Since 1997, the Fraser Institute has conducted an annual survey of mining and exploration companies to assess how mineral endowments and public policy factors such as taxation and regulation affect exploration investment. Survey results now represent the opinions of executives and exploration managers in mining and mining consulting companies operating around the world. The survey includes data on 112 jurisdictions worldwide, on every continent except Antarctica, including sub-national jurisdictions in Canada, Australia, the United States, and Argentina.

Some highlights from the 2013 report include:

• New additions to the report: Angola, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, France, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Malaysia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Thailand, and Uruguay.
• Jurisdictions with the highest scores for good policy are: Sweden, Finland, Alberta, Ireland, Wyoming, Western Australia, New Brunswick, Nevada, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Norway.
• Jurisdictions with the lowest policy scores are: Kyrgyzstan, Venezuela, Philippines, Mendoza and La Rioja in Argentina, Angola, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, Indonesia, and Madagascar.
• Jurisdictions with the highest scores for the Investment Attractiveness Index (which takes both mineral and policy perception into consideration) are Western Australia, Nevada, Newfoundland & Labrador, Finland, Alaska, Sweden, Saskatchewan, Yukon, Greenland, Alberta, Wyoming, and Chile.
• Jurisdictions with the lowest scores for the Investment Attractiveness Index are Uruguay, Niger, Honduras, Venezuela, and the Argentinian provinces of La Rioja, Rio Negro, and Neuquen.
• This year’s survey included a new question on public opposition to mining and its effect on permitting and project approval.