Material Insights · Understanding the Material World

Cobalt: Production

How output doubled in four years, mostly from Congo

What this tab covers Who produces it and how much: world output over recent years, the top producing countries with their shares, USGS world figures for 2024 and 2025, and the largest producing companies globally and in India.

DR Congo supplied 75% of 2024 output and Indonesia 12%. The HHI of 5,706 is very high. Output more than doubled between 2020 and 2024, from 130,000 to 269,000 tonnes (World Mining Data). USGS puts 2024 at 302,000 tonnes and 2025 at 310,000. The surge came from new Congolese copper-cobalt mines and Indonesian nickel plants. Ownership adds another layer. By 2020, 15 of Congo's 19 cobalt mines were financed or owned by Chinese companies (Scheyder). China is also the leading refiner and consumer, mainly for lithium-ion batteries.

Cobalt · WMD

2020 130k 2021 133k 2022 165k 2023 199k 2024 269k World production, tonnes (World Mining Data 2026).

Top producers 2024

DR Congo 74.5% Indonesia 11.5% Russia 3.2% Australia 1.8% Canada 1.3% Cuba 1.3% Philippines 1.1% Papua New Guinea 1.0% Concentration: HHI 5,706, highly concentrated.

USGS estimate

World, 2024 302,000 metric tons, cobalt content (mine, USGS estimates for both years) World, 2025e 310,000 metric tons, cobalt content (mine, USGS estimates for both years)

Largest producers by company, global

  • CMOC Group: 118 kt Co (39.5% of world mine output) (2025)
  • Glencore: 36.1 kt Co (own-sourced) (2025)
  • ERG (Eurasian Resources Group): 19 kt Co (2025)
  • Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt (PT Huafei and PT Huayue, Indonesia): 18.4 kt Co from Huafei (10.8) and Huayue (7.6) HPAL plants (2025)
  • Lygend Resources (with Harita Group): 12.7 kt Co (PT Obi Nickel Cobalt 6.5 + PT Halmahera Persada Lygend 6.2) (2025)

Largest producers by company, India

India has no cobalt mine and no significant primary refinery, so it imports refined metal, salts and cobalt inside imported cells. Battery recyclers recover cobalt from black mass, and India has introduced export permits and limits on trader participation for black mass to support domestic refining (Cobalt Institute 2025). India was not among the top six cobalt importers by value in 2024 (UN Comtrade, HS 8105). Volumes for Indian recyclers were not verified.