Bolivia Ombudsman Counts 120 Mining Deaths in Potosí in 2026, Most Young
BOLIVIA · MINING
Key Facts
- —The country Bolivia, an Andean nation of about 11 million people, is a major silver, tin and zinc producer. Much of that ore is dug by about 1,700 miners’ cooperatives, which control 58 percent of national production, the government says.
- —The background Potosí’s Cerro Rico, a 4,800-metre mountain, has been mined for silver for more than five centuries. High metal prices have drawn young workers from across the country into its tunnels.
- —Why now Bolivia’s Ombudsman’s Office, a state body that defends citizens’ rights, released a new count of deaths in Potosí’s mines this week.
- —What happened Jackeline Alarcón, the office’s delegate in Potosí, said 120 people have died in the department’s mines in 2026. Most were young day labourers, including teenagers, the newspaper El Potosí reported.
- —The numbers That is roughly one death every two to three days. Between January and June the office and police had counted 74 deaths, eight of them children aged 13 to 17.
- —What it means for you China is the largest buyer of Bolivian silver, with more than US$532 million in 2024, the mining ministry says. Miners AFP met in the Cerro Rico wore no protective gear beyond a helmet.
- —Still open The office says some deaths are never reported, so the real number may be higher. No new safety measures have been announced.
Bolivia mining deaths in the Potosí region have reached 120 so far in 2026, the national Ombudsman’s Office says. Most of the dead were young day labourers with no employment benefits and no health insurance.
The figure came from the office’s regional delegate, Jackeline Alarcón, as reported by El Potosí and La Patria on 1 October. Alarcón said the dead included workers aged 17 to 28.
Who is dying in the mines
Most victims are jornaleros, day labourers paid by the shift, Alarcón said. They come from Potosí city, from rural provinces and from other Bolivian departments.
They have no employment benefits and no prior health insurance, she said. Workers are only registered with a health fund after an accident, and some survivors are left with severe disabilities after head injuries.
Mining in Potosí is no longer done only by men, Alarcón added. Women now work in the mines too.
Why the toll keeps rising
High metal prices are the main pull. Silver traded below US$20 an ounce in 2022, and around US$87 in March 2026 after touching US$120, AFP reported.
A young miner told AFP he earned about US$1,000 a month, more than double Bolivia’s minimum wage of about US$470. That makes the risk look worth taking to many young people.
The mining researcher Héctor Córdova told AFP that cooperative members increasingly hire others to work in their place, which is illegal. Those workers have no medical cover or insurance, and industrial safety is very poor, he said.
How the numbers compare
The office and the police counted 74 deaths in Potosí’s mines between January and June, El Deber reported in June. Eight were children aged 13 to 17, six boys and two girls.
Counts for earlier years differ. In March the office told AFP of 123 deaths in 2025, up from 77 in 2022.
The report carried by La Patria gives 216 deaths for last year, including six adolescents. If the lower figure is right, 2026 is on course to exceed last year’s toll; if the higher one is, it is running below it.
Alarcón also said, unofficially, that some deaths are never reported because some mines pay victims’ families directly.
What comes next
Two years ago the office, the public prosecutors and the federation of mining cooperatives agreed to coordinate on safety. Alarcón said changes among police and prosecution officials have made it hard to restart that work.
The cooperatives are a powerful political force; this week mining cooperatives joined protests against a diesel decree. Any tighter safety rules would need their cooperation.
The count does not mean Bolivia’s whole mining industry is equally dangerous; it covers one department and mostly informal work. Nor is it a final figure, since the office believes some deaths go unrecorded.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Cerro Rico of Potosí?
It is a 4,800-metre mountain above the city of Potosí in southern Bolivia. It has been mined for silver for more than five centuries, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is still worked by thousands of cooperative miners.
Who are the jornaleros in Bolivia’s mines?
They are day labourers paid by the shift, often hired by cooperative members to work in their place. They usually have no employment contract, benefits or health insurance.
Why do young people work in the Potosí mines?
Pay is high by local standards. One miner told AFP he earned about US$1,000 a month, more than double Bolivia’s minimum wage, because silver and tin prices have risen sharply.
Are the deaths in Potosí increasing?
The Ombudsman’s Office counted 120 deaths in the first nine months of 2026, after 74 in the first half. It told AFP in March that deaths rose from 77 in 2022 to 123 in 2025, but another report gives 216 for 2025, so the comparison with last year is uncertain.
Sources: La Patria, citing El Potosí, Ombudsman’s Office delegate Jackeline Alarcón, 1 October 2026, El Deber, 74 deaths January to June, 23 June 2026, AFP via La Tribuna, Potosí mine deaths and metal prices, 4 March 2026. All retrieved 2 October 2026.
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