Every country with published lithium mine output, ranked by estimated 2025 production in tonnes of lithium content, from the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026.
Australia is the world's largest lithium miner, with an estimated 92,000 tonnes of lithium content in 2025. China is second at 62,000 tonnes and Chile third at 56,000 tonnes. The ranking uses USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 estimates of 2025 mine production; U.S. output is withheld and not ranked.
Lithium is the defining metal of the battery age: USGS estimates that 88% of global lithium use now goes into batteries for electric vehicles, grid storage and electronics. World mine production, excluding the United States, rose an estimated 31% in 2025 to about 290,000 tonnes of lithium content. This is a top nine rather than a top ten because USGS publishes 2025 figures for only nine producing countries. The tenth, the United States, has a brine operation in Nevada, but its output is withheld to protect company data.
Australia mined an estimated 92,000 tonnes of lithium in 2025, about 32% of world output, from seven hard-rock mineral operations. Output rose from 82,700 tonnes in 2024.
China's output jumped an estimated 50% to 62,000 tonnes in 2025, from nine mineral and six brine operations, overtaking Chile for second place.
Chile produced an estimated 56,000 tonnes in 2025 from two brine operations, and holds the largest reserves of any country at 9.2 million tonnes.
Zimbabwe, Africa's largest producer in the USGS table, raised output an estimated 40% to 28,000 tonnes in 2025 from five mineral operations.
Argentina's brine output rose an estimated 67% to 23,000 tonnes in 2025 from 13,800 tonnes, with four main brine operations plus smaller producers.
Brazil produced an estimated 12,000 tonnes in 2025, mainly from one mineral operation plus smaller operations, up from 10,200 tonnes.
Mali is the fastest riser on the list: two mineral operations that started in 2024 took output from 770 tonnes to an estimated 9,400 tonnes in 2025.
Canada mined an estimated 5,600 tonnes in 2025 from two mineral operations, up from 4,820 tonnes in 2024.
Portugal, Europe's only producer in the USGS table, mined an estimated 380 tonnes in 2025, unchanged from 2024, a small fraction of a percent of world output.
| # | Name | 2024 output (t) | Share of world 2025 | Main source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | 82700 | 31.7% | Hard-rock minerals |
| 2 | China | 41400 | 21.4% | Minerals and brine |
| 3 | Chile | 48900 | 19.3% | Brine |
| 4 | Zimbabwe | 20000 | 9.7% | Hard-rock minerals |
| 5 | Argentina | 13800 | 7.9% | Brine |
| 6 | Brazil | 10200 | 4.1% | Hard-rock minerals |
| 7 | Mali | 770 | 3.2% | Hard-rock minerals |
| 8 | Canada | 4820 | 1.9% | Hard-rock minerals |
| 9 | Portugal | 380 | 0.1% | Not specified |
Ranked by estimated 2025 lithium mine production in metric tons of lithium content (not lithium carbonate equivalent), from the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 (February 2026) lithium chapter. The United States is excluded because USGS withholds its production figure; the USGS world total of 290,000 tonnes also excludes it, and that total is used for share of world. USGS notes that Namibia was 'temporarily removed from mine production owing to legal uncertainties,' and it does not appear in the production table. Output includes both mineral and brine operations. 2025 figures are USGS estimates and may be revised.
Australia, with an estimated 92,000 tonnes of lithium content in 2025, about a third of world output, according to the USGS.
USGS publishes 2025 mine production for only nine countries. The United States also produces lithium, from a brine operation in Nevada, but its figure is withheld to protect company data, so it cannot be ranked.
These are tonnes of lithium content. Industry figures are often quoted in lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE), which gives a larger number for the same amount of lithium.
Chile, with 9.2 million tonnes, followed by Australia (8.4 million) in the USGS table. Bolivia has large resources (23 million tonnes) but no reported reserves or production.