# Lithium: Production

How output more than tripled in four years

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lithium/production/

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.

Output has exploded. World Mining Data, measuring lithium as oxide, shows production rising from 187,000 tons in 2020 to 601,914 tons in 2024, more than tripling. Australia mined 38.2% in 2024, China 21.1%, Chile 20.5% and Zimbabwe 8.6%. The HHI of 2,442 sits at the top of the moderate band. USGS, counting lithium content and excluding the US, gives 222,000 tons in 2024 and 290,000 tons in 2025, up 31%. Refining is far more concentrated than mining, because nearly all Australian spodumene is shipped to China for conversion (Conway, pdf p. 293).

#### Lithium (Li2O) · WMD
 2020 187k 2021 235k 2022 353k 2023 500k 2024 602k World production, tonnes (World Mining Data 2026).

#### Top producers 2024
 Australia 38.2% China 21.1% Chile 20.5% Zimbabwe 8.6% Argentina 4.9% Brazil 4.3% Canada 1.7% United States 0.2% Concentration: HHI 2,442, moderately concentrated.

#### USGS estimate
 World, 2024 222,000 metric tons, Li content (mine; excludes US) World, 2025e 290,000 metric tons, Li content (mine; excludes US)

#### Largest producers by company, global

- **SQM**: 234 kt LCE (production) (2025)
- **Ganfeng Lithium**: 182 kt LCE (production; sales 184.8 kt) (2025)
- **Albemarle**: 2.71 US$ bn Energy Storage net sales (volume in kt LCE not stated in release) (2025)
- **Rio Tinto (incl. former Arcadium Lithium)**: 57 kt LCE (production) (2025)
- **PLS (Pilbara Minerals)**: 755 kt spodumene concentrate (production) (FY2025 (to June))

#### Largest producers by company, India

- **KABIL (Khanij Bidesh India Ltd)**: 15,703 hectares under exploration (no production yet) (agreement Jan 2024)
- **Ola Electric (Ola Cell Technologies)**: 6 GWh installed cell capacity; plans 20 GWh (May 2026)
- **Agratas (Tata Group)**: 20 GWh first-phase capacity; production expected 2027 (2026)
- **Reliance Industries**: 40 GWh initial annual capacity, scaling to 100 GWh (announced Aug 2025)
- **Amara Raja Energy & Mobility**: 2 GWh first commercial cell plant (due 2027); 60 MWh qualification plant commissioned July 2026 (2026)

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lithium/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lithium/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lithium/correlation/index.md)
- [Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lithium/extraction/index.md)
- [Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lithium/stocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lithium/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lithium/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lithium/movement/index.md)
- [Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lithium/criticality/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lithium/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lithium/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/lithium/links/index.md)