Cobalt production in Melanesia in 2024 — 4,570 t. Since 1995, the indicator has risen by 315.5%.
1995–2024 · tonnes
How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Melanesia
| Year | t | Change | Change, % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4,570 | −270 | −5.58% |
| 2023 | 4,840 | +80 | +1.68% |
| 2022 | 4,760 | +307 | +6.89% |
| 2021 | 4,453 | −684 | −13.32% |
| 2020 | 5,137 | +524 | +11.36% |
| 2019 | 4,613 | −771 | −14.32% |
| 2018 | 5,384 | −706 | −11.59% |
| 2017 | 6,090 | +712 | +13.24% |
| 2016 | 5,378 | −767 | −12.48% |
| 2015 | 6,145 | −29 | −0.47% |
| 2014 | 6,174 | +1,971 | +46.9% |
| 2013 | 4,203 | +1,064 | +33.9% |
| 2012 | 3,139 | +39 | +1.26% |
| 2011 | 3,100 | +250 | +8.77% |
| 2010 | 2,850 | +850 | +42.5% |
| 2009 | 2,000 | −110 | −5.21% |
| 2008 | 2,110 | −140 | −6.22% |
| 2007 | 2,250 | +621 | +38.12% |
| 2006 | 1,629 | −140 | −7.91% |
| 2005 | 1,769 | −957 | −35.11% |
| 2004 | 2,726 | +124 | +4.77% |
| 2003 | 2,602 | −178 | −6.4% |
| 2002 | 2,780 | +1,380 | +98.57% |
| 2001 | 1,400 | +200 | +16.67% |
| 2000 | 1,200 | +100 | +9.09% |
| 1999 | 1,100 | +100 | +10% |
| 1998 | 1,000 | +0 | +0% |
| 1997 | 1,000 | −100 | −9.09% |
| 1996 | 1,100 | +0 | +0% |
| 1995 | 1,100 | — | — |
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).