Top 8 Major Lithium-Producing Countries, Australia Ranked 1st

To be precise, lithium helps remove impurities from iron, nickel, copper, and their alloys. However, the highly reactive metal is also widely used in the manufacturing process of aircraft and batteries for electronics, such as laptops, cell phones, and electric vehicles.

In this article, we’ll learn about lithium production by country, highlighting some of the major lithium producers in the world. Scroll down for more.

Lithium Production by Country

Statista has revealed the major countries in worldwide lithium mine production as of 2023. The figure shows that Australia has emerged as the world leader, followed by Chile and Canada in second and third place, respectively.

1. Australia (86,000 metric tons)

Australia has consistently emerged as the world’s leading producer of lithium. According to Statista, the country has an output of approximately 86,000 metric tons of lithium in 2023. This figure saw an increase from that of 2022, which stood at 61,000 metric tons.

Such an impressive achievement is attributed to its vast reserves of spodumene. Yes, Australia extracts lithium directly from hard rock mines, specifically the mineral spodumene, as quoted from Visual Capitalist.

2. Chile (44,000 metric tons)

Along with Australia, Chile stands out as one of the top lithium producers. In 2022, Visual Capitalist reported, the country’s lithium production reached an estimated 39,000 metric tons, representing approximately 30 percent of the global tally. However, the figure increased in the subsequent year, coming in at 44,000 metric tons.

Whereas Australia extracts its lithium from spodumene, Chile produces lithium from the brine found in its Atacama Desert, says Statista. Thanks to its lithium-rich brine deposits in the Atacama, Chile was regarded as the country with the most lithium reserves in 2023, amounting to 9.3 million metric tons.

3. China (33,000 metric tons)

China is among the lithium giants in the world, with an output of 33,000 metric tons in 2023. Much like Chile, the East Asian country also extracts lithium from brine.

Aside from being the third-largest producer, China has emerged as a major consumer of lithium. Statista reported that in 2019, the country accounted for a 39 percent share of global lithium consumption, making it the world’s largest lithium consumer at that time.

4. Argentina (9,600 metric tons)

Coming in fourth place is Argentina, producing approximately 9,600 metric tons of lithium output. It is another major player in South America’s “lithium triangle,” contributing to 4.8 percent of global production in 2022.

However, recently, Argentina’s lithium production forecasts were trimmed due to the significant decline in global lithium prices, which have fallen by over 80 percent since last year, Reuters reported.

5. Brazil (4,900 metric tons)

Brazil produced as much as 4,900 metric tons of lithium output in 2023, growing from around 2,600 metric tons in the previous year, according to Statista. The country’s current largest lithium producer is Sigma Lithium.

Despite its recent beginnings in mid-2023, Sigma Lithium has rapidly established itself as a pivotal lithium producer in Brazil, achieving an impressive output of 270,000 metric tons per year, as quoted from S&P Global.

6. Canada (3,400 metric tons)

Canada is more than just its iconic maple syrup. In terms of lithium production by country, Canada ranked sixth in the world with an estimated output of 3,400 metric tons in 2023.

The North American country is also significant when it comes to lithium reserves. In 2022, 4 percent of the world’s reserves, amounting to 930,000 tons, were in Canada.

7. Zimbabwe (3,400 metric tons)

Zimbabwe’s lithium production has steadily grown, with an outstanding output of 3,400 metric tons in 2023. In 2022, Zimbabwe held around 310,000 tons of lithium reserves, making it the African country with the largest lithium reserves, according to APRI.

8. Portugal (380 metric tons)

Portugal’s lithium mine production stood at 380 metric tons in 2023. The figure represented a decline from the record levels seen in both 2019 and 2021 when production reached 900 metric tons, according to Statista.

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