2023 State of the ASM Sector report Explore Delve's new report on ASM's contribution to Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender Equality

Data Gaps

Data gaps vary to some extent by region, and significantly from country to country. However, there are very clear cross-cutting needs that have resulted in a global data gap on ASM. This gap has the cumulative effect of obscuring the true significance of ASM’s contribution to global development. It also significantly reduces the ability for all stakeholders to develop effective, evidence-based formalization policies and support initiatives for the sector.

Better access to complete, accurate, and reliable quantitative and qualitative data on ASM is therefore needed to harness the sector’s enormous social and economic development potential. By coming together as an ASM community to share and collect data, with limited additional effort there is great potential to significantly reduce the global data gap on ASM.

2019 Key Data Gaps identified by Delve in the 2019 State of the Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Sector Report

Data features
Accuracy and reliability Data that is accurate and from reliable sources and is accompany by clear explanation of the methodological approach.
Comparability Data sets that are comparable and reconcilable by mineral, volumes produced, and across time, different data sets, countries, and regions.
Detail Disaggregated by characteristics such as gender, age, education, ethnicity, job type, income, duration, and formality and inclusive of a common set of metrics.
Data Types
Contextual and qualitative In-depth contextual description and qualitative analysis to accompany quantitative data sets is needed to “make sense” of the wider development, governance, and socio-political contexts that quantitative data sits within.
Development minerals Data that encompasses the full range of minerals and materials exploited through ASM and quarrying.
Employment The true number and location of artisanal and small-scale miners operating (at a minimum) by country and region.
Gender Detailed information of the participation and role of women in ASM and the gender related challenges they face.
Production Production disaggregated by LSM and ASM activities, and commodities, especially development minerals.
Revenue The fiscal contribution of ASM to government revenues, exports, and national and global economies.
Data analysis
Geo data Easily accessible geological data that quantifies the location and value of deposits for ASM activities and zones to enable small-scale operators to access formal channels of finance. Geo-data and geographical information system platforms that enable the development of maps to show the location and details of ASM activities.
System, network, and supply chain mapping
Mapping to understand the full extent of ASM, its communities, governance, organization, supply chains and production networks from mine to international markets.
Quantification Statistical modeling and quantification of the social and economic contributions and multiplier effect ASM to inform evidence-based policymaking and spur formalization efforts.
Collaboration
Accessible Data and information that is translated into a range of languages. Data in its raw form, as well as data visualizations, graphics, and statistics that are easy to use, interpret, and understand.
Data sharing Data that is publicly available and easily accessible for all, including small-scale miners. Sharing of data collection and collaboration on research projects.