• Global lithium production 2019

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Lithium mines produced an estimated global total of 77,000 metric tons of lithium in 2019. This is a significant increase from 2010, when production was just 28,100 metric tons.

Lithium

The chemical element lithium has many uses but is most notably used in batteries, mental health treatment, and in pyrotechnics. This silvery-white alkali metal was first isolated in 1855 by Augustus Mattiessen and Robert Bunsen. Lithium is widely present worldwide, but due to its high reactivity it does not naturally occur in its elemental form. Chile and Australia have the first and second largest lithium reserves, respectively, in the world.

Lithium Producers

There are several key players involved in the lucrative global lithium mining business. Based on supply, Albemarle is the leading lithium company in the world. Based on market capitalization, however, Tianqi Lithium was the leading lithium producing company in 2019. Looking to the future, lithium producers have a strong outlook, as the total worldwide lithium demand is expected to increase significantly in the coming years.

Lithium mine production worldwide from 2010 to 2019 (in metric tons of lithium content)*

	Production in metric tons of lithium content
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Release date

February 2020

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Region

Worldwide

Survey time period

2010 to 2019

Supplementary notes

* Data is rounded and excludes U.S. production figures, which has been withheld to avoid disclosing company proprietary data.
** Estimated.
This statistic was assembled using several editions of the report.