These Nations Control the EV Battery Supply Chain, And The U.S. Is Not On The List

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A major obstacle blocking America’s transition to electric vehicles is the fragile and uneven supply chain that underpins the industry. The core ingredients in an EV battery – graphite, aluminum, nickel, copper, manganese, cobalt, and lithium – are concentrated in tiny pockets around the world, giving a small handful of countries disproportionate power in the EV supply chain.

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In some cases, individual countries control more than half of the global supply of certain EV-critical minerals. China, for example, produces 76.9% of the world’s mined graphite, while the Democratic Republic of the Congo produces 73.9% of the world’s mined cobalt. A closer look at data from the U.S. Geological Survey reveals the countries with the greatest chokeholds on the global EV battery supply chain.

To determine the countries that control the EV battery supply chain, Climate Crisis 247 reviewed data on mineral production from the U.S. Geological Survey’s 2024 Mineral Commodity Survey. Countries were ranked based on the production of any one EV-critical mineral – graphite, aluminum, nickel, copper, manganese, cobalt, and lithium – as a percentage of total global production. All data is for 2023.

16. Canada

• Most highly concentrated EV-critical mineral: Nickel (5.0% of global production)
• Annual mine production of nickel: 180,000 metric tons
• Other EV-critical minerals produced: Lithium, aluminum, cobalt, copper, graphite

 

15. Argentina

• Most highly concentrated EV-critical mineral: Lithium (5.3% of global production)
• Annual mine production of lithium: 9,600 metric tons
• Other EV-critical minerals produced: N/A

 

14. Russia

• Most highly concentrated EV-critical mineral: Nickel (5.6% of global production)
• Annual mine production of nickel: 200,000 metric tons
• Other EV-critical minerals produced: Aluminum, cobalt, copper, graphite

 

13. India

• Most highly concentrated EV-critical mineral: Aluminum (5.9% of global production)
• Annual mine production of aluminum: 4,100,000 metric tons
• Other EV-critical minerals produced: Manganese, graphite

 

12. Mozambique

• Most highly concentrated EV-critical mineral: Graphite (6.0% of global production)
• Annual mine production of graphite: 96,000 metric tons
• Other EV-critical minerals produced: N/A

 

11. Madagascar

• Most highly concentrated EV-critical mineral: Graphite (6.3% of global production)
• Annual mine production of graphite: 100,000 metric tons
• Other EV-critical minerals produced: Cobalt

 

10. New Caledonia

• Most highly concentrated EV-critical mineral: Nickel (6.4% of global production)
• Annual mine production of nickel: 230,000 metric tons
• Other EV-critical minerals produced: Cobalt

 

9. Philippines

• Most highly concentrated EV-critical mineral: Nickel (11.1% of global production)
• Annual mine production of nickel: 400,000 metric tons
• Other EV-critical minerals produced: Cobalt

 

8. Peru

• Most highly concentrated EV-critical mineral: Copper (11.8% of global production)
• Annual mine production of copper: 2,600,000 metric tons
• Other EV-critical minerals produced: N/A

 

7. Gabon

• Most highly concentrated EV-critical mineral: Manganese (23.0% of global production)
• Annual mine production of manganese: 4,600,000 metric tons
• Other EV-critical minerals produced: N/A

 

6. Chile

• Most highly concentrated EV-critical mineral: Lithium (24.4% of global production)
• Annual mine production of lithium: 44,000 metric tons
• Other EV-critical minerals produced: Copper

 

5. South Africa

• Most highly concentrated EV-critical mineral: Manganese (36.0% of global production)
• Annual mine production of manganese: 7,200,000 metric tons
• Other EV-critical minerals produced: N/A

 

4. Australia

• Most highly concentrated EV-critical mineral: Lithium (47.8% of global production)
• Annual mine production of lithium: 86,000 metric tons
• Other EV-critical minerals produced: Aluminum, nickel, manganese, cobalt, copper

 

3. Indonesia

• Most highly concentrated EV-critical mineral: Nickel (50.0% of global production)
• Annual mine production of nickel: 1,800,000 metric tons
• Other EV-critical minerals produced: Cobalt, copper

 

2. Democratic Republic of the Congo

• Most highly concentrated EV-critical mineral: Cobalt (73.9% of global production)
• Annual mine production of cobalt: 170,000 metric tons
• Other EV-critical minerals produced: Copper

 

1. China

• Most highly concentrated EV-critical mineral: Graphite (76.9% of global production)
• Annual mine production of graphite: 1,230,000 metric tons
• Other EV-critical minerals produced: Lithium, aluminum, nickel, manganese, copper

 

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