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Resource · Battery metal

Lithium

Lithium is the light metal in rechargeable batteries. Batteries took 88% of world lithium in 2025. Australia mines the most at 32%, mostly from hard rock. China refines 70% of the world's lithium chemicals and makes over 80% of battery cells. Most lithium passes through Chinese refineries on its way to battery factories worldwide.

Updated October 2026 · Data from the US Geological Survey and the International Energy Agency

Satellite view of rectangular lithium evaporation ponds in shades of blue and green on Chile's Salar de Atacama salt flat
Lithium evaporation ponds on the Salar de Atacama, Chile, November 2025. Image: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio, public domain.
Mined in 2025
290,000 t
of lithium, up 31% in a year
Largest producer
32%
92,000 tonnes
Refined in China
70%
of lithium chemicals, 2024
Battery cells
80%+
made in China, 2025
Into batteries
88%
of lithium used, 2025

Which countries produce the most lithium?

Australia mined the most lithium in 2025, producing 31.7% of world output from hard-rock spodumene mines in Western Australia. China followed at 21.4% and Chile at 19.3%. Chile extracts lithium from brine pumped out of the Salar de Atacama salt flat.

Argentina's output jumped from 13,800 tonnes in 2024 to 23,000 tonnes in 2025. The USGS withholds US output to protect company data.

World map shaded by each country's share of lithium mining in 2025. Australia is the lightest, then China and Chile.

Share of world mine output, 2025

  1. Australia31.7%
  2. China21.4%
  3. Chile19.3%
  4. Zimbabwe9.7%
  5. Argentina7.9%
  6. Brazil4.1%
  7. Everyone else5.9%
Critical minerals by country →
  • Under 1%
  • 1%–5%
  • 5%–10%
  • 10%–25%
  • Over 25%
  • No production

Who refines lithium?

China refined 70% of the world's lithium chemicals in 2024. Australia ships most of its lithium as raw spodumene concentrate. In the first half of 2025, 94% of Australia's concentrate exports went to China for conversion into battery chemicals.

In February 2026, Albemarle idled its Kemerton lithium hydroxide plant in Western Australia, saying costs were too high for Western hard-rock conversion. China also makes over 80% of the world's battery cells. In July 2025, China's government began requiring a license to export lithium refining technology.

From mine to battery

Share of the world at each step

Mining290,000 t, 2025
Zimbabwe 9.7%Argentina 7.9%
RefiningChemicals, 2024
Argentina 6%
Battery cellsCapacity, 2025
United States 6.5%European Union 6.5%
Mining: US Geological Survey, 2025 (excluding the United States, whose output is withheld). Refining: IEA, lithium chemicals, 2024. Battery cells: IEA, manufacturing capacity at the end of 2025.

What is lithium used for?

Batteries consumed 88% of the world's lithium in 2025, up from 23% in 2008. Electric vehicles and energy storage systems drive the growth. A typical EV battery holds about 8.9 kg of lithium.

The remaining lithium goes into ceramics, glass, lubricating greases and medicine. World lithium consumption reached 263,000 tonnes in 2025, up 20% from 220,000 tonnes the year before.

What the world's lithium goes into

Share of use, 2025

  • Batteries88%
  • Ceramics and glass4%
  • Greases2%
  • Other6%

How much goes into one

  • 8.9 kgof lithium in a typical electric car battery
  • 23% → 88%batteries' share of lithium use, 2008 to 2025
  • 5.3 tof lithium carbonate hold one tonne of lithium
  • 94%of Australia's lithium concentrate exports went to China, early 2025
US Geological Survey, 2026. Tiles: IEA, USGS, Argus.

What happened to lithium prices?

Battery-grade lithium carbonate in China hit a record 575,000 yuan a tonne in December 2022. The price fell roughly 90% to about 59,900 yuan by June 2025 as new supply outpaced demand. In Australia, Mineral Resources idled its Bald Hill mine in November 2024.

Prices recovered in 2026 after supply tightened. CATL's Jianxiawo mine in Jiangxi shut in August 2025 when its mining permit expired. Zimbabwe suspended lithium concentrate exports in February 2026. Lithium carbonate stood at 122,800 yuan on September 30, 2026.

Lithium carbonate price in China

Yuan a tonne

  1. December 2022, record575,000
  2. June 2025, low59,900
  3. May 2026, 2026 high200,500
  4. September 30, 2026122,800
Battery-grade lithium carbonate, spot. Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, S&P Global, Trading Economics; assessors differ slightly.

Which country has the most lithium reserves?

Chile holds the most lithium reserves, with 25% of the world total. In April 2023, Chilean President Gabriel Boric announced a national lithium strategy requiring state-controlled companies to hold majority control of lithium projects on strategic salt flats. In late December 2025, the Codelco-SQM joint venture NovaAndino Litio took over lithium in the Salar de Atacama until 2060.

Bolivia has 23 million tonnes of lithium resources, the world's second-largest, but the USGS lists no Bolivian reserves or mine production.

Reserves against mining

Share of reservesShare of mining
  1. Chile25%19%
  2. Australia23%32%
  3. China12%21%
  4. Argentina12%7.9%
  5. Canada4.3%1.9%
  6. Brazil1.5%4.1%
  7. Zimbabwe1.4%9.7%
Share of the world's 37 million tonnes of reserves, and of mine output in 2025. The United States holds 11.9% of reserves; its output is withheld. US Geological Survey, 2026.

Other resources

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