In 2024, the mine production of cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) totaled an estimated ******* metric tons, the peak production volume in the indicated period. DR Congo is the world's largest producer of cobalt from mines, accounting for over ** percent of global cobalt mine production in 2024. Cobalt from the DR Congo Cobalt is a silver-grey, hard and lustrous metal that is only found in the Earth’s crust in chemically combined form. Cobalt is therefore primarily mined as a byproduct of nickel and copper mining. From there, cobalt is produced by reductive smelting. DR Congo has by far the world's largest reserves of cobalt. Cobalt is primarily used in lithium-ion batteries for electric devices such as laptops and electric vehicles. Since the 1960s, the world’s cobalt mine production has largely been focused in the DR Congo, where small-scale and artisanal mine operations account for most of the production. Congolese mining industry: hard & hazardous labor Artisanal and small-scale mining operations employ about **** million Congolese. Of those people, most are involved in nickel, copper, and cobalt mining. Children aged 15 and older are legally allowed to do light work in DR Congo. However, half of the children working in the cobalt-producing mines in DR Congo perform hard, hazardous labor. Adults and children involved in this industry there work in dangerous environments, often without the necessary protective equipment. This has been known to lead to respiratory and skin problems, as well as life-threatening accidents as a result of insufficient safety measures such as tunnels caving in.

Key information about Congo Minerals Production

• Congo, Democratic Republic of Minerals Production was reported at 3,828,547.000 Metric Ton in Dec 2022
• This records an increase from the previous number of 3,221,345.000 Metric Ton for Dec 2021
• Congo Minerals Production data is updated yearly, averaging 2,243,855.500 Metric Ton from Dec 2009 to 2022, with 14 observations
• The data reached an all-time high of 3,828,547.000 Metric Ton in 2022 and a record low of 1,286,414.000 Metric Ton in 2009
• Congo Minerals Production data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal Ministry Republic of Austria
• The data is categorized under World Trend Plus’s Association: Metal and Mining Sector – Table WB.BMF.WMPC: World Mining Production by Country

Key information about Congo, Democratic Republic of Aluminum Exports

• Congo, Democratic Republic of Aluminum Exports was reported at 541.305 USD th in Dec 2023
• This records an increase from the previous number of 2.903 USD th for Dec 2022
• Congo Aluminum Exports data is updated yearly, averaging 109.913 USD th from Dec 1996 to 2023, with 26 observations
• The data reached an all-time high of 5,994.246 USD th in 2011 and a record low of 2.903 USD th in 2022
• Congo Aluminum Exports data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
• The data is categorized under World Trend Plus’s Association: Metal and Mining Sector – Table WB.UNCTAD.AL: Non-Ferrous Metals: Aluminium: Export Value by Individual Economies and Territories

In 2024, Peru produced *** million metric tons of copper. The ten leading countries in world copper production as of 2024 were Chile, Peru, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, China, the United States, Russia, Indonesia, Australia, Kazakhstan, and Mexico. Major countries in world copper production Chile, the world's leading copper producer by far, produced an estimated *** million metric tons of copper in 2024. In second place was Democratic Republic of Congo, with an estimated copper mine production of *** million metric tons that same year. The world's fourth-largest copper producer from mines is China. In 2024, China produced an estimated *** million metric tons of copper from mines, about a third of Chile's production. The leading copper mines in the world The largest copper mines in the world are located primarily in the largest copper producing nations in the world. As Chile is the world's largest producer of copper, it is not surprising that three of the world's ten largest copper mines based on capacity are located there. At the top of the list is the Escondida mine, located in the Atacama Desert in Chile's Antofagasta Region. It had a capacity of some **** million metric tons of copper in 2024, which is nearly twice the capacity of the world's second-largest copper mine, located in Indonesia.