World lithium reserves 2023, by country

In 2023, reserves of lithium in Chile amounted to an estimated 9.3 million metric tons, the largest worldwide. That same year, Australia held a total lithium reserves of some 6.2 million metric tons. 

Australia leads lithium production

Lithium is a soft, silver-white metal which occurs only in compounds as a mineral due to its high reactivity. Mineral reserves are defined as those minerals that were extractable or producible at the time of estimate. Chile had the largest lithium reserves worldwide, by a large margin. However, Australia was the top country in lithium mine production in 2023, with an output of 86 thousand metric tons of lithium that year. 

Lithium and the future of mobility

Batteries account for the largest share of lithium end-usage. Propelled by the growth in the electric vehicle market, powered by rechargeable lithium batteries, global lithium demand is forecast to reach one million metric tons by 2025, and surpass two million tons by 2030. As of 2022, Chinese CATL and Korean LG Energy Solution were the top producers of lithium battery cells, combined accounting for more than half of the global market.