The Democratic Republic of Congo Produced the World's Largest Amount of Cobalt in 2020

Cobalt is a key component of electric vehicle batteries, including cars, scooters, and electric bicycles. With the growing trend of electric vehicles in the future, global demand for cobalt will also increase.

According to data from the United States Geological Survey, global cobalt production totaled 140,000 metric tons in 2020. This is a 2.7% decrease compared to the previous year's 144,000 metric tons.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is the world's largest cobalt producer, reaching 95,000 metric tons in 2020. However, unstable geopolitical conditions within the Democratic Republic of Congo threaten to disrupt the supply of cobalt from Congo to other countries.

The next largest cobalt producer is Russia, with 6,300 metric tons. This is followed by Australia and the Philippines, each producing 5,700 and 4,700 metric tons respectively. Cuba produced 3,600 metric tons of cobalt in 2020.

Canada produced 3,200 metric tons of cobalt, and Papua New Guinea produced 2,800 metric tons. China and Morocco produced 2,300 and 1,900 metric tons respectively. South Africa's production reached 1,800 metric tons.

(Read More: Electric Vehicles Projected to Grow Rapidly)