Global by-product cobalt production share by primary metal 2013-2020
Cobalt is mainly produced as a by-product of other metals. Copper is the leading primary product from which cobalt is produced. As of 2020, cobalt produced as a by-product at copper mines accounted for a 55 percent share of the total global cobalt produced that year. Nickel mining was the second-largest source of cobalt by-product production that year, at 29 percent. Cobalt-specific mining operations accounted for just 14 percent of the total cobalt produced worldwide that year.
