Cobalt production in South Africa in 2024 — 556 t. Ranked 12 in the world out of 13. Since 1995, the indicator has risen by 93.1%.
1995–2024 · tonnes
How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: South Africa
| Year | t | Change | Change, % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 556 | +178 | +47.16% |
| 2023 | 378 | −622 | −62.2% |
| 2022 | 1,000 | −197 | −16.46% |
| 2021 | 1,197 | −603 | −33.5% |
| 2020 | 1,800 | −300 | −14.29% |
| 2019 | 2,100 | −200 | −8.7% |
| 2018 | 2,300 | +0 | +0% |
| 2017 | 2,300 | +0 | +0% |
| 2016 | 2,300 | −600 | −20.69% |
| 2015 | 2,900 | −100 | −3.33% |
| 2014 | 3,000 | +0 | +0% |
| 2013 | 3,000 | +500 | +20% |
| 2012 | 2,500 | +900 | +56.25% |
| 2011 | 1,600 | −200 | −11.11% |
| 2010 | 1,800 | +1,190 | +195.08% |
| 2009 | 610 | +20 | +3.39% |
| 2008 | 590 | −10 | −1.67% |
| 2007 | 600 | +0 | +0% |
| 2006 | 600 | −20 | −3.23% |
| 2005 | 620 | +10 | +1.64% |
| 2004 | 610 | +130 | +27.08% |
| 2003 | 480 | −40 | −7.69% |
| 2002 | 520 | −40 | −7.14% |
| 2001 | 560 | −20 | −3.45% |
| 2000 | 580 | +130 | +28.89% |
| 1999 | 450 | +15 | +3.45% |
| 1998 | 435 | −30 | −6.45% |
| 1997 | 465 | +115 | +32.86% |
| 1996 | 350 | +62 | +21.53% |
| 1995 | 288 | — | — |
Cobalt production measured as contained metal, from U.S. Geological Survey data. Cobalt is needed for the cathodes of lithium-ion batteries, and its production is concentrated more tightly than that of any other important metal: more than two-thirds of the world total comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is because of that concentration that battery makers have spent recent years looking for chemistries with a smaller share of cobalt, or none at all.
Important: Cobalt is almost always mined as a by-product — together with copper or nickel — so its volume depends on the market for the main metal and not only on demand for cobalt itself.
Source: Mineral Commodity Summaries (USGS), license Public domain (work of a U.S. federal agency).
