Top Lithium-Producing Countries in the World

Today, Lithium has quietly become one of the most strategic commodities of the 21st century. Once a niche input for lubricants and pharmaceuticals, it is now the backbone of the global energy transition — essential for electric vehicles, grid-scale energy storage, consumer electronics, and defense applications. As demand accelerates, control over lithium production has become a matter of economic competitiveness and geopolitical influence.

Global lithium supply is highly concentrated. A handful of countries dominate extraction, either through hard-rock mining or brine-based production, while downstream processing remains even more centralized. This article breaks down the top 10 lithium-producing countries in the world, explaining where the lithium comes from, how it is produced, and why each country matters in the global supply chain.

Australia remains the undisputed king of the global lithium market, producing approximately 88,000 metric tons annually. Unlike South American producers that rely on brine evaporation, Australia utilizes hard-rock mining to extract spodumene concentrate, a process that is faster to scale and easier to export. This dominance is driven by Western Australia’s resource-rich geology, which allows the country to supply nearly half of the world’s lithium requirements.

The crown jewel of Australian production is the Greenbushes Lithium Mine, located in Western Australia and operated by a joint venture between Albemarle, Tianqi Lithium, and IGO. It is the largest and highest-grade hard-rock lithium mine in the world. Other significant contributors include the Pilgangoora mine operated by Pilbara Minerals and the Mount Marion mine, both of which have aggressively expanded their processing capacities to meet surging Chinese demand.

Chile holds the title of the world’s second-largest producer, with an estimated annual output of 49,000 metric tons. The country is home to the largest known lithium reserves on the planet, found in the vast salt flats of the Atacama Desert. The extraction method here involves pumping mineral-rich brine from underground reservoirs into massive evaporation ponds, a process that is highly cost-effective due to the region's intense solar radiation and arid climate.

Production in Chile is concentrated almost entirely in the Salar de Atacama, a high-altitude salt flat that is visible from space. The operations are managed by two major entities: SQM (Sociedad Química y Minera) and the US-based giant Albemarle. While the government has recently moved toward a state-controlled model for future projects, these two existing giants continue to drive the nation's massive output through their extensive evaporation pond networks.

China ranks as the third-largest producer, generating roughly 41,000 metric tons annually, but it is the undisputed leader in lithium refining and battery manufacturing. To reduce reliance on imports, China has invested heavily in developing its domestic resources, using a mix of brine extraction from salt lakes and hard-rock mining. The country is unique for its industrial-scale extraction of lithium from lepidolite, a mica mineral generally considered lower-grade and more expensive to process than spodumene.

The majority of China's hard-rock production comes from the "Asian Lithium Capital" of Yichun in Jiangxi Province, where massive lepidolite deposits are mined. On the brine side, production is centered on the Qinghai Salt Lakes, with a focus on optimizing Chaerhan Salt Lake. These domestic mines are strategic assets that feed directly into China's colossal electric vehicle battery supply chain, ensuring a degree of resource security.

In a dramatic shift for the global rankings, Zimbabwe has surged to become the fourth-largest producer, with output jumping to approximately 22,000 metric tons. This rapid ascent is fueled by billions of dollars in foreign investment, primarily from Chinese conglomerates seeking to secure hard-rock lithium supplies outside of Australia. Zimbabwe now holds the title of Africa’s largest lithium producer, leveraging its ancient pegmatite geology to deliver high-grade spodumene and petalite.

The primary driver of this growth is the historic Bikita Minerals mine in Masvingo Province, which Sinomine Resource Group has revitalized and expanded. Additionally, the Arcadia Lithium Project, acquired by Huayou Cobalt, recently commenced large-scale commercial shipments. These projects have transformed Zimbabwe from a minor player into a critical node in the global battery metals supply chain in less than two years.

Argentina rounds out the top five, producing between 18,000 and 25,000 metric tons annually as part of the famous "Lithium Triangle." The country is currently the most active region for new project development, with a business-friendly environment that has attracted a diverse range of international miners. Like Chile, Argentina relies on pumping brine from high-altitude salt flats, but it has created a decentralized market with multiple private operators rather than a state-dominated duopoly.

The backbone of Argentine production is the Salar del Hombre Muerto, located in Catamarca Province and primarily operated by Arcadium Lithium. Another major source is the Olaroz Lithium Facility in Jujuy Province. Unlike its neighbors, Argentina has a massive pipeline of projects nearing completion, such as the Cauchari-Olaroz project, which suggests it may soon challenge higher spots on this list as these new pumps reach full capacity.

Brazil has established itself as a rising star in the sector, producing roughly 10,000 metric tons per year. The country is marketing itself as a source of "green lithium" because its key producers utilize 100% dry-stacking technology and renewable hydroelectric power, avoiding the environmental controversies associated with wet tailings dams. This sustainability focus has made Brazilian lithium particularly attractive to North American and European automakers.

The flagship operation driving this success is the Grota do Cirilo mine in Minas Gerais, operated by Sigma Lithium. This hard-rock mine processes high-purity spodumene concentrate and has ramped up production significantly since 2023. The region, known as "Lithium Valley," is experiencing a surge in exploration activity, which is expected to further boost Brazil's standing in the coming years.

Canada has re-emerged as a significant producer with an annual output of approximately 4,300 metric tons. After years of dormancy, the Canadian sector has been revitalized by the North American push for supply chain independence. The country's vast hard-rock reserves in Quebec and Manitoba are now being actively developed to feed the growing battery manufacturing hubs in the United States and southern Ontario.

The key driver of this resurgence is the North American Lithium (NAL) mine in Quebec, a joint venture between Sayona Mining and Piedmont Lithium. NAL successfully restarted commercial shipments in 2023, marking a turning point for the local industry. Additionally, the Tanco Mine in Manitoba continues to produce small amounts of lithium, contributing to the country’s goal of becoming a critical minerals superpower.

Namibia is following in Zimbabwe's footsteps, producing an estimated 2,700 metric tons and rapidly expanding its mining footprint. The country hosts rich pegmatite belts that have historically been mined for tin but are now being re-evaluated for their significant lithium potential. Namibia's mining-friendly regulations and established port infrastructure make it an attractive destination for exploration companies.

The central hub of activity is the Uis Tin Mine, operated by Andrada Mining. While originally a tin operation, the company has successfully implemented processing circuits to extract lithium as a valuable co-product. Several other exploration projects in the Erongo region are currently in development, aiming to transition Namibia from a small contributor to a major African supplier of lithium concentrate.

Despite holding some of the world's largest lithium reserves, the United States currently ranks ninth in lithium production, with an estimated 2,400 metric tons. The US supply chain is heavily focused on processing and manufacturing, with domestic mining lagging behind due to rigorous permitting processes and environmental litigation. However, this figure is expected to increase substantially in the late 2020s as large-scale projects in Nevada and California come online.

The only active commercial lithium mine in the United States today is the Silver Peak mine in Clayton Valley, Nevada. Operated by Albemarle, this brine operation has operated since the 1960s and remains the sole domestic source of lithium for the U.S. market. Future growth rests on the shoulders of the Thacker Pass project and other clay-based resources that aim to break the country's reliance on foreign imports.

Bolivia occupies a unique position as the holder of the world's largest lithium resources (23 million tons) despite producing limited commercial volumes. The center of the country's ambitions is the Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest salt flat, where operations are managed by the state-owned company YLB (Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos). Historically, output has been restricted by technical challenges related to high magnesium content in the brine and a lack of foreign capital.

However, the political landscape has shifted dramatically with the new administration of President Rodrigo Paz, which is moving toward the United States to secure economic stability and accelerate lithium exports. Unlike previous governments that favored Chinese and Russian partnerships, the current leadership is actively seeking Western investment and technology transfers to solve the country's economic crisis

China is the undisputed world leader in lithium refining and processing, accounting for approximately 65%-70% of global capacity. While countries like Australia and Chile dominate the raw extraction (mining) of the mineral, the vast majority of that raw material—specifically spodumene concentrate and brine—is shipped to China to be chemically processed into battery-grade lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide.

This processing step is the critical "choke point" of the global supply chain, meaning that even if a battery is manufactured in the West, the lithium inside it has likely passed through a Chinese refinery.

This dominance is the result of decades of state-driven industrial policy that prioritized the "midstream" infrastructure of the battery economy. China’s competitive advantage lies in its massive, integrated industrial parks that can process lithium at significantly lower costs and at faster rates than those in North America or Europe.

Although Western nations are attempting to build domestic refining capacity to break this reliance—such as new plants in the U.S. and Australia—China’s technical expertise and established scale mean it will likely retain the majority of this market share well into the 2030s.