Cobalt production in the world 2025
How global cobalt mine production looks in 2025
Cobalt remains one of the most strategically watched battery minerals, but the supply story is still less about a broad global race and more about extreme concentration. For 2025, world cobalt mine production is estimated at about 310,000 metric tons of cobalt content. That is only a modest increase from 2024, yet the map of supply is highly uneven: the Democratic Republic of the Congo is still the dominant source by a very wide margin, while Indonesia has become the clear second pillar of new output growth.
This page tracks mine production, not refined cobalt metal, cobalt sulfate, or battery precursor chemicals. That distinction matters. Mining is concentrated first in the DRC and then in Indonesia, while refining is even more concentrated in Asia, especially China. Because cobalt is often recovered as a by-product of copper or nickel mining, supply does not move only with cobalt prices. It also moves with decisions taken in copper and nickel projects.
Top producing countries in 2025
The DRC remains the backbone of global cobalt mining. Its position is not just large; it is systemically dominant. Even small policy changes in Congolese exports or project timing can reshape global availability, inventories, and pricing within months.
Indonesia has moved from secondary producer to strategic heavyweight. Its cobalt output is tied to the country’s nickel-processing buildout, especially projects linked to battery precursor supply chains.
Russia remains the third-largest named producer in the USGS table, but at a scale far below the top two. That gap shows how concentrated the cobalt mining base has become.
Madagascar sits well below the dominant pair, yet it matters because every non-DRC, non-Indonesian tonne improves diversification at the margin.
Australia remains an important mining jurisdiction, but 2025 output is estimated lower than 2024. Weak nickel economics continue to shape cobalt-linked mine decisions.
The Philippines matches Australia on the published 2025 estimate, reflecting the broader rise of Southeast Asian nickel-cobalt linked supply.
Canada remains a relatively small global producer, but it is strategically important to Western supply-chain diversification because of governance quality, established mining know-how, and policy support for battery materials.
Papua New Guinea remains a meaningful mid-tier supplier. In a market this concentrated, even producers below 3,000 tonnes still matter to resilience.
China is not a major mine producer compared with its role in cobalt refining and battery materials. That imbalance is one reason the market debate is often more about processing control than ore extraction alone.
Cuba is effectively tied with China on the 2025 estimate. At the lower end of the ranking, very small shifts can change exact ordering without changing the broader supply picture.
Table 1. Top 10 countries by cobalt mine production, 2025
| Rank | Country | 2025 mine production | Share of world |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 230,000 t | 74.19% |
| 2 | Indonesia | 44,000 t | 14.19% |
| 3 | Russia | 7,700 t | 2.48% |
| 4 | Madagascar | 3,900 t | 1.26% |
| 5 | Australia | 3,700 t | 1.19% |
| 6 | Philippines | 3,700 t | 1.19% |
| 7 | Canada | 3,500 t | 1.13% |
| 8 | Papua New Guinea | 2,800 t | 0.90% |
| 9 | China | 2,000 t | 0.65% |
| 10 | Cuba | 2,000 t | 0.65% |
Shares use the rounded USGS world total for 2025. Because country values and the world total are estimated and rounded, percentages are approximate.
Chart 1. Top 10 cobalt-producing countries in 2025
The chart shows how sharply the market drops after the first two producers.
Methodology
This article uses USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 as the primary source for 2025 cobalt mine production. The indicator is mine output in metric tons of cobalt content. It does not measure refined cobalt chemicals, cobalt metal production, battery cathode output, trade value, or reserves extracted in a given year.
For interpretation, the article compares the 2025 estimates with the published 2024 values in the same USGS table. That makes the year-on-year change internally consistent. The market context is then read against IEA material on critical minerals demand, battery chemistry shifts, and supply concentration.
A few limitations matter. First, these are still estimated annual values, not a fully audited customs-and-company census. Second, cobalt supply is heavily shaped by copper and nickel economics because cobalt is often recovered as a by-product. Third, mine production should not be confused with refining control: the country that mines the ore is often not the country that dominates chemical conversion or battery precursor capacity.
Insights and conclusions
The most important insight is not just that the DRC is first. It is how large the distance is between first, second, and everyone else. The DRC and Indonesia together control nearly nine-tenths of world mine supply. That means the cobalt market is not yet diversified in any ordinary sense of the word. It has a dominant source, a fast-growing second source, and then a very long tail.
A second insight is that cobalt supply growth is no longer a simple “more EVs equals higher prices” story. The market has had periods of oversupply because new material from the DRC and Indonesia arrived faster than many expected, while battery chemistry also shifted. LFP batteries have taken a much larger share of the electric-car market, reducing cobalt intensity per vehicle even as total battery deployment keeps rising.
A third insight is that diversification is more complicated than opening one new cobalt mine. Because cobalt frequently comes from copper or nickel projects, a new supply source often depends on whether the economics of a different metal are strong enough to support the project.
What this means for readers
If you follow EVs, batteries, industrial metals, or energy-transition investing, cobalt is still relevant, but the old narrative of permanent scarcity is too simple. The 2025 picture shows a market where physical availability can improve quickly, yet supply security still looks fragile because so much output is tied to a small number of countries and processing hubs.
For business readers, the practical takeaway is this: watch concentration, not only total tonnage. A market can look statistically well supplied and still remain vulnerable to export bans, quota systems, project delays, sanctions risk, ESG scrutiny, or processing bottlenecks.
For general readers, cobalt remains a good example of how the energy transition works in the real world. Cleaner technologies do not remove mineral dependence; they shift it into a new set of materials and supply chains.
FAQ
Why is the Democratic Republic of the Congo so dominant in cobalt?
Because the DRC hosts exceptionally rich copper-cobalt deposits and has built a mining base that operates at a scale few other countries can match. That geological advantage is still the main reason the country stays far ahead of the field.
Is Indonesia now a real challenger or still a secondary producer?
Indonesia is already a real strategic challenger. It is still much smaller than the DRC, but it has become the clear number two producer and a major source of incremental supply growth.
Does more cobalt production automatically mean lower battery risk?
Not necessarily. Risk also depends on where refining happens, how diversified logistics are, and whether supply is concentrated in a few countries or corporate networks.
Is cobalt demand disappearing because of LFP batteries?
No. LFP has reduced cobalt intensity in a large part of the EV market, but total battery deployment is still growing. That keeps cobalt relevant, especially in nickel-rich chemistries and non-battery industrial uses.
Why can cobalt output move even when cobalt prices are weak?
Because many operations mine copper or nickel first and recover cobalt as a co-product or by-product. Supply therefore responds to the economics of several metals, not cobalt alone.
What should readers watch next in this market?
Watch Congolese export policy, Indonesian processing expansion, battery chemistry mix, and the pace of recycling. Those four factors now matter more than headline demand alone.
Full producer table and momentum check
The full named-country table is much shorter than in broad commodity rankings because cobalt mine production is concentrated in a limited number of reporting jurisdictions. That is exactly the point. When a mineral is this concentrated, the producer list itself becomes part of the story.
| Rank | Country | 2025 production | YoY vs 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 230,000 t74.19% | +1.8% |
| 2 | Indonesia | 44,000 t14.19% | +25.7% |
| 3 | Russia | 7,700 t2.48% | −3.8% |
| 4 | Madagascar | 3,900 t1.26% | +25.8% |
| 5 | Australia | 3,700 t1.19% | −22.6% |
| 6 | Philippines | 3,700 t1.19% | +19.4% |
| 7 | Canada | 3,500 t1.13% | +4.5% |
| 8 | Papua New Guinea | 2,800 t0.90% | +6.5% |
| 9 | China | 2,000 t0.65% | +0.0% |
| 10 | Cuba | 2,000 t0.65% | −42.0% |
| 11 | Turkey | 1,900 t0.61% | −13.6% |
| 12 | United States | 300 t0.10% | +50.0% |
The table stays fully readable without JavaScript. Search, sorting, filters, and the units/share toggle only improve navigation through the already embedded HTML rows.
Figure 2. 2025 production level vs. YoY change
The scatter plot below shows a useful reality check. The biggest producer is not necessarily the fastest-growing producer. Indonesia and Madagascar show strong year-on-year gains, while Australia and Cuba move lower. That is a reminder that cobalt supply is shaped by project mix and linked metal economics, not by one simple market trend.
Horizontal axis: 2025 mine production in metric tons. Vertical axis: percentage change versus 2024.
Interpretation and policy takeaway
The 2025 cobalt production map tells a clear story. The market is bigger than it was a few years ago, but it is not meaningfully diversified. The world now has one overwhelmingly dominant mining source, one rapidly scaling second source, and a long tail of much smaller producers. That is why cobalt cannot be judged only by total tonnage. Security of supply is about where output sits, how quickly new jurisdictions can grow, and whether downstream refining is concentrated in the same narrow corridor.
The DRC’s position is large enough that domestic policy now matters far beyond national borders. In 2025, Congo temporarily banned cobalt exports and later shifted to quota-based limits for the remainder of the year and into 2026–2027. That kind of intervention shows why cobalt can be statistically well supplied and still remain strategically fragile. A concentrated market does not need a global shortage to experience disruptions. It only needs one dominant producer to change the rules.
Indonesia is the other major force reshaping the industry. Its rise has reduced the market’s dependence on the DRC at the margin, but not enough to create true balance. Instead, the market has evolved into a two-pole system in mining, while downstream battery materials and refining remain highly concentrated in Asia. That matters because battery supply chains do not stop at the mine gate.
Policy takeaway
A serious cobalt strategy cannot stop at “produce more.” It has to connect mining, refining, recycling, battery chemistry, and trade policy in one framework.
- For governments, the first priority is supply-chain resilience, not just headline access to ore.
- For miners and investors, project quality matters more than hype because cobalt often depends on copper and nickel economics.
- For battery and auto manufacturers, chemistry choice is now a direct supply-security decision, not only a cost decision.
- For importing economies, recycling and refining capacity are not side topics; they are core industrial policy tools.
- For readers tracking ESG risk, cobalt remains one of the clearest examples of how energy-transition demand can collide with governance, labor, and environmental concerns.
The next phase of the cobalt market will likely be defined by four competing forces. First, demand still rises as battery deployment expands. Second, chemistry shifts reduce cobalt intensity in part of the EV market. Third, mine supply can ramp quickly when the DRC and Indonesia expand. Fourth, low prices can also slow investment in alternative supply outside the dominant producers. That mix is why cobalt remains strategically important even when the price cycle cools.
Sources
Primary source for 2024 and 2025 world mine production estimates, country breakdown, world total, and market notes.
https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-cobalt.pdf
USGS cobalt landing page with annual publications and data access points.
https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/cobalt-statistics-and-information
Used for cobalt demand growth, supply concentration context, and the wider energy-transition minerals picture.
https://www.iea.org/reports/global-critical-minerals-outlook-2025
Commodity-specific outlook for cobalt demand, supply, and concentration trends.
https://www.iea.org/reports/cobalt-2
Useful for cross-checking Canadian production context and broader industrial use notes.
https://natural-resources.canada.ca/minerals-mining/mining-data-statistics-analysis/minerals-metals-facts/cobalt-facts
