The global cobalt industry is marked by highly concentrated mine production, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and a relatively small number of large-scale industrial mining operations that supply the global battery materials market.
Cobalt mine supply is fundamentally dependent on sustained ore grades, stable regulatory environments, and the continuous operation of a relatively small number of large mining assets. When a mine experiences operational disruptions, such as temporary shutdowns, maintenance outages, force majeure declarations, or permanent closures the impact can quickly influence global cobalt availability.
The Cobalt Mine GIO Tracker provides structured mine-level operational intelligence across all major cobalt-producing countries. The platform monitors installed mining capacity, real-time operating status, temporary shutdowns, maintenance outages, care-and-maintenance status, restart activity, and permanent closures across global cobalt mining operations.
Cobalt is a key, primary material in the international battery materials supply chain. It is a vital component in NMC and NCA cathode active materials, consumer electronics battery cells, aerospace superalloys, cutting tools, and industrial catalysts, with electric vehicle production increasingly the primary demand driver.
As mine production is reduced or halted, through price-related shutdowns, export bans, force majeure, labor disputes, or environmental enforcement, the effect is transmitted quickly through the downstream chain.
Mine disruptions can:
In the case of structurally tight markets, even short-term mine shutdowns or partial production cuts can affect overall price formation, especially when inventories are low, restart times are uncertain, or export bans block the flow of material from exiting countries.
Mine-level operational status tracking, therefore, is essential for understanding supply chain risk before the effects of mine stoppages are captured in official production statistics, export data, or LME inventory levels.
The global production of cobalt mines is still systematically concentrated. The Democratic Republic of the Congo represents about 77% of the global mine production of cobalt. This is a sole dependence on a single jurisdiction that has no equivalent in any other battery material. A few companies, most of them running joint ventures with Chinese companies, represent the vast majority of the global industrial production of cobalt.
The Cobalt Mines GIO Tracker provides early warning on these points of operational stress. By monitoring mine-level outages, suspension of care-and-maintenance activities, restart schedules, export stoppages, and geopolitically driven production shifts, the platform allows clients to detect potential supply shortages before they occur in LME cobalt prices, physical premiums, or trade customs data.
Global Overview
The global production of cobalt mines in 2025 was about 280+ thousand tonnes. The production of cobalt mines is heavily concentrated in a few countries. The DRC alone represents more than 76% of the global production of cobalt, followed by Indonesia, whose production has increased tenfold in three years due to the expansion of nickel processing in HPAL nickel processing plants.
The Cobalt Mines GIO Tracker provides structured intelligence on all major cobalt mining operations. The platform is based on historical data of mine-level disruptions since 2015 and monitors operational status, capacity changes, care-and-maintenance activities, restarts, geopolitical exposure, and quantified output losses for all major cobalt-producing countries.
By systematically monitoring mine-level developments, the platform provides early warning on potential supply shortages that could impact:
Tracks 25+ cobalt mining and associated laterite operations across the Asia Pacific region, monitoring operational status, maintenance shutdowns, temporary suspensions, and project commissioning developments affecting regional cobalt mine output.
Provides visibility into cobalt mining operations across North America, tracking operational status changes, maintenance shutdowns, and restart timelines affecting regional cobalt production capacity.
Tracks cobalt production associated with integrated nickel-copper mining complexes across Russia and surrounding regions. Monitoring includes sanctions-related trade flow realignments, maintenance cycles, and operational adjustments.
Covers major export-oriented smelters integrated with long-term gas or captive power contracts. Monitors expansion projects, maintenance cycles, and export allocation shifts influencing global seaborne aluminium availability.
Tracks cobalt production from laterite and polymetallic mining operations across South America, monitoring project development timelines, operational disruptions, and logistics constraints affecting marginal global cobalt supply.
Asia Pacific
Europe
South America
Middle East & Africa
Australia
Indonesia
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Sweden
Democratic Republic of Congo
Cuba
Asia Pacific
Europe
South America
Middle East & Africa
Australia
Indonesia
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Sweden
Democratic Republic of Congo
Cuba