Democratic Republic of Congo appears ranked #1 in the producer list for cobalt on the Critical Minerals HQ Cobalt page (out of 4 listed producers).
26000 USD/t (updated 2026-05-03T18:54:14.721Z) — see the Cobalt live price page for refresh history and chart.
The Democratic Republic of Congo produces over 70% of the world's cobalt, creating significant geopolitical supply risk.
The global cobalt market — and the closely linked cobalt oxide market that feeds lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) cathodes for consumer electronics — is the most geopolitically concentrated of any major battery metal: the Democratic Republic of Congo produces over 70% of the world's cobalt and the United States is essentially 100% import reliant, leaving EV battery, cobalt oxide and aerospace superalloy supply chains heavily exposed.
The cobalt mining market is overwhelmingly dominated by the Democratic Republic of Congo, which produces over 70% of global cobalt — a level of supply concentration unmatched by any other major battery metal.
China is the dominant downstream refiner of cobalt into battery-grade chemicals, including the cobalt sulfate that feeds NMC/NCA cathodes and the cobalt oxide that feeds LCO cathodes — a second layer of supply concentration on top of DRC's mining share.
100% import-reliant and supply dominated by one politically unstable nation.
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The Democratic Republic of Congo produces over 70% of the world's cobalt, creating significant geopolitical supply risk.
100% import-reliant and supply dominated by one politically unstable nation.
The global cobalt market — and the closely linked cobalt oxide market that feeds lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) cathodes for consumer electronics — is the most geopolitically concentrated of any major battery metal: the Democratic Republic of Congo produces over 70% of the world's cobalt and the United States is essentially 100% import reliant, leaving EV battery, cobalt oxide and aerospace superalloy supply chains heavily exposed.