Ghana has climbed to sixth place among the world's largest gold producers, overtaking the United States after a jump in domestic output and a slump in American production, the Ghana Chamber of Mines said.

The West African nation produced 185 tonnes of gold in 2025, moving up from its traditional seventh-place ranking, Christopher Nyarko, the Chamber's director of analysis, research and finance, told Citi News.

" We're number six now, right after Peru. So globally, China, Russia, Australia, Canada, Peru, then Ghana comes in, and then the United States follow," Nyarko said. "Last year [2025], Ghana overtook the US, but traditionally, we've always been number seven.”

Nyarko attributed the US decline partly to technical setbacks in Nevada, one of America's key gold-producing states.

"Last year [2025], they ran into a number of technical issues. So production for the country as a whole dropped. And of course, given the dynamics in Ghana, we saw Ghana displace the United States," he said.

China remained the world's top producer, followed by Russia, Australia, Canada and Peru, according to Nyarko, though he cautioned that rankings among the leading producers shift depending on the data source.

"Even depending on the kind of source of your data, there's always some tension between Russia, China, and Australia, in terms of who is the largest producer," he said, adding that the Chamber relies on independent sources to assess global figures.

Ghana's improved standing follows a record year for the sector, with national output reaching 5.94mn ounces in 2025. Small-scale mining accounted for 52.38% of total production, overtaking large-scale operations for the first time in the country's more than a century of commercial mining.

The Chamber has forecast further growth in 2026, projecting output of between 6.1mn and 6.7mn ounces.

Major gold miners operating in Ghana include Newmont (NYSE: NEM; ASX: NEM) at Ahafo South and Ahafo North; AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE: AU; JSE: ANG) at Obuasi and Iduapriem; and Gold Fields (JSE: GFI; NYSE: GFI) at Tarkwa.

Zijin Mining (HKEX: 2899; SSE: 601899) owns the Akyem mine, Perseus Mining (ASX: PRU; TSX: PRU) operates the Edikan mine, while Galiano Gold (TSX: GAU; NYSE American: GAU) owns 90% of the Asanko Gold Mine, with the Ghanaian government holding the remaining 10%.