What does the Cobalt production data show?

Cobalt-production figures describe where a strategically important input is extracted, which is not the same as where reserves lie or where the mineral is ultimately refined and used. These materials feed clean-energy, defense, and advanced-manufacturing supply chains, and governments track production geography closely because a shortage or export restriction in one country can ripple through entire downstream industries. Production of Cobalt is highly concentrated: DR Congo alone accounts for a large share of that output, so an export restriction or mine outage in the leading producer can move global availability quickly. Reported tonnages come from national geological surveys and industry returns and are revised as new figures arrive.

Cobalt is classified by the U.S. Geological Survey as a critical mineral. A key component of lithium-ion battery cathodes and superalloys for jet engines. Highly concentrated in the DRC, making supply chains strategically vulnerable. Global mine production in 2023 was approximately 220,000 metric tons. 6 countries with reported production appear in the table above, covering essentially the full global mine supply.

DR Congo is the world's leading producer of Cobalt, accounting for roughly 73% of global mine output. The top three producers together control 80% of global supply and the top five hold 84%, making the market highly concentrated. Leading producers are DR Congo, Russia, Australia, Philippines, Canada. High concentration means prices and availability can move sharply on political events, export restrictions, or mine outages in one country, which is why these production shares sit at the heart of critical-minerals policy in the United States, the European Union, and Japan.

The United States imports approximately 76% of the Cobalt it consumes, a figure the USGS publishes as "net import reliance as a percentage of apparent consumption" and updates annually. Click any country in the production table to open its full country profile, population, GDP, development indicators, and the full set of minerals it produces, so you can see the broader economic context behind the production share. All figures on this page are USGS estimates for data year 2023, released in the 2024 Mineral Commodity Summaries, and they supersede earlier preliminary estimates.