DR Congo's tin exports top $513 million in 2024
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) exported over 42,950 tons of tin in 2024, earning more than $513 million, according to official data from the Technical Mining Coordination and Planning Unit (CTCPM) under the Ministry of Mines.
The figures confirm the Central African nation’s growing role in the global tin market, supplying around 8% of the world’s total demand for the metal - an essential material in electronics, food packaging, and the emerging green energy sector.
Local media Desk Eco reports that the bulk of the DRC’s tin exports came from industrial operations, which accounted for 63% of the total export volume. Industrial producers shipped 27,100 tons of cassiterite (tin ore), valued at approximately $350 million.
The artisanal or small-scale mining sector contributed 15,852 tons worth $162.8 million.
Market dominance remains firmly with Alphamin Bisie, a major mining firm responsible for 99% of all industrial tin exports from the DRC in 2024. The company alone exported 26,932 tons, generating $348.6 million.
Tin, which is primarily used for soldering in electronics and as a corrosion-resistant coating in food packaging (tinplate), has seen a sharp increase in global market prices. Disruptions in supply, including temporary export halts, helped drive the metal’s price from $25,175 per ton at the end of 2023 to $32,640 per ton by December 2024. As of now, tin is trading at approximately $35,000 per ton.
In 2023, DRC was rated as one of the top five biggest suppliers of tin on international markets, along with Australia, Nigeria, and Rwanda.
