Minerals at the Pakistan–China Mineral Investment Forum in February 2026.
Statistics
Gilgit Baltistan Mining Statistics 2026
44 verified figures · last updated 26 August 2026
Every figure on this page carries a named source and a year. Where reputable sources disagree, both numbers appear with their own attribution rather than the more flattering one. Anything we could not verify against the source document was left out.
Journalists and analysts are welcome to cite this page. If you need something not listed here, or the underlying operator data behind our own concessions, the investor desk will respond directly.
01
Licensed area and exploration status
These are the figures that define the opportunity in Gilgit Baltistan, and they were stated by the region's own Secretary of Minerals in February 2026. The headline is not how much mineral ground exists. It is how little of it anyone holds a title over.
6.3%
of Gilgit Baltistan's total mining area sits under any granted mineral title, exploration licence or mining lease combined
43,494 km²
Total mining area in Gilgit Baltistan.
Source: Shahzeb Sheikh, Secretary of Minerals, Pakistan–China Mineral Investment Forum, February 2026
1,840.58 km²
Area granted under exploration licences.
Source: Shahzeb Sheikh, Secretary of Minerals, Pakistan–China Mineral Investment Forum, February 2026
898.37 km²
Area held under active mining leases.
Source: Shahzeb Sheikh, Secretary of Minerals, Pakistan–China Mineral Investment Forum, February 2026
2,738.95 km²
Combined area under any granted mineral title, exploration licences and mining leases together.
Source: Shahzeb Sheikh, Secretary of Minerals, Pakistan–China Mineral Investment Forum, February 2026
4,469.182 km²
Additional area reserved as study areas for future exploration.
Source: Shahzeb Sheikh, Secretary of Minerals, Pakistan–China Mineral Investment Forum, February 2026
7,208.132 km²
Combined explored and reserved area.
Source: Shahzeb Sheikh, Secretary of Minerals, Pakistan–China Mineral Investment Forum, February 2026
36,287.868 km²
Remaining barren and mountainous terrain outside any granted or reserved area.
Source: Shahzeb Sheikh, Secretary of Minerals, Pakistan–China Mineral Investment Forum, February 2026
108
Mineral targets identified through government surveys.
Source: Shahzeb Sheikh, Secretary of Minerals, Pakistan–China Mineral Investment Forum, February 2026
02
What Gilgit Baltistan actually holds
The region's mineral profile is unusually broad rather than concentrated in one commodity, which is why a single licensed block here often carries three or four saleable minerals at once.
6 metallic minerals
Gold, copper, lead, antimony, molybdenum and iron identified across the region's valleys.
Source: Shahzeb Sheikh, Secretary of Minerals, Pakistan–China Mineral Investment Forum, February 2026
5 non-metallic minerals
Mica, feldspar, dolomite, limestone and calcite identified across the region.
Source: Shahzeb Sheikh, Secretary of Minerals, Pakistan–China Mineral Investment Forum, February 2026
3 named gemstones
Ruby, emerald and aquamarine identified among the region's gemstone deposits.
Source: Shahzeb Sheikh, Secretary of Minerals, Pakistan–China Mineral Investment Forum, February 2026
5th
Pakistan's global ranking by size of gemstone reserves.
Source: Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, via Associated Press of Pakistan
800,000 carats
Pakistan's assessed annual ruby export potential, alongside 87,000 carats of emerald and 5 million carats of peridot.
Source: Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, via Associated Press of Pakistan
Over 80%
Share of Pakistan's gemstone revenue derived from unprocessed and raw stones rather than cut or finished goods.
Source: Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, via Associated Press of Pakistan
10 concessions
Licensed blocks held by Durr & Zircon Consortium across seven districts of Gilgit Baltistan, under three registered operating companies.
Source: Durr & Zircon Consortium concession registry, 2026
03
Pakistan's minerals in global context
Gilgit Baltistan sits inside a national sector that is, by any comparative measure, under-extracted relative to its geology. These figures are the honest version of that picture, including the parts that are not flattering.
$8.3bn
Pakistan's share of $5.5 trillion in measured world mineral output, ranking it 51st of 166 countries
2.1%
Mining and quarrying share of Pakistan's GDP at current prices in FY25, equal to $8.6 billion of a $407 billion economy.
Source: Dawn, February 2026
Around 3.2%
An alternative, higher estimate of the mineral sector's share of national GDP. Reputable sources disagree on this figure and both are reported here.
Source: The Diplomat, January 2026
2–3%
The range mining and quarrying has stayed within as a share of GDP for the last 25 years.
Source: Dawn, February 2026
4 consecutive years
Period over which the sector has declined continuously.
Source: Dawn, February 2026
51 of 166
Pakistan's rank by measured mineral output in 2023.
Source: Dawn, February 2026
$6.8bn (82%)
Mineral fuels as a share of Pakistan's extracted mineral value, ranking 40th of 166 countries.
Source: Dawn, February 2026
$605m
Value of Pakistan's industrial minerals output in 2023, ranking 28th globally.
Source: Dawn, February 2026
$271m
Value of Pakistan's non-ferrous metals output in 2023, ranking 58th globally.
Source: Dawn, February 2026
$2bn to $6–8bn
Projected growth in Pakistan's annual mining sector revenues by 2030, from current levels.
Source: The Nation, September 2025
04
Investment and international agreements, 2025 to 2026
Three separate international commitments landed inside roughly twelve months. None of them are in Gilgit Baltistan, which matters: they establish that Pakistani mining risk is now being underwritten at scale, not that this particular region has been funded.
$500m
Value of the critical minerals agreement between Pakistan and US Strategic Metals, covering exploration through refining.
Source: Profit by Pakistan Today, October 2025
2 October 2025
Date Pakistan dispatched its first consignment of enriched rare earth elements and critical minerals to the United States under that agreement.
Source: Profit by Pakistan Today, October 2025
3 minerals
Antimony, copper concentrate and rare earth elements including neodymium and praseodymium made up that first shipment.
Source: Profit by Pakistan Today, October 2025
September 2025
Frontier Works Organisation and US Strategic Metals signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a poly-metallic refinery in Pakistan.
Source: Profit by Pakistan Today, October 2025
15%
Stake in Pakistan's Reko Diq copper-gold project pursued by Saudi Arabia, backed by a reported $540 million commitment.
Source: AGBI, January 2025
Over $100m
Additional investment in Pakistani mining infrastructure signalled by the Saudi Fund for Development.
Source: AGBI, January 2025
February 2026
Pakistan–China Mineral Investment Forum, at which Gilgit Baltistan's licensed area figures above were presented.
Source: Shahzeb Sheikh, Secretary of Minerals, Pakistan–China Mineral Investment Forum, February 2026
05
Reko Diq as the national benchmark
Reko Diq in Balochistan is the project every conversation about Pakistani mining is measured against. It is not in Gilgit Baltistan and it is far larger than anything here, which is exactly why the numbers are useful as a reference point.
37 years
projected mine life under the updated feasibility study, across two phases
13.1m tonnes
Copper expected to be produced over the life of the mine, alongside 17.9 million ounces of gold.
Source: Barrick Mining, feasibility study reporting, 2025
15m tonnes
Proven and probable copper reserves, alongside 26 million ounces of gold.
Source: Barrick Mining, feasibility study reporting, 2025
37 years
Projected mine life across two phases under the updated feasibility study.
Source: Barrick Mining, feasibility study reporting, 2025
45m tonnes per year
Phase 1 mill feed processing capacity, planned from 2028, at an estimated capital outlay of $5.6 billion.
Source: The Express Tribune, 2025
240,000 tonnes
Annual copper output expected from Phase 1, alongside 297,000 ounces of gold.
Source: The Express Tribune, 2025
90m tonnes per year
Planned Phase 2 processing capacity by 2034, doubling Phase 1.
Source: The Express Tribune, 2025
Over $60bn
Total yield at market prices at time of reporting, comprising roughly $54 billion of gold and $6 billion of copper.
Source: Dawn, 2024
06
Licensing and regulatory framework
Mineral titles in Gilgit Baltistan run through four stages under the Gilgit-Baltistan Mining Concession Rules, 2016, amended in 2019 and 2024. Fees and procedures change periodically, so confirm current requirements with the department before filing.
4 stages
Reconnaissance licence, exploration licence, mineral deposit retention licence and mining lease.
Source: Gilgit-Baltistan Mining Concession Rules, 2016
Rs 15,000
Application fee for a reconnaissance licence. An exploration licence application is Rs 25,000.
Source: Gilgit-Baltistan Mining Concession Rules, 2016
30 days
Period within which the Mines Committee is required to review an application and forward its recommendation to the Licensing Authority.
Source: Gilgit-Baltistan Mining Concession Rules, 2016
January 2025
Point from which all new mineral title applications are processed through the department's online portal, requiring a registered company or firm account.
Source: Mines and Minerals Department Gilgit Baltistan, 2025
486 records
Title-holder entries listed on the Gilgit Baltistan Mines and Minerals Department public registry, counted directly from the portal.
Source: Mines and Minerals Department Gilgit Baltistan public registry, counted August 2026
Locally incorporated only
Mineral titles can be granted only to a locally incorporated entity, so foreign investors participate through a joint venture, a farm-in agreement, or a Pakistani subsidiary.
Source: Gilgit-Baltistan Mining Concession Rules, 2016
Investor FAQ
Questions about these figures
The questions that come up most often about mining data in Gilgit Baltistan.
Government surveys identify gold, copper, lead, antimony, molybdenum and iron among metallic minerals; mica, feldspar, dolomite, limestone and calcite among non-metallic minerals; and ruby, emerald and aquamarine among gemstones. 108 mineral targets have been identified through survey work.
Mining and quarrying accounted for 2.1 percent of GDP at current prices in FY25, equal to $8.6 billion of a $407 billion economy, according to Dawn. Some sources put the mineral sector's share closer to 3.2 percent. The sector has stayed between 2 and 3 percent of GDP for the last 25 years and has declined for four consecutive years.
No. Mineral titles can only be granted to a locally incorporated entity. Foreign investors participate through a joint venture with an existing licence holder, a farm-in or earn-in agreement, or by incorporating a Pakistani subsidiary to hold the title.
Substantially larger. Reko Diq is projected to produce 13.1 million tonnes of copper and 17.9 million ounces of gold over a 37-year mine life, with Phase 1 alone carrying an estimated $5.6 billion capital outlay. It is in Balochistan, not Gilgit Baltistan, and is best treated as a national benchmark rather than a comparable asset.
We hold ten of the licensed blocks these figures describe.
Durr & Zircon Consortium operates across seven districts of Gilgit Baltistan under three registered companies. Concession areas, licence status and mineral indications are published per site. Boundary coordinates and geological reports are shared with verified counterparties on request.
Related reading: how to get a mining licence in Gilgit Baltistan, or the commodities we supply.