Cobalt mine production volume in the Democratic Republic of Congo 2010-2023

In 2023, the mine production of cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) totaled an estimated 170,000 metric tons, the peak production volume in the indicated period. DR Congo is the world's largest producer of cobalt from mines, accounting for over 70 percent of global cobalt mine production in 2023.

Cobalt from the DR Congo

Cobalt is a silver-grey, hard and lustrous metal that is only found in the Earth’s crust in chemically combined form. Cobalt is therefore primarily mined as a byproduct of nickel and copper mining. From there, cobalt is produced by reductive smelting. DR Congo has by far the world's largest reserves of cobalt. Cobalt is primarily used in lithium-ion batteries for electric devices such as laptops and electric vehicles. Since the 1960s, the world’s cobalt mine production has largely been focused in the DR Congo, where small-scale and artisanal mine operations account for most of the production. It is forecast that the supply of cobalt from DR Congo in 2024 will amount to 225,000 metric tons.

Congolese mining industry: hard & hazardous labor

Artisanal and small-scale mining operations employ about 12.5 million Congolese. Of those people, most are involved in nickel, copper, and cobalt mining. Children aged 15 and older are legally allowed to do light work in DR Congo. However, half of the children working in the cobalt-producing mines in DR Congo perform hard, hazardous labor. Adults and children involved in this industry there work in dangerous environments, often without the necessary protective equipment. This has been known to lead to respiratory and skin problems, as well as life-threatening accidents as a result of insufficient safety measures such as tunnels caving in.