27/ MAY /2023
Bolivia
Bolivia has an estimated 21 million tonnes of lithium and is one of the third countries of the ‘lithium triangle’ in South America.
Argentina
Argentina has the world’s second-largest lithium reserves, totalling around 17 million tonnes. These reserves are contained in vast salt flats and hence the solar evaporation technique is used to extract lithium.
Chile
Chile accounts for around 9 million tonnes of lithium reserves. The country has also succeeded in developing a prolific mining industry for metal.
United States
The US has the world’s fourth largest lithium reserves, measured at 6.8 million tonnes according to the US Geological Survey, found in brines, hectorite, and pegmatites.
Australia
Australia ranks fifth on the list of largest overall reserves with 6.3 million tonnes. Mine output from the country stood at 42,000 tonnes in a year, compared to second-placed Chile, which produced 18,000 tonnes.
China
China has the sixth-largest reserves of lithium in the world, estimated at 4.5 million tonnes. In 2019, the country produced 7,500 tonnes of metal, which is the third-highest worldwide.