Global lithium supply comes from a short list of companies, many linked through joint ventures. This page summarises who owns what, using company announcements and USGS data, plus live charts of the listed producers. For country totals see lithium production by country.
Top lithium producing countries (2025)
| Country | 2025e mine production (t Li) | Share* |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 92,000 | 32% |
| China | 62,000 | 21% |
| Chile | 56,000 | 19% |
| Zimbabwe | 28,000 | 10% |
| Argentina | 23,000 | 8% |
| Brazil | 12,000 | 4% |
| Mali | 9,400 | 3% |
| Canada | 5,600 | 2% |
*Of the USGS world total of about 290,000 t (lithium content, excluding the United States). Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026.
Major lithium companies and their assets
| Company (ticker) | Main lithium assets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Albemarle (NYSE: ALB) | Salar de Atacama brine (Chile); Silver Peak (Nevada); 49% of Greenbushes and 50% of Wodgina (Australia); Kemerton hydroxide plant (WA); conversion plants in China | Silver Peak is the only producing US lithium operation. Albemarle scaled back Kemerton in 2024 because of low prices. |
| SQM (NYSE: SQM) | Salar de Atacama brine (Chile) via NovaAndino Litio; 50% of Mt Holland (WA, with Wesfarmers) | NovaAndino Litio, a joint venture in which Chile’s state-owned Codelco holds 50% plus one share, was formed in December 2025. Tianqi holds a stake of over 20% in SQM. |
| Tianqi Lithium (SZSE: 002466) | 51% of the joint venture that owns 51% of Talison (Greenbushes); Kwinana hydroxide refinery (WA, with IGO); plants in China | Also a major SQM shareholder. |
| Ganfeng Lithium (SZSE: 002460) | 50% of Mt Marion (WA); Cauchari-Olaroz brine (Argentina, with Lithium Argentina); Goulamina (Mali); operations in China | Integrated from mining to batteries and recycling. |
| PLS Group (ASX: PLS) | Pilgangoora spodumene (WA, 100%); Colina project (Brazil) | Renamed from Pilbara Minerals in December 2025 after acquiring Latin Resources. |
| Mineral Resources (ASX: MIN) | 50% of Wodgina; 50% of Mt Marion; Bald Hill (WA) | Bald Hill, idled in late 2024, restarted in 2026. |
| Rio Tinto (NYSE: RIO) | Former Arcadium Lithium assets: Olaroz, Fenix and Sal de Vida brines (Argentina), Mt Cattlin (WA), Canadian hard-rock projects; Jadar project (Serbia) | Arcadium was formed in January 2024 from the Allkem-Livent merger; Rio Tinto completed its acquisition in March 2025. The old Allkem (ASX: AKE) and Livent (NYSE: LTHM) tickers no longer exist. |
| IGO (ASX: IGO) | 49% of the Tianqi joint venture (Greenbushes and Kwinana) | |
| Liontown Resources (ASX: LTR) | Kathleen Valley spodumene (WA) | First production in 2024. |
| Sigma Lithium (NASDAQ: SGML) | Grota do Cirilo spodumene (Minas Gerais, Brazil) | |
| CATL (SZSE: 300750) | Lepidolite mining in Jiangxi, including Jianxiawo | The world’s largest battery maker; Jianxiawo was suspended in August 2025. |
| Lithium Americas (NYSE: LAC) | Thacker Pass (Nevada), under construction with General Motors as joint-venture partner | Phase 1 designed for 40,000 t/yr lithium carbonate; mechanical completion targeted for late 2027. |
| Lithium Argentina (NYSE: LAR) | Cauchari-Olaroz (Argentina), with Ganfeng |
Key operations
Greenbushes, Western Australia (spodumene)
The cornerstone of hard-rock supply, in the south-west of the state (not the Pilbara). Operated by Talison Lithium: Albemarle 49%, Tianqi/IGO joint venture 51%.
Pilgangoora and Wodgina, Pilbara (spodumene)
Pilgangoora is wholly owned by PLS Group. Nearby Wodgina is a 50/50 joint venture of Mineral Resources and Albemarle.
Salar de Atacama, Chile (brine)
Home of SQM’s and Albemarle’s solar-evaporation brine operations, among the lowest-cost lithium sources. SQM’s operations moved into the NovaAndino Litio partnership with Codelco from December 2025.
Argentina’s salars (brine)
Olaroz, Fenix and Sal de Vida (Rio Tinto), Cauchari-Olaroz (Ganfeng and Lithium Argentina) and others. USGS counts four producing brine operations in Argentina, whose output rose to about 23,000 t of lithium in 2025.
Thacker Pass, Nevada (claystone)
The largest US project under construction, owned by Lithium Americas with General Motors. As of February 2026 the company targeted mechanical completion in late 2027 and ramp-up during 2028.
Live charts: lithium producer stocks
Frequently asked questions
Who is the largest lithium producer in the world?
Albemarle, SQM, Tianqi, Ganfeng and Rio Tinto (after buying Arcadium Lithium) are generally counted among the largest lithium producers by volume, alongside the big Australian miners PLS Group and Mineral Resources. Rankings depend on whether you count mined concentrate or refined chemicals, and on how joint ventures such as Greenbushes are attributed.
What is the biggest lithium mine?
Greenbushes in south-west Western Australia is widely regarded as the largest and highest-grade hard-rock lithium mine in operation. It is run by Talison Lithium, owned 49% by Albemarle and 51% by a joint venture of Tianqi Lithium (51%) and IGO (49%).
What happened to Allkem and Livent?
Allkem (ASX: AKE) and Livent (NYSE: LTHM) merged in January 2024 to form Arcadium Lithium, which Rio Tinto acquired in March 2025. Their assets, including Olaroz, Fenix, Sal de Vida and Mt Cattlin, are now part of Rio Tinto's lithium business.
Sources
- USGS, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Lithium (February 2026)
- Lithium Americas, Thacker Pass project update (19 February 2026)
- The Motley Fool Australia, “PLS? Why did Pilbara Minerals shares just change name?” (9 December 2025)
- NovaAndino Litio (overview)
- Rio Tinto, completion of Arcadium Lithium acquisition (March 2025)