BHP Group (ASX, LSE, NYSE: BHP) ranks as Australia's largest listed mining and metals company by market value, according to The Northern Miner's latest Top 10 ranking of the country's biggest mining heavyweights.

As of July 3, BHP held a market capitalization of A$307.4 billion (US$213 billion), placing it firmly ahead of its nearest competitor, Rio Tinto (ASX, LSE, NYSE: RIO). BHP, headquartered in Melbourne, is one of the world's largest diversified mining companies, with major operations spanning iron ore, copper, coal, and nickel across Australia and internationally. The company has been positioning toward copper, a metal central to global electrification and energy-transition infrastructure, including through its 2024 attempt to acquire Anglo American—a deal that ultimately did not proceed.

While BHP led on market capitalization, Rio Tinto posted the strongest fiscal 2025 profit among the ranked companies. Rio Tinto, a dual-listed Anglo-Australian mining corporation with significant iron ore operations in Western Australia's Pilbara region, has benefited from its position as one of the world's top iron ore producers. Iron ore is Australia's single largest goods export by value, and the Pilbara is one of the most productive iron ore-producing regions globally, giving both BHP and Rio Tinto outsized influence over the Australian economy and the ASX indices, where resource companies carry heavy weightings.

The Northern Miner's Top 10 list covers the largest listed mining and metals companies on the Australian Securities Exchange by market value, providing a snapshot of the dominant players in one of the world's most resource-rich economies. The divergence between BHP's market-cap lead and Rio Tinto's profit leadership underscores how investors are valuing growth exposure—particularly to copper and other energy-transition materials—alongside current commodity-cycle earnings.

Source: The Northern Miner