The Global Lithium Mining Landscape: Where the World's Battery Metal is Concentrated

Lithium mining operations are reshaping the global energy sector. As electric vehicle adoption accelerates and energy storage solutions expand worldwide, understanding where the planet’s richest lithium deposits are located becomes crucial for investors and industry analysts alike.

Recent data from the US Geological Survey pegs total global lithium reserves at 30 million metric tons as of 2024. However, these resources are far from evenly distributed. Just four countries control the majority of exploitable deposits, positioning themselves as the backbone of the global battery metal supply chain.

Demand trajectories tell part of the story. According to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, lithium-ion battery demand tied to electric vehicles and energy storage systems is forecast to surge over 30 percent year-on-year in 2025 alone. This accelerating appetite underscores why lithium mining capacity and reserve accessibility have become geopolitical and economic priorities.

Chile: The Undisputed Lithium Mining Powerhouse

With 9.3 million metric tons in reserves, Chile towers over all competitors. The nation’s Salar de Atacama region alone represents roughly one-third of the world’s total lithium reserve base—a concentration that makes it the epicenter of global lithium mining activity.

The scale of operations reflects this dominance. SQM and Albemarle, two of the world’s largest lithium producers, maintain extensive mining footprints in the Atacama. In 2024, Chile extracted 44,000 metric tons, positioning it as the second-largest producer globally despite holding the most reserves.

A significant development emerged in 2023 when Chilean President Gabriel Boric announced partial nationalization plans for the lithium mining sector. The country’s state-owned enterprise Codelco has since negotiated controlling stakes in major operations, reshaping the competitive landscape. More recently, early 2025 brought a fresh wave of lithium mining contract bidding across six salt flats, with winners set to be announced in March 2025. The expanded bidding window signals the government’s determination to boost production while maintaining national control.

Paradoxically, Chile’s stringent mining concession regulations have constrained its ability to capture a larger share of the global lithium mining market relative to its resource endowment.

Australia: Hard-Rock Dominance and Production Leadership

Australia’s 7 million metric tons of reserves place it second globally, yet the country ranked as the world’s largest lithium mining producer in 2024. This apparent paradox reflects deposit type: Australian lithium exists primarily as hard-rock spodumene rather than the brines found in Chile and Argentina.

The Greenbushes mine in Western Australia exemplifies this advantage. Operating since 1985 and jointly managed by Talison Lithium (a partnership involving Tianqi Lithium and Albemarle), Greenbushes remains one of the world’s most productive lithium mining complexes.

Western Australia has traditionally monopolized the country’s lithium mining exploration efforts. However, emerging research suggests untapped potential across Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria. A 2023 University of Sydney study, in collaboration with Geoscience Australia, mapped lithium-rich soil zones, revealing areas previously unexplored for lithium mining operations.

Recent price declines have tempered expansion plans across the sector, with several operators curtailing lithium mining projects pending improved market conditions.

Argentina: The Rising Lithium Mining Competitor

Argentina contains 4 million metric tons of reserves and produced 18,000 metric tons in 2024, marking it as the world’s fourth-largest lithium mining producer. These figures gain context within the “Lithium Triangle”—the interconnected reserves spanning Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia that together hold over 50 percent of global deposits.

Government support for lithium mining has intensified. A 2022 commitment pledged $4.2 billion in investment across three years. More tangible progress emerged in 2024 when regulators approved Argosy Minerals’ capacity expansion at the Rincon salar, enabling annual output to jump from 2,000 to 12,000 metric tons through enhanced lithium mining operations.

Mining giant Rio Tinto announced an even more ambitious lithium mining expansion in late 2024, committing $2.5 billion to scale operations at its Rincon site from 3,000 to 60,000 metric tons annually—a ramp-up completing in 2028.

Argentina’s lithium mining sector maintains cost competitiveness even amid subdued pricing, supporting industry confidence in long-term viability. The nation hosts approximately 50 advanced lithium mining projects in development.

China: Processing Power and Strategic Reserve Growth

China’s 3 million metric tons of reserves rank fourth, yet the nation’s strategic importance extends far beyond this figure. China produced 41,000 metric tons in 2024, a 5,300 metric ton increase year-over-year, while simultaneously processing the majority of the world’s lithium-ion batteries and hosting the bulk of global lithium-processing infrastructure.

Despite substantial domestic lithium mining output, China imports most battery-grade lithium from Australia, reflecting processing advantages over raw material constraints. This setup fuels the country’s dominant position in battery manufacturing and EV production.

Geopolitical tensions emerged in 2024 when US State Department officials accused China of flooding lithium markets with predatory pricing to eliminate non-Chinese competition. The accusation highlights lithium mining’s transformation into a strategic resource arena.

Early 2025 brought significant developments. Chinese media reported discovery of a 2,800-kilometer lithium belt in western regions, with proven reserves exceeding 6.5 million tons of lithium ore and potential resources surpassing 30 million tons. These findings, combined with advances in lithium extraction from salt lakes and mica deposits, suggest China may substantially elevate its reserve claims—potentially from 6 percent to 16.5 percent of global resources.

Secondary Lithium Mining Reserves: The Emerging Players

Beyond the dominant four, several nations maintain notable reserves:

• United States: 1.8 million metric tons
• Canada: 1.2 million metric tons
• Zimbabwe: 480,000 metric tons
• Brazil: 390,000 metric tons
• Portugal: 60,000 metric tons (Europe’s largest)

Portugal produced 380 metric tons in 2024, establishing itself as Europe’s primary lithium mining contributor.

The Future of Global Lithium Mining

As EV adoption curves steepen and battery demand soars, lithium mining output continues accelerating across all major producing regions. Countries holding substantial reserves increasingly translate resource wealth into production capacity, competition, and strategic positioning. The next phase of lithium mining development will likely feature continued government intervention, technological advances in extraction efficiency, and intensifying competition for both reserves and processing dominance.