OFFICIAL artisanal, and informal mining operations are frequently unregulated and underreported, meaning many accidents do not appear in global datasets. As a result, commonly cited statistics -such as those published by the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM)- primarily reflect large-scale industrial mining and may underrepresent the true global burden of mining-related fatalities. Figure 1 – Human exposure to the high-hazard area (working face) Fatality rates in underground mining (Table 3) vary markedly across regions worldwide, ranging from very low to very high, with Africa and Asia exhibiting the greatest levels of risk. Africa records the highest underground mining fatality rates globally, due to the extreme depths and high stress conditions of its gold and platinum group metal (PGM) operations. These conditions significantly increase exposure to rockburst and ground failure hazards, which are inherent to deep, high-stress mining environments. Asia accounts for a high absolute number of underground mining fatalities, reflecting the scale of mining activity in the region, particularly within its coal industry, which employs a substantial proportion of the labour force. Latin America, by comparison, is characterised by an intermediate level of risk, with fatality rates varying widely between the formal, industrialised mining sector and the informal and artisanal mining sector, where regulatory oversight and enforcement are often limited. Europe and North America (MSHA, 2024) have consistently achieved low fatality rates in underground mining because of strong regulatory frameworks, effective enforcement, and sustained innovation in mining practices. Oceania -primarily represented by Australia- has established a global benchmark through extensive automation, the development of labour-light mine designs, and the application of advanced geotechnical control practices. These regions demonstrate that low underground mining fatality rates are achievable through the long-term implementation of robust technical, organisational, and management control measures (ICMM, 2024). The variation in underground mining fatality rates between continents is not attributable solely to geological conditions. Differences in mine design philosophies, regulatory maturity, operational practices, workforce composition, and safety culture play a decisive role. Fatality rates are consistently highest in regions characterised by deep, labour-intensive underground mining combined with weak regulatory oversight. ICMM data indicate that a disproportionate share of mining fatalities occurs in underground operations, despite underground miners representing only a small fraction of the global mining workforce. Consequently, most underground mining fatalities are concentrated in
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