Which countries produce the most mined cobalt?

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) digs up about 70% of the world's cobalt. When combined with Russia, these two countries account for roughly 80% of global cobalt mine output.

Where is most of the world's cobalt refined?

China refines about 70% of the world's cobalt, meaning raw ore from mining nations must flow through Chinese facilities before reaching car factories.

How much has cobalt demand grown recently?

Cobalt demand has roughly doubled over the last decade, driven almost entirely by the rise of lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles and consumer electronics.

Can automakers build electric vehicle batteries without cobalt?

Automakers are scrambling to reduce the amount of cobalt used per battery, but they cannot eliminate it entirely yet due to performance and safety requirements.

What other countries contribute to the global cobalt supply?

The remaining cobalt supply is spread thin across Australia, the Philippines, and a handful of other nations, though none produce enough to replace the DRC.

Two Countries Supply Most of the World's Cobalt

The global transition to electric vehicles is bottlenecked by a highly concentrated supply chain dominated by just two mining nations and one refining powerhouse.

The global transition toward clean energy and electric mobility has triggered an unprecedented scramble for critical minerals. At the heart of this transition lies the lithium-ion battery, the primary power source for modern electric vehicles (EVs) and consumer electronics. However, the rapid expansion of the EV market has exposed a profound vulnerability in the global energy transition: the extreme geographic concentration of the cobalt supply chain. The entire global push for electric vehicles rests on a supply chain that is dangerously concentrated in just two countries for mining, and a single country for refining.

The Upstream Monopoly

To understand the vulnerability of the electric vehicle boom, one must look at where cobalt is extracted from the earth. One African nation, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), digs up about 70% of the world's cobalt. This level of concentration is virtually unmatched for any other critical industrial mineral. Without the DRC's output, the modern EV battery industry would struggle to exist in its current form.

When the DRC's production is combined with that of Russia, the concentration becomes even more stark. Together, these two countries account for roughly 80% of global cobalt mine output. For global automakers and policymakers concerned with supply chain security, this represents an extraordinary concentration of risk. If political instability, trade disputes, or logistical disruptions affect either of these two nations, the global supply of cobalt could face severe shortages.

While other nations also possess cobalt reserves, their contributions are comparatively minor. The remaining global supply is spread thin across a small group of countries, including Australia, the Philippines, and a handful of others. While these nations provide some diversification, their production capacities are far too small to offset any major disruption in the primary producing countries. No single one of these alternative suppliers comes close to replacing the massive output of the DRC.

The Refining Bottleneck

The concentration of cobalt mining is only half of the geopolitical puzzle. Once raw cobalt ore is extracted from the ground, it cannot be directly inserted into an electric vehicle battery. It must first undergo a complex chemical refining process to be transformed into high-purity, battery-grade material.

This midstream refining stage introduces another critical bottleneck: China refines about 70% of the world's cobalt. This means that the global cobalt supply chain is not just concentrated at the point of extraction, but also at the point of processing. Even when cobalt ore is successfully mined in the DRC, the vast majority of it must flow through Chinese refining facilities before it can eventually reach a car factory in Europe, North America, or Asia. This dual-layered concentration—where mining is dominated by the DRC and Russia, and refining is dominated by China—creates a highly interdependent and fragile supply chain.

The Demand Surge

This fragile supply chain is being put under immense pressure by a massive surge in global demand. Over the last decade, global demand for cobalt has roughly doubled. This rapid growth has been driven almost entirely by the proliferation of lithium-ion batteries, which are essential not only for electric vehicles but also for portable consumer electronics like smartphones and laptops.

As governments around the world implement policies to phase out internal combustion engine vehicles in favor of electric alternatives, the pressure on the cobalt supply chain is expected to persist. The rapid doubling of demand over the last decade highlights how quickly the market has grown, leaving supply chains struggling to diversify at a matching pace.

The Search for Alternatives

Recognizing the geopolitical and economic risks of relying so heavily on a single point of failure, automakers and battery manufacturers are actively seeking workarounds. Engineering teams around the world are scrambling to reduce the cobalt content required per battery. By altering the chemical composition of lithium-ion batteries, researchers hope to minimize their dependence on this scarce and highly concentrated mineral.

However, completely eliminating cobalt from high-performance batteries remains an elusive goal. While manufacturers have succeeded in lowering the percentage of cobalt in certain battery chemistries, they cannot eliminate it yet without sacrificing battery performance, energy density, or safety. As a result, despite intense research and development efforts, the global automotive industry remains tethered to the existing supply chain.

Conclusion

The transition to electric vehicles is often framed as a shift toward environmental sustainability and energy independence. However, the physical reality of battery manufacturing reveals a different set of dependencies. With mining concentrated in the DRC and Russia, and refining concentrated in China, the global EV boom remains highly vulnerable to geopolitical shocks. Until alternative battery technologies can be deployed at scale, the DRC will remain the single point of failure for the entire global electric vehicle supply chain.

Frequently asked

Which countries produce the most mined cobalt?: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) digs up about 70% of the world's cobalt. When combined with Russia, these two countries account for roughly 80% of global cobalt mine output.
Where is most of the world's cobalt refined?: China refines about 70% of the world's cobalt, meaning raw ore from mining nations must flow through Chinese facilities before reaching car factories.
How much has cobalt demand grown recently?: Cobalt demand has roughly doubled over the last decade, driven almost entirely by the rise of lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles and consumer electronics.
Can automakers build electric vehicle batteries without cobalt?: Automakers are scrambling to reduce the amount of cobalt used per battery, but they cannot eliminate it entirely yet due to performance and safety requirements.
What other countries contribute to the global cobalt supply?: The remaining cobalt supply is spread thin across Australia, the Philippines, and a handful of other nations, though none produce enough to replace the DRC.

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This explainer is AI-assisted and fact-checked against the cited primary sources above.