René Muschter
Research Expert für Internationale Länderdaten
Global battery minerals - statistics & facts
Battery minerals refer to the minerals that are used in rechargeable batteries. They are becoming increasingly crucial for the energy transition, as demonstrated by drastically increasing demand in recent years. Many of these minerals also overlap with what is being labeled as critical or strategic minerals. Depending on the composition of the battery, they can include lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite, manganese, alumina, tin, tantalum, vanadium, magnesium, and rare earth minerals. Often, however, the term battery minerals is used to refer more concisely to lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, and graphite. Those make up the core of lithium-ion batteries, while other minerals such as copper and aluminum are used for the structure. Battery metals is also a commonly used term, which excludes the nonmetallic mineral graphite. The mining exploration of batteries worldwide has surged since 2022, with an annual budget of about 1.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2023 and 2024.
