Mexican mining and metallurgical production showed a rebound in July 2026, after the decline recorded last June, although the annual result still reflects a contraction in mineral extraction and processing activity.
According to the Mining and Metallurgical Industry Statistics (EIMM) of the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) , production increased 3.8% month-on-month in July, but decreased 3.9% compared to the same month in 2025 .
The monthly advance contrasts with the 8.6% drop recorded last June, when production also accumulated an annual decline of 10.6 percent.
The result in the seventh month of the year represents a change in the monthly trajectory, but without showing a complete recovery of the sector.
Zinc, lead and gold, with the biggest declines
By mineral, zinc showed the largest annual decrease among the main products reported by INEGI, with a drop of 18.6 percent. Lead followed , decreasing by 12 percent, while gold production fell by 10.1 percent. Sulfur production also declined by 4.3 percent and silver by 2.3 percent year-on-year.
In contrast, some minerals showed increases. Copper production rose 3.1% year-on-year, followed by non-coking coal at 1.9%, and iron pellets at 1.2%. Fluorite remained virtually unchanged with a 0.1% increase, and gypsum showed no change in its year-on-year measurement.
This behavior reflects that the monthly recovery was not uniform across the different minerals. While some products regained ground, others continued to decline, limiting the industry’s annual performance.
Production maintains regional contrasts
By state, Sonora stood out in silver production with 4.9%, as well as in copper with 4%. Chihuahua stood out in zinc with 2%, Michoacán in iron with 11.8%, and Coahuila in fluorite production with 1.5% at an annual rate.
The July result comes after several months of erratic behavior. The seasonally adjusted series from INEGI shows that mining and metallurgical production had registered monthly declines in March, May, and June, interspersed with increases in April.
For supply chains, mining activity has implications beyond extraction. Minerals are used in industrial processes, metallurgy, construction, and capital goods manufacturing, so changes in production volumes can alter the transportation, storage, and distribution requirements for raw materials.
Added to this is the link with foreign trade. In July 2026, Mexican exports of mining and metallurgy products increased by 27.3% year-on-year , according to Mexico’s Merchandise Trade Balance.
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