Lithium supply is concentrated differently at each stage. In 2025 Australia mined about 32% of the world total, China 21% and Chile 19% (USGS), while China pro…
Johan August Arfwedson found it in petalite in 1817. Its name comes from the Greek lithos, stone.
Metallgesellschaft began commercial production by electrolysis in 1923, for alloys, greases and glass.
The US needed lithium-6 for hydrogen bombs. US mines led world output for decades.
Whittingham, Goodenough and Yoshino, who shared the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Brine evaporated in solar ponds was far cheaper than rock. By the late 1990s Chilean brine set the price.
Sony sold the first commercial lithium-ion battery in 1991. A&T Battery followed in 1992.
Tianqi took control of Greenbushes in 2013. Australian spodumene was shipped to China for conversion.
About 77% of global cell manufacturing capacity in 2020, BloombergNEF found.
About USD 80,000 a tonne of carbonate equivalent in late 2022, roughly eight times the 2020 level.
New supply arrived as EV growth slowed. Prices fell about 75% in 2023, the IEA says.
Australia mined 32%, China 21%, Chile 19%. China refined about 75%, up from 70%.
Zimbabwe suspended concentrate exports and prices nearly doubled to about USD 20,000 a tonne.
China's suspension of export controls on batteries and graphite anodes is due to end on 10 November 2026.
The IEA projects China at about 66% of refining in 2035, while top-three miners fall below 70%.
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