South Australia has been named the fourth most attractive mining jurisdiction in 2025, rising from the 35th place it occupied the year prior.

The state was also ranked first for mineral potential globally, according to the 2025 Annual Survey of Mining Companies released by the Fraser Institute.

Industry bodies have welcomed the news, pointing to an upside gain from the continued growth of copper production, especially in South Australia.

“South Australia’s rise into fourth place globally reflects improving policy perceptions and renewed confidence in the state. It’s likely the strong performance of copper is also proving to be a key factor,” the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies (AMEC) chief executive officer Warren Pearce said in a statement.

“The results also highlight how quickly sentiment can shift and speak to the flighty nature of global investment sentiment,” Pearce said.

On a national scale, the report also highlighted all Australian jurisdictions have increased their investment attractiveness with all seven regions landing in the report’s Top 50.

South Australia‘s investment attractiveness index (IAI) increased by 26 points, seeing the state move from 35th of 82 jurisdictions to 4th of 68.

Western Australia also made a significant leap in the rankings. The state’s IAI rose by a little over 10 points, improving its ranking from 17th of 82 jurisdictions to 6th of 68.

Queensland has returned to 13th place, after dropping down to 39th last year. With both established and emerging resources, Queensland continues to perform as a major contributor to Australia’s mining investment profile.

The Fraser Institute survey captures investor sentiment from mining and exploration companies around the world and provides a snapshot of how jurisdictions are perceived on a range of policy, regulation and overall investment attractiveness.

Nevada has been ranked the world’s top jurisdiction for investment according to the IAI, rising from second place in 2024. Ontario was named the leading Canadian jurisdiction, climbing from 15th last year to secure second spot globally, while Saskatchewan entered the top three, improving from seventh to third.

South Australia  was joined by Arizona, Western Australia, Botswana, Norway, Sweden and Saudi Arabia in rounding out the global top 10.

The United States, Canada, Australia and Europe each recorded two jurisdictions in the top 10, followed by Africa and Asia with one apiece.

Read more: South Australia’s major copper-tunity

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