Fraser Institute

Data cited at: Fraser Institute   The economic freedom index measures the degree of economic freedom present in five major areas: [1] Size of Government; [2] Legal System and Security of Property Rights; [3] Sound Money; [4] Freedom to Trade Internationally; [5] Regulation. Within the five major areas, there are 24 components (area) in economic freedom index. Each component and sub-component is placed on a scale from 0 to 10.

The Fraser Institute Annual Survey of Mining Companies was sent to approximately 4,100 exploration, development, and other mining-related companies around the world. Several mining publications and associations also helped publicize the survey. The survey, conducted from October 9, 2012, to January 6, 2013, represents responses from 742 of those companies. The companies participating in the survey reported exploration spending of US$6.2 billion in 2012 and US$ 5.4 billion in 2011.