Most of the world’s cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which produces roughly 76% of global supply. In 2024, the DRC mined an estimated 220,000 metric tons of cobalt, far outpacing every other country combined. Indonesia is a distant second at about 28,000 metric tons (10%), followed by Russia, the Philippines, and Cuba. This extreme concentration in one country shapes everything from battery prices to geopolitical tensions over critical minerals.
The DRC’s Dominant Role
Nearly all of the DRC’s cobalt comes from two southeastern provinces: Lualaba and Haut-Katanga, part of the broader region historically known as the Copperbelt. Cobalt here is typically extracted as a byproduct of copper mining, and production from these areas has roughly doubled since 2015.
The single largest cobalt operation in the world is the Mutanda mine, operated by the Swiss-based company Glencore. The second largest is Tenke Fungurime, followed by the Luiswishi and Lubumbashi mines. In 2016, those four operations alone accounted for 43% of global cobalt production. Glencore held about 32% of the global mined cobalt market in 2018, while China Molybdenum (CMOC), which controls Tenke Fungurume, was the second-largest producer at 14%.
Chinese ownership now plays a major role in Congolese cobalt. Eight of the 14 largest cobalt mining companies operating in the DRC are Chinese-owned, collectively responsible for almost half of the country’s output. These include CMOC, Jinchuan Group, Huayou Cobalt, and Congo Dongfang Mining. This means that while the cobalt is physically mined in Africa, a significant share of the supply chain is controlled by Chinese firms, which also dominate the refining stage.
Artisanal Mining in the DRC
Not all Congolese cobalt comes from large industrial operations. A meaningful share is dug by artisanal and small-scale miners (often abbreviated ASM) working in Lualaba and Haut-Katanga. When aggregated, ASM in the DRC ranks as one of the largest “producers” in the world. These miners typically work with hand tools in informal or semi-formal settings, often in hazardous conditions, and the cobalt they extract enters the supply chain through local buying houses.
This artisanal sector is the source of most of the human rights concerns associated with cobalt. Reports of child labor, unsafe tunnels, and minimal protective equipment have drawn international scrutiny and pushed major electronics and automakers to audit their supply chains more carefully. The World Bank has called for specific DRC policies on artisanal mining to improve transparency and reduce reputational risks while still providing economic opportunity for mining communities.
Indonesia’s Rapid Rise
Indonesia has emerged as the world’s second-largest cobalt producer in just a few years, jumping from a negligible share to about 10% of global output. The cobalt comes as a byproduct of nickel processing, specifically from high-pressure acid leach (HPAL) facilities that extract nickel and cobalt together from laterite ores.
The key facilities are located on islands in eastern Indonesia. An operation on Obi Island, run by the Harita Group, came online in 2021 with capacity for 65,000 metric tons of mixed hydroxide precipitate (the intermediate product containing both nickel and cobalt). A second plant at Weda Bay, a joint venture between the French company Eramet and Tsingshan, started in 2022 with about 42,000 metric tons of capacity. Additional projects are under development, including a large Vale-Huayou joint venture at Pomalaa. Indonesia’s cobalt output is expected to keep growing as more HPAL plants reach full production.
Other Producing Countries
Russia produced an estimated 8,700 metric tons of cobalt in 2024, primarily through Norilsk Nickel’s operations in Siberia, where cobalt is recovered alongside nickel and copper. The Philippines contributed about 3,800 metric tons, largely from nickel laterite processing. Cuba rounded out the top five at roughly 3,500 metric tons, from deposits that have been mined for decades.
Australia, Canada, Madagascar, and several other countries also mine cobalt in smaller quantities. In most cases, cobalt is not the primary target. It rides along as a byproduct of copper or nickel extraction, which is one reason supply is so hard to scale up independently. You can’t easily open a “cobalt mine” because standalone cobalt deposits are rare. Expanding cobalt production usually means expanding copper or nickel mining first.
Cobalt Mining in the United States
The U.S. has no significant active cobalt mines. Cobalt deposits and prospects exist across more than a dozen states, including Alaska, Idaho, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, and Michigan, but none currently produce cobalt at commercial scale. The Stillwater complex in Montana has historically produced small amounts of cobalt as a byproduct, though published production records are limited.
Any future U.S. cobalt production would likely come as a byproduct of nickel, copper, zinc, or lead mining. Several projects in Minnesota and Idaho have been explored, but permitting, environmental review, and economics have kept them from advancing to production. This leaves the U.S. almost entirely dependent on imports and recycling for its cobalt needs, a vulnerability that has pushed cobalt onto the federal list of critical minerals.
Why Geography Matters
Cobalt is essential for lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles, smartphones, and laptops. The fact that more than three-quarters of global supply comes from a single country with governance challenges, and that Chinese companies control much of the mining and nearly all of the refining, creates supply chain risk that governments and manufacturers are actively trying to address. Indonesia’s growth helps diversify supply somewhat, but the DRC will remain the center of the cobalt world for the foreseeable future. Global mine production totaled roughly 290,000 metric tons in 2024, and no combination of other countries comes close to replacing the Congolese share.