Total Population: Often quoted in Zimbabwean news articles is the estimation of 500,000 - 1,500,000 (as in ZWE-2018a). This appears to be more realistic than partly outdated publications. → 1,000,000
Min/Max: The above estimation has a broad range. This might be partly attributed to uncertainty, but also to the population entering and exiting ASM according to economic constraints. → 0.5 - 1.5 million
Female participation: Perhaps somewhere between the 1/3 (MMSD-03) and the 11% (ZWE-2015a) → 25% i.e. 250,000
Gold: Probably (conservative estimate) at the lower range of Total → 600,000
(ZWE-2018a):
"It is estimated that there are between 500,000 and 1,5 million artisanal and small scale miners operating in zimbabwe and of these only 16% are registered according to the mines and minerals regulation act Chapter 21;05.whilst 84% remain unregistered"
(IGF-18): Table 3 quoting HIL-16
Directly working in ASM: 500,000 Estimated number of dependants: 3,000,000 Main Minerals: Gold, Diamonds, Coloured gemstones
(HIL-16):
Directly working in ASM: 500,000 Estimated number of dependants: 3,000,000
(ZWE-2015a):
Women "Previous studies and reports have estimated that more than one-third of artisanal miners are women. The Pact scoping study found that only 11 percent of artisanal miners in the two target areas were women."
(UBC-14): Gold-only data produced by statistic modelling:
Expected ASM population: 509,000 Estimated ASM gold production: 2.8 t/a
(IIED-13): 350,000 - 500,000
(MMSD-03): Estimate for MMSD research country: 350,000, 153,000 of them women and children
MMSD study by B.Drechsler (https://commdev.org/pdf/publications/Small-Scale-Mining-Development-SADC-Region.pdf)
(ILO-99): Employment: 50,000 - 350,000
Number of mines: 200
Illegal mines: +/- 30%
| Reference | Year | Citation | Archived Copy | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARM-18 | 2018 | Barreto, M.L.,Schein, P., Hinton, J., Hruschka, F. (2018): The Impact of Small-Scale Mining Operations on Economies and Livelihoods in Low- to Middle-Income Countries. ARM, Envigado, PACT, Westcombe. | arm-18.pdf | responsiblemines.org/… |
| IGF-18 | 2018 | IGF (2018): Global Trends in Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM): A review of key numbers and issues. IIED/IISD, London, Winnipeg. | igf-18.pdf | iisd.org/… |
| ZWE-2018a | 2018 | ZEPARU (2018): Pathway to foermalization of Artisanal Mining in Zimbabwe. Harare.. | zwe-2018a.pdf | zeparu.co.zw/… |
| GMA-18 | 2018 | UNEP (2018): Global Mercury Assessment 2018. Technical Background Report E-Annex. Chapter 3.2. UNEP, Geneva. | gma-18.pdf | wedocs.unep.org/… |
| AMDC-17 | 2017 | AMDC (2017): ASM Sector Report. Selected countries policy profile review of ASM | amdc-17.pdf | knowledge.uneca.org/… |
| HIL-16 | 2016 | Hilson, G. (2016): Artisanal and small-scale mining and agriculture: Exploring their links in rural sub-Saharan Africa. IIED, London. | hil-16.pdf | pubs.iied.org/… |
| ZWE-2015a | 2015 | Pact (2015): A Golden Opportunity: Scoping Study of Artisanal and Small-scale Mining in Zimbabwe. Pact, Washington | zwe-2015a.pdf | pactworld.org/… |
| UBC-14 | 2014 | Seccatore, J., Veiga, M., et al. (Univ. of British Columbia - UBC) (2014): An estimation of the artisanal small-scale production of gold in the world. Scitotenv. 496. | ubc-14.pdf | doi.org/… |
| IIED-13 | 2013 | Buxton, A. (2013): Responding to the challenge of artisanal and small-scale mining. How can knowledge networks help? IIED, London. | iied-13.pdf | pubs.iied.org/… |
| MMSD-03 | 2003 | Hentschel, T., Hruschka, F., Priester, M. (2003): Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining - Challenges and Opportunities. MMSD (IIED), London. | mmsd-03.pdf | pubs.iied.org/… |
| ITDG-01 | 2001 | Dreschler, B. (2001): Small-scale Mining and Sustainable Development within the SADC Region. MMSD, ITDG, London | itdg-01.pdf | commdev.org/… |
| ILO-99 | 1999 | Jennings, N. (1999): Social and labour issues in small-scale mines. Report for discussion at the Tripartite Meeting on Social and Labour Issues in Small-scale Mines. ILO, Geneva. | ilo-99.pdf | ilo.org/… |
Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HEPUEQHFgo&list=PL3FBA6D62804939A6
Articles:
| ASM DATA - Country Database Record | |
|---|---|
| Country Code | ZWE |
| Country | Zimbabwe |
| ASM Status | Existing (data assessed) |
| Country Count | 1 |
| Data year | 2018 |
| Publ. year | 2018 |
| ASM Miners | 1,000,000 |
| - gold | 600 ,000 |
| Data curation | extrapolated |
| Inc. DevMin | no |
| - min. | 500,000 |
| - max. | 1,500,000 |
| - female | 250 ,000 |
| ASM Commodities | gold, gemstone, diamond |