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Average number of employees (Tables) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2017
Average Number Of Employees [Abstract] |
Summary of average number of employees |
| Subsidiaries and joint operations |  | Equity accounted units (Rio Tinto share) |  | Group total |
|  | 2017 |  |  | 2016 |  |  | 2015 |  |  | 2017 |  |  | 2016 |  |  | 2015 |  |  | 2017 |  |  | 2016 |  |  | 2015 |
The principal locations of |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
employment were: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Australia and New Zealand |  | 19,041 |  |  | 20,489 |  |  | 22,125 |  |  | 602 |  |  | 849 |  |  | 863 |  |  | 19,643 |  |  | 21,338 |  |  | 22,988 |
Canada |  | 10,256 |  |  | 10,239 |  |  | 11,113 |  |  | - |  |  | - |  |  | - |  |  | 10,256 |  |  | 10,239 |  |  | 11,113 |
UK |  | 309 |  |  | 487 |  |  | 542 |  |  | - |  |  | - |  |  | - |  |  | 309 |  |  | 487 |  |  | 542 |
Europe |  | 1,505 |  |  | 1,722 |  |  | 2,312 |  |  | - |  |  | - |  |  | - |  |  | 1,505 |  |  | 1,722 |  |  | 2,312 |
Africa |  | 3,461 |  |  | 4,875 |  |  | 5,651 |  |  | 1,269 |  |  | 1,270 |  |  | 1,271 |  |  | 4,730 |  |  | 6,145 |  |  | 6,922 |
US |  | 3,429 |  |  | 3,196 |  |  | 3,439 |  |  | - |  |  | - |  |  | - |  |  | 3,429 |  |  | 3,196 |  |  | 3,439 |
Mongolia |  | 2,861 |  |  | 2,737 |  |  | 2,647 |  |  | - |  |  | - |  |  | - |  |  | 2,861 |  |  | 2,737 |  |  | 2,647 |
Indonesia |  | 1,642 |  |  | 2,862 |  |  | 2,871 |  |  | - |  |  | - |  |  | - |  |  | 1,642 |  |  | 2,862 |  |  | 2,871 |
South America |  | 197 |  |  | 166 |  |  | 192 |  |  | 1,237 |  |  | 1,388 |  |  | 1,317 |  |  | 1,434 |  |  | 1,554 |  |  | 1,509 |
Other countries (a) |  | 998 |  |  | 749 |  |  | 595 |  |  | - |  |  | - |  |  | - |  |  | 998 |  |  | 749 |  |  | 595 |
|  | 43,699 |  |  | 47,522 |  |  | 51,487 |  |  | 3,108 |  |  | 3,507 |  |  | 3,451 |  |  | 46,807 |  |  | 51,029 |  |  | 54,938 |
(a) | “Other countries” primarily includes employees in the Middle East (excluding Oman which is included in Africa), India, Singapore and other countries in Asia which are not shown separately in the table above. For the year ended 31 December 2017, the average number of employees in Singapore was 434 (2016: 262) and the average number of employees in India was 310 (2016: 280).

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- Definition The disclosure of detailed information about employees. + References No definition available. + Details
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