# Lithium (Li)

> The lightest metal and the heart of every lithium-ion battery — from phones and EVs to the grid-scale storage now being bolted onto data centers.

Source page: https://critical-minerals.si/minerals/lithium · JSON: https://critical-minerals.si/data/minerals/lithium.json · Terms: https://critical-minerals.si/data#terms

## Key facts
- Supply status: Structural deficit. IEA projects a lithium supply deficit persisting through 2035, and prices more than doubled between January 2025 and April 2026 on energy-storage demand.
- Supply risk index: 60/100
- Top producer (2025): Australia (32%); China's share: 21%
- US net import reliance: >50%; main import sources: Chile, Argentina
- On 10 of 10 government critical-mineral lists
- AI relevance: 2/3 (Backup & storage, Power & grid). Lithium-ion UPS and battery energy storage systems (BESS) keep AI campuses running through outages and let operators shave peak grid demand. Data centers are increasingly paired with on-site storage to secure interconnection.
- Export controls: China — Export licensing (2025); Zimbabwe — Lithium ore export ban (2022); Namibia — Ore & concentrate export ban (2023)

## Supply chain by step
- Mining (Spodumene ore and brine): China 21%, 2025 — USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 data release (CC0). IEA: over 65% of new African lithium mining capacity is owned by companies headquartered in China.
- Refining (Lithium chemicals (carbonate and hydroxide)): China 75%, 2025 — IEA, Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2026 (CC BY 4.0), p. 141. Up from 70% in 2024.
- Cathode material (Cathode active material (all chemistries)): China ~85%, 2025 — IEA, Global EV Outlook 2026: manufacturing and trade (CC BY 4.0). China produced 98% of LFP cathode material and about two-thirds of nickel-based cathode material in 2025 (IEA GCMO 2026, p. 72).
- Battery cells (Lithium-ion battery cells): China ~80%, 2025 — IEA, Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2026 (CC BY 4.0), p. 72. IEA's Global EV Outlook 2026 puts China at over 80% of battery cell production in 2025.

Processing gap: +64 percentage points (China 21% at mining → 85% at cathode material). This is separate from the supply risk index.
Most concentrated step: Cathode material (China 85%).

## Production by country (mine production, metric tons)
| Country | 2024 | 2025 | Share 2025 | Reserves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 82700 | 92000 | 32% | 8400000 |
| China | 41400 | 62000 | 21% | 4600000 |
| Chile | 48900 | 56000 | 19% | 9200000 |
| Zimbabwe | 20000 | 28000 | 10% | 500000 |
| Argentina | 13800 | 23000 | 8% | 4400000 |
| Brazil | 10200 | 12000 | 4% | 540000 |
| Mali | 770 | 9400 | 3% | 370000 |
| Canada | 4820 | 5600 | 2% | 1600000 |

## Government lists
- United States — Final 2025 List of Critical Minerals (2025): critical
- United States (DOE) — Critical Materials List — critical materials for energy (2023): critical
- European Union — Critical & Strategic Raw Materials (2024): strategic
- United Kingdom — 2024 Criticality Assessment (2024): critical
- China — National Mineral Resources Plan (2016–2020) — 24 strategic minerals (2016): strategic
- Japan — Critical Minerals (35 mineral species) (2023): critical
- South Korea — 33 Critical Minerals / 10 Strategic Critical Minerals (2023): strategic
- India — 30 Critical Minerals for India (2023): critical
- Australia — Critical Minerals List & Strategic Materials List (2024): critical
- Canada — Canada's Critical Minerals List (2024): critical

## Listed companies with exposure
- Zijin Mining (601899.SS) — producer, major, HQ CN
- VanEck Rare Earth & Strategic Metals ETF (REMX) — etf, fund, HQ US
- Albemarle (ALB) — producer, major, HQ US; US: Silver Peak lithium brine (NV) and Kings Mountain (NC)
- SQM (SQM) — producer, major, HQ CL
- PLS Group (Pilbara Minerals) (PLS.AX) — producer, mid-tier, HQ AU
- Lithium Americas (LAC) — developer, junior, HQ CA; US: Thacker Pass lithium mine, Nevada (under construction)
- Ganfeng Lithium (002460.SZ) — producer, major, HQ CN
- Tianqi Lithium (002466.SZ) — producer, major, HQ CN
- Global X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF (LIT) — etf, fund, HQ US
- Sprott Lithium Miners ETF (LITP) — etf, fund, HQ US
- Rio Tinto (RIO) — major, major, HQ GB; US: Kennecott copper (UT), Boron (CA) and 55% of Resolution Copper (AZ)
- Sprott Critical Materials ETF (SETM) — etf, fund, HQ US
- ioneer (IONR) — developer, junior, HQ AU; US: Rhyolite Ridge lithium-boron project, Nevada (permitted, pre-construction)
- Standard Lithium (SLI) — developer, junior, HQ CA; US: South West Arkansas lithium brine project (feasibility stage)
- American Battery Technology (ABAT) — processor, junior, HQ US; US: Battery recycling plant near Reno and Tonopah Flats lithium project, Nevada

## Sources
- IEA Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2026 — Executive summary: https://www.iea.org/reports/global-critical-minerals-outlook-2026/executive-summary
- IEA Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2026 — Outlook: https://www.iea.org/reports/global-critical-minerals-outlook-2026/outlook
- USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: https://www.usgs.gov/data/mineral-commodity-summaries-2026-data-release

Cite as: Lithium — Critical-Minerals.si (https://critical-minerals.si), https://critical-minerals.si/minerals/lithium. Research and education only; not investment advice.