Major lithium producers: Latin America dominates, but changing dynamics ahead

Latin America holds a significant share of global lithium resources, with Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile forming a key triangle for lithium production.

However, Bolivia’s production remains low, while Chile demonstrates maturity, and Argentina progresses steadily.

Four countries, including two from Latin America, account for over 96% of global lithium production:

Australia: 55,300 tons
Chile: 28,300 tons
China: 14,000 tons
Argentina: 5,970 tons

Brazil also contributes with 1,700 tons to global lithium production.

The concentration of lithium production in Latin America has led to its inclusion in the critical materials list by major lithium-ion battery producing countries.

Over the years, the distribution of lithium production shares has shifted.

In the 2000s, Chile held around 40% of world production, while Australia had approximately 23%.

China and Argentina emerged during that decade, averaging shares of 15% and 9%, respectively.

In the 2010s, Australia’s share increased to 44%, surpassing Chile’s 31%.

Argentina and Chile have played a significant role in the region’s lithium production, with Latin America contributing over 50% in the past.

However, Australia’s capacity expansion led to a decline in the region’s share.

Despite promising project outlooks, the region’s relative share is expected to decrease.

Canada, the United States, and Zimbabwe are projected to contribute considerably to lithium production, diminishing Latin America’s share from 37% in 2021 to 32% by 2030.

Chile’s major operations in the Salar de Atacama, operated by SQM and Albemarle, plan to double production from 2025.

Argentina leads in lithium projects under development, while Brazil and Mexico also have significant operations underway.

Bolivia has substantial lithium resources but faces strategic and technical challenges hindering exploitation and converting resources into reserves.

Latin America accounts for 52% of global lithium reserves, with Chile holding 41% and Argentina nearly 10%.

Bolivia lacks reserves due to strategic mistakes and extraction challenges. Bolivia has vast lithium resources, leading the world with 21 billion tons, followed by Argentina and Chile.

Overall, Latin America’s dominance in lithium production is set to shift as other countries increase their contributions.

While the region’s potential remains promising, the dynamics are evolving, impacting its share in the global lithium market.

This is the ranking of lithium resources elaborated by the U.S. Geological Survey:

Bolivia: 21′000,000,000 tons.
Argentina: 20′000.000.000 tons
Chile: 11′000.000.000 tons
Australia: 7′900,000 tons
China: 6′800,000 tons
Germany: 3′200,000 tons
Democratic Republic of Congo: 3′000,000 tons
Canada: 2′900,000 tons
Mexico: 1′700,000 tons
Czech Republic: 1′300,000 tons
Serbia: 1′200,000 tons
Russia: 1′000,000 tons
Peru: 880,000 tons
Mali: 840,000 tons
Brazil: 730,000 tons
Zimbabwe: 690,000 tons