Lithium is often dubbed as “white gold” for electric vehicles. The lightweight metal plays a key role in the cathodes of all types of lithium-ion batteries that power EVs. Accordingly, the recent rise in EV adoption has sent lithium production to new highs. The above infographic charts more than 25 years of lithium production by country from 1995 to 2021, based on data from BP’s Statistical Review of World Energy. The Largest Lithium Producers Over Time In the 1990s, the U.S. was the largest producer of lithium, in stark contrast to the present. In fact, the U.S. accounted for over one-third of global lithium production in 1995. From then onwards until 2010, Chile took over as the biggest producer with a production boom in the Salar de Atacama, one of the world’s richest lithium brine deposits. Global lithium production surpassed 100,000 tonnes for the first time in 2021, quadrupling from 2010. What’s more, roughly 90% of it came from just three countries. Rank Country 2021 Production (tonnes) % of Total #1 Australia 🇦🇺 55,416 52% #2 Chile 🇨🇱 26,000 25% #3 China 🇨🇳 14,000 13% #4 Argentina 🇦🇷 5,967 6% #5 Brazil 🇧🇷 1,500 1% #6 Zimbabwe 🇿🇼 1,200 1% #7 Portugal 🇵🇹 900 1% #8 United States 🇺🇸 900 1% Rest of World 🌍 102 0.1% Total 105,984 100% Australia alone produces 52% of the world’s lithium. Unlike Chile, where lithium is extracted from brines, Australian lithium comes from hard-rock mines for the mineral spodumene. China, the third-largest producer, has a strong foothold in the lithium supply chain. Alongside developing domestic mines, Chinese companies have acquired around $5.6 billion worth of lithium assets in countries like Chile, Canada, and Australia over the last decade. It also hosts 60% of the world’s lithium refining capacity for batteries. Batteries have been one of the primary drivers of the exponential increase in lithium production. But how much lithium do batteries use, and how much goes into other uses? Source. https://elements.visualcapitalist.com/25-years-of-lithium-production-by-country/