Argentina's National Institute of Statistics and Census (INDEC) reported that the country's Mining Industrial Production Index (IPI Minero) increased 9.2% year-on-year in May 2026. Cumulative production for the January-May period rose 7.8% compared with the same period last year.
By Panorama Minero
According to INDEC, the seasonally adjusted index increased 0.4% from April, while the trend-cycle series posted a 0.3% monthly gain.
Non-Metallic Minerals Led the Increase
Production of non-metallic minerals rose 42.9% year-on-year in May and was up 34.2% in the first five months of the year.
The increase was driven primarily by salt production, which surged 128.9%, and by minerals used in the manufacture of chemical products, whose output rose 54.2% year-on-year and 52.9% in the January-May period.
Within that category, lithium production (lithium carbonate and other lithium minerals) increased 57.5% from May 2025 and 56.2% during the first five months of the year.
Lithium carbonate production reached 11,561.7 tonnes in May, up 45.1% year-on-year. Cumulative production for the January-May period increased 47.5% compared with the same period in 2025.
Oil and Gas
The index covering crude oil, natural gas and support services for oil and gas extraction rose 6.7% year-on-year in May, while cumulative output for the first five months of 2026 increased 5.6%.
According to INDEC, conventional crude oil production declined 9.5%, while unconventional crude oil production increased 38.5% compared with May 2025.
For natural gas, conventional production fell 10.2%, while unconventional production rose 14.2% year-on-year.
