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Daily Data InsightsMost of the world’s cobalt is mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but refined in China

Most of the world’s cobalt is mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but refined in China

Bar chart showing each country's share of global mined and refined cobalt in 2021. The DRC produces around three-quarters of the world's mined cobalt, but almost none of the refined cobalt. China dominates the refined supply chain.

Cobalt is a critical element in many lithium-ion battery technologies, which are used in most consumer electronics such as mobile phones and laptops; and more recently, in electric vehicles.

Almost three-quarters of the world’s cobalt is mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

However, the DRC produces virtually none of the world’s refined cobalt — the mineral used in final products. Most of the world’s refined cobalt is made in China.

You can see this in the chart above, which shows each country’s share of global mined and refined cobalt production in 2021. This data comes from the US Geological Survey (USGS) and British Geological Survey (BGS).

While lithium-ion battery technologies that use cobalt are dominant today, alternative battery chemistries that don’t use cobalt are emerging.

Explore more data on which countries produce the world’s critical minerals →

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