Cobalt production in the world in 2024 — 270,816 t. Since 1995, the indicator has risen by 1,211.2%.
1995–2024 · tonnes
How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: World
| Year | t | Change | Change, % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 270,816 | +67,460 | +33.17% |
| 2023 | 203,356 | +35,065 | +20.84% |
| 2022 | 168,291 | +30,767 | +22.37% |
| 2021 | 137,524 | +6,055 | +4.61% |
| 2020 | 131,469 | +11,439 | +9.53% |
| 2019 | 120,030 | −30,898 | −20.47% |
| 2018 | 150,927 | +13,608 | +9.91% |
| 2017 | 137,319 | +18,901 | +15.96% |
| 2016 | 118,418 | −18,799 | −13.7% |
| 2015 | 137,217 | +6,484 | +4.96% |
| 2014 | 130,733 | −849 | −0.65% |
| 2013 | 131,582 | −3,854 | −2.85% |
| 2012 | 135,436 | −12,806 | −8.64% |
| 2011 | 148,242 | +18,780 | +14.51% |
| 2010 | 129,462 | +35,930 | +38.41% |
| 2009 | 93,532 | +10,604 | +12.79% |
| 2008 | 82,928 | +16,546 | +24.93% |
| 2007 | 66,382 | +51 | +0.08% |
| 2006 | 66,331 | +5,724 | +9.44% |
| 2005 | 60,607 | +6,352 | +11.71% |
| 2004 | 54,255 | +9,676 | +21.71% |
| 2003 | 44,579 | −325 | −0.72% |
| 2002 | 44,904 | +5,234 | +13.19% |
| 2001 | 39,670 | +4,870 | +14% |
| 2000 | 34,799 | +5,786 | +19.94% |
| 1999 | 29,013 | +2,072 | +7.69% |
| 1998 | 26,941 | +2,638 | +10.85% |
| 1997 | 24,303 | +1,288 | +5.6% |
| 1996 | 23,015 | +2,361 | +11.43% |
| 1995 | 20,654 | — | — |
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).
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